Articles

Import

U.S. Trade Ups and Downs
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U.S. Trade Ups and Downs

Exports and imports of goods and services in the United States decreased 12.3% to $4.9 trillion in 2020, the largest nominal decrease since 2009, according to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Exports decreased by 15.7% while imports decreased by 9.5%. Total trade decreased as well, representing 23.6% of gross domestic product in 2020, […]

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Great Lakes Ports Stay on Course
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Great Lakes Ports Stay on Course

U.S. Great Lakes ports are on pace to beat 2018 cargo volumes following a robust September handling road salt, cement, stone, petroleum, and wind energy components, and supporting the region’s construction activity and energy needs. Overall, St. Lawrence Seaway tonnage for the season (March 22 to September 30) reached 24.8 million metric tons, down 6% […]

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Tariffs Sting U.S. Supply Chains

The tariffs President Donald Trump imposed on Chinese goods have caused sharp increases in expenses for some companies, and even businesses that have yet to feel the sting of the duties on imported Chinese goods are taking a closer look at their supply chains to see how they can minimize the damage. As businesses scramble […]

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That’s a Latte Coffee
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That’s a Latte Coffee

When it comes to coffee imports, Germany is way out in front of EU member states, with 2017 imports totaling 1.1 million metric tons (see chart), according to Eurostat’s most recent statistics. The Italians are also well known for their love of coffee and last year, they imported slightly more than 550,000 metric tons. Belgium […]

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Strong Im/Ex Market Fuels South Korea Trade Growth
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Strong Im/Ex Market Fuels South Korea Trade Growth

Air trade in South Korea will remain steady due to strong exports of high technology, basic materials, and machinery parts, as well as imports of industrial raw materials and machinery parts, predicts the DHL Global Trade Barometer, an early indicator of global trade developments calculated using artificial intelligence and big data. The Barometer also expects […]

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FTAs Top Concern of Importers/Exporters

To gauge shipper perspectives on trade in today’s world, and particularly about the shift in free trade agreement (FTA) focus, global logistics and transportation solutions company BDP polled U.S. importers and exporters attending its 29th Annual Regulatory Compliance Seminar in Houston in late February. The results confirms that FTAs remain in the forefront of the […]

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Global Trade Content: Unlocking the Supply Chain Value

New Content-as-a-Service solutions deliver content that exists outside an organization. This outside-in perspective is spurring companies to find new value to make supply chain planning and execution inherently more intelligent—especially when it comes to global trade. Content solutions can, for example, help companies properly classify goods to ensure compliance while minimizing duties and tariffs; research, […]

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Commentary: Mitigating Supply Chain Risk

Think of shipping cargo like a financial portfolio: It’s important to diversify. That’s because there are inherent risks when shipping via air and ocean: delays, damaged cargo, weather events, etc. Cargo insurance, though critical, isn’t always enough to protect you and your business. You need a plan that covers all the predictable and unpredictable risks, […]

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Enhancing Supply Chain Continuity: What We Learned from the Port of Tianjin Explosion

Just as the Chinese word for crisis contains the characters for danger and for opportunity, a disaster in China was the catalyst for creating an enhanced business continuity management system and a more robust supply chain offering. Challenges in supply to China There are challenges in supply of gases and chemicals to China. Import/export lead […]

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Ocean Freight Visibility on the Horizon?
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Ocean Freight Visibility on the Horizon?

Inbound Logistics attended the Digital Difference event in NYC where Maersk unveiled its partnership with Microsoft. What does that mean for ocean shippers? The possibilities are exciting. In the works… Connected vessels: Ships “talk” to each other to improve performance and make shippers’ supply chains more predictable. Actionable data: Shippers can see exactly where their […]

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Keith Biondo
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Redefining Globalism?

Not long ago, Deutsche Bank, Thomas Friedman, and many economic experts announced that globalism is dead. Even technology visionary Peter Thiel recently said, "The tide on globalism is going out." Deutsche Bank chief strategist George Saravelos frames globalism’s death notice this way: "The world has been on a ‘globalizing’ trend since the end of World […]

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