Articles
Global Logistics
Panama Canal: Drought, Shipping, and the Supply Chain
The past few months have been unusually dry across Panama and there is no sign of improvement over the next few weeks, let alone the rest of the spring season. In 2022, nearly 15,000 vessels with 520 million tons of cargo passed through the channel.
This year, there’s simply not enough water – leading to vessel restrictions and ultimately fewer goods able to travel through this area that normally moves about 6% of global maritime trade. Everstream Analytics’ Chief Meteorologist Jon Davis reveals how low rain levels at the Panama Canal are set to impact supply chains.
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Incoterms: The Good, The Bad, and The Ambiguous
Incoterms are a set of international rules that interpret the most commonly used trade terms. Applying Incoterms to sales and purchase contracts makes global trade easier and helps partners in different countries understand one another.
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Preparing Now For What the Future May Bring
In 2022, it became clear that effective supply chain risk management (SCRM) is not a luxury but a necessity. The year saw numerous disruptions to global supply chains, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Log4Shell vulnerability, and concerns over rail strikes.
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Ukraine War’s Supply Chain Impact
In February 2022, Russian forces invaded Ukraine. While this is a terrible humanitarian event, it also impacts the global economy. There are economic repercussions not only in Europe, but also across the globe, especially since the timing of the war was not ideal.
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You’re Invited To: Bring New Trading Partners to the Party
More U.S. companies are asking a Plus One guest to join China sourcing strategies, inviting suppliers beyond the border of the world’s primary outsourcing powerhouse to the dance.
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War in Ukraine Squeezes Shipping
More than one year after Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine, global supply chains are feeling the impact. In the months after the invasion, total vessels moving in and out of Ukraine dropped from 109 in January 2022 to just two in June 2022, according to data tracked by project44. Combine the lack of vessel movement […]
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With a Little Help From My Friendshoring
For more than 40 years, economic policies encouraged companies in the developed world to move production offshore to reap the benefits of cheap labor and raw materials. But times are changing.
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Education: A Call to Action
A lot of transportation, logistics, and supply chain expertise is cycling out of day-to-day operations in the United States and it is worrisome.
Read MoreSouth of the Border Imports Boom
Driven by demand for boats, vehicles, vehicle parts, computer parts, and oil, Mexican imports to the United States rose 19.5% year-over-year in 2022 to reach $479.6 billion according to Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics, Geography, and Informatics. Some segments, such as motor vehicle parts, are returning to pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, data from project44 shows that […]
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Overcoming Global Trade Barriers
Lockdowns, land wars, and rising costs had companies scrambling to keep sourcing intact in 2022. Is reshoring the key to unlocking international trade challenges?
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VERTICAL FOCUS: Raw Materials
Insight into the latest supply chain trends for raw materials.
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Business as Unusual
A new IBM survey of 1,500 chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) reveals that supply chain leaders have accepted their fate: Business will continue to be anything but typical for the immediate future. The main focus for CSCOs now is to prepare for what happens next.
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Acquiring Minds Want To Know
A new report by Barclays Corporate Banking finds that nearly half of all UK logistics businesses are likely to make an acquisition in the next 12 months as they look to expand operations and become more competitive—the highest figure recorded in the survey’s 10-year history.
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NOTED: Supply Chain Highlights
From net-zero carbon initiatives to recent mergers and acquisitions, here’s what’s new and notable in the supply chain.
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Against All Odds, Trade Going Strong
“Resilient” seems to be the key word to describe global trade today. Despite myriad challenges—the aftermath of the pandemic, inflation, the war in Ukraine, a rocky stock market—global trade is persisting at strong levels, according to the latest DHL Trade Growth Atlas, published by DHL and the NYU Stern School of Business. The report maps […]
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Top 12 Importing Do’s and Don’ts
To operate a supply chain that meets today’s global logistics challenges, importers need to rethink some approaches. These 12 strategies can be key components of a comprehensive plan.
Read MoreShipping Containers: What Do the Cans Tell Us?
What can we learn from the movements of shipping containers, or cans? Plenty. Here’s how they provide clues about future global trading patterns.
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What is the # 1 Port in the U.S. Right Now?
What’s the top port in the United States right now? If you said one of the West Coast ports, guess again. Inbound Logistics’ podcast with port leaders tells the exciting story.
Read MoreDemocratizing Global E-Commerce?
Many small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs) report friction due to inflation and COVID. One way to rise above those headwinds is to expand both consumer and business-to-business e-commerce sales. But many SMEs don’t have the spend or techno skills to form a winning strategy to compete with the e-commerce big players who dominate the market […]
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Sachi Thompson: Do The Hustle
Responsibilities: Lead Curvature’s global server, storage, and network hardware business, including running operations, sales, and executing the division’s corporate strategy. Experience: Executive vice president, global supply chain,Curvature; chief operating officer, Curvature (pre-merger with SMS); director of real estate and leasing,Ess-Tee Management; production director,Big Dogs Sportswear. Education: B.A., History, University of California—Santa Barbara In 2007, I joined Curvature […]
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