These days, the outlook for international trade can turn on a dime (or a tweet). International supply chains, on the other hand, take much longer to adjust to changes, especially when it comes to China, the world’s second largest economy and the site of so much of the world’s manufacturing. However, despite the difficulties of […]
For years, the conversation about innovative fulfillment strategies has been driven by a single company: (you guessed it) Amazon. Retailers have often been left playing catch-up to the aggressive, customer-focused fulfillment philosophy pioneered by Jeff Bezos’ Seattle-based Goliath. Recently however, other companies have been exploring creative distribution solutions of their own, and are finding themselves […]
Moving freight through the world’s biggest cities is about to become even more expensive. Beginning in 2021, New York will be the first American city to implement “congestion pricing,” and will charge a toll to vehicles entering Manhattan south of Central Park. New York City’s congestion pricing plan is a response to ever-worsening traffic issues […]
Since the White House imposed its first round of tariffs against China in February 2018, each new escalation of the trade war between the world’s two biggest economies has been greeted with disbelief. Yet this month, with the tariff rate on $200 billion of Chinese imports rising from 10 to 25 percent, business leaders, economists, […]
In a world in which every new technological breakthrough is hailed as the next big thing, the phrase “5G revolution” might sound like just more overblown hype. Yet 5G networks have the potential to usher in a new era in logistics and supply chain management, enabling everything from driverless vehicles to total cargo visibility. With […]
After a winter marked by tight capacity and high rates across the U.S. freight market, spring is bringing a respite for shippers across several areas. While no one factor is entirely responsible for this shift, one clear cause that supply chains are slowing down, now that the race to stockpile inventory ahead of the Chinese […]
In March, Italy became the first G7 country to formally join China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The deal, confirmed during a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping laid the groundwork for a preliminary $2.8 billion in Chinese investments in Italian projects, including infrastructure improvements at Italian ports in Trieste, Genoa, and Palermo. The announcement […]
In the famous nursery rhyme, “for want of a nail, the kingdom was lost.” At the US-Mexico border, a similar story is playing out: for want of a mere 750 customs officers, supply chains are in crisis, in industries ranging from agriculture to automotives. When the Trump administration reassigned 750 border agents to process the […]
After years of one-upmanship, ocean shipping’s appetite for bigger and bigger mega-ships may have finally reached its peak. At least, that’s the message from some of the world’s biggest carriers, though others continue to place orders for these giants of the sea. While shipping lines contemplate an end to the arms race, shippers, logistics professionals, […]
It’s easy to paint stories about port automation as black-and-white, heroes-and-villains struggles, although which side is the hero and which is the villain is largely in the eye of the beholder. Depending on your perspective, you might side with labor unions fighting to preserve jobs, or you might side with port operators, who present automation […]