World Trade articles from April 2005

World Trade archives from April 2005

Time to get C-TPAT certified.(Inside World Trade)(Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism)
April 1, 2005... C-TPAT is one of those unwieldy Washington bureaucratic acronyms that, to say the least, hardly trips lightly off the tongue. What's lacking in linguistic grace, though, is more than made tip for in clout. Certification as a member in good...

Changing of the guard at the World Bank: an opportunity for course correction.(Policy Perspectives)
April 1, 2005... On May 31, 2005 James Wolfensohn will complete his 10-year tenure as President of the World Bank. Although this job does not rank as highly as the cabinet level appointments the Bush administration has been making, from an international...

Transportation Services Index (TSI).(Tradewinds: the latest trends in the World of Trade)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The Transportation Services Index (TSI) rose 0.7 percent in November to 127.6 (1996=100), the second increase in as many months, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. TSI is a single...

Bush's plan to prune farm aid should appeal to WTO; U.S. farm aid on the chopping block.(Tradewinds: the latest trends in the World of Trade)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The Bush Administration is proposing a significant cut in federal agricultural subsidies as a way to win a global accord through the WTO that would bring down barriers to trade in manufacturing and services. The U.S.' farm subsidies have...

New rules give foreigners greater market access; India relaxes telecom industry.(Tradewinds: the latest trends in the World of Trade)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The levels for foreign ownership in India's telecommunications industry have been raised from 49 percent to 74 percent, setting the stage for more competition in the world's fastest growing cell phone market. "It's definitely a positive...

Strong foreign trade offsets weak domestic demand; exports shore up German economy.(Tradewinds: the latest trends in the World of Trade)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Germany has again emerged as the world's largest exporter for the second year running. In 2004, the country exported about $1 trillion in goods, despite the euro's sharp rise on foreign exchange markets. At the same time, the falling U.S....

Foreign direct investment sees 46 percent jump in Mexico; Mexican FDI up sharply.(Tradewinds: the latest trends in the World of Trade)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Mexico's Economy Ministry reports that foreign direct investment shot up 46 percent in 2004, which should cover the current-account deficit. The manufacturing sector captured over half of the total $16.6 billion investment, with nearly 30...

WTO panel to review Canada's request to impose sanctions; friction remains between U.S., Canada over lumber trade.(Tradewinds: the latest trends in the World of Trade)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The WTO has set up a dispute panel to decide whether Canada has the right to impose $3.4 billion in sanctions against the United States over a long-running dispute involving trade in softwood lumber. Although the global trade body has already...

Overhaul designed to make the country more competitive; France reforms labor rules.(Tradewinds: the latest trends in the World of Trade)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The French government is reforming labor rules in order to make the country more attractive to foreign investors. One of the biggest changes will be a partial rollback of the rules limiting the workweek to 35 hours. The rule was passed by...

Bush tells Putin U.S. will help Russia join WTO in 2005; Russia will get help in joining WTO.(Tradewinds: the latest trends in the World of Trade)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Russia is keen on joining the WTO this year, and President Bush has pledged his assistance in helping the country achieve its target. "The United States and Russia are committed to working together to complete our bilateral negotiation for...

Roads, ports feeling effects of increased trade flows; Brazil's infrastructure strained.(Tradewinds: the latest trends in the World of Trade)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The huge increase in international trade in recent years has clogged Brazil's roads and ports. Since 1999, the volume of cargo at the country's seaports has grown by 50 percent on average and by even more at certain terminals. On the...

Schneider National appoints new senior VP of sales.(Names & News)(Dan Van Alstine)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Transportation and logistics firm Schneider National has named Dan Van Alstine as senior vice president of sales. Van Alstine has been with the company since 1981.

UPS to open more facilities in China.(Names & News)(UPS Supply Chain Solutions)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... UPS announced in February that it plans to build three new warehouse and distribution centers in Shanghai, Suzhou, and Futian with another 20 facilities to be opened in major cities over the next two years. The company's facilities in China are...

Neptune Orient Lines replaces retiring CFO.(Names & News)(Patricia Leung to replace Lim How Teck )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Patricia Leung will replace retiring executive Lim How Teck, effective May 1, as CFO of Neptune Orient Lines. Before joining NOL, Leung spent nine years with the Hutchinson Group in Hong Kong.

BNSF Railway, Port of Los Angeles discuss new intermodal facility.(Names & News)(Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... BNSF has begun talks with the Port of Los Angeles over a new intermodal container transfer facility about five miles north of the port. The new facility will allow trucks to transfer containerized cargo to rail cars to the Alameda Corridor and...

Kowalski to head Menlo's new auto logistics group.(Names & News)(Gary Kowalski, Menlo Automotive Group)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Gary Kowalski has been chosen to lead Menlo Worldwide's newly created auto logistics group, Menlo Automotive Group (MAG), which is designed to serve the supply chain and logistics needs of the global automotive industry. The new group will...

American Airlines Cargo offers travel awards.(Names & News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... American Airlines Cargo division has unveiled a new program to allow AACargo customers to earn travel awards for booking cargo shipments online through its AACargo Web site. Details of the new program, dubbed "Business ExtrAA," are available...

Virginia Port Authority makes history with new cranes.(Names & News)(fastest and largest foot tall cranes)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The Port of Virginia has 11 new cranes that promise to change operations at the facility. The 271-foot tall cranes, the fastest and largest in the world, are the centerpieces of terminal renovations that will be completed this summer. One...

Coface upgrades ratings for six countries, downgrades one.(By The Numbers)(risk ratings)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... In a recent update to its country risk ratings, export credit insurance and commercial risk management firm The Coface Group upgraded ratings for six countries and downgraded one. Country Jan. Mar. Jun. Sept. Jan. ...

African countries' economic freedom improving ...(By The Numbers)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
April 1, 2005... African Countries' Economic Freedom Improving... % change since 1995 (decline = Country Score improvement) ...

Latest economic freedom results promising for Madagascar, others; Sub-Saharan African economy improving.(Tradewinds: the latest trends in the World of Trade)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The latest results of the 2005 Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal Index of Economic Freedom shows that as a region, Sub-Saharan Africa has made the most improvement overall. Of course, the region is already one of the 'least free' in terms...

Trade deal with U.S. to strengthen trade ties; Bangladesh signs trade pact.(Tradewinds: the latest trends in the World of Trade)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Officials from the United States and Bangladesh have signed a bilateral trade pact the promises to boost trade and investment between the two countries. The proposed agreement, which is awaiting approval from both governments, covers such items...

Retail, insurance, other sectors to benefit from greater liberalization; India pushing for more market openings.(Tradewinds: the latest trends in the World of Trade)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Multinational retailers and other global companies are encouraged that India's markets may soon become more liberal following a recent announcement by the Indian government, which is pushing to allow foreign companies to directly own stakes in...

Multiple options and sources make trade finance more available than ever: spanning the spectrum from U.S. government agencies to middle market exporters to global money centers, lending is sustaining global commerce at record levels.(Cover Story)
April 1, 2005... The days when trade was an exotic undertaking, reserved for only the biggest of players, are long gone. Globalization has transformed American manufacturers, regardless of size, into participants in the international market. This change has...

The last mile of the global supply chain is grinding to a halt; road and rail problems are making reliable planning difficult and driving up costs at the port.
April 1, 2005... Just how much leaner, cheaper, and faster can the global supply chain get? The answer is that while there are always ways to squeeze out more efficiency, it seems that the 'last mile,' or the transportation from the marine terminal to the final...

Lucent counts on re-designed supply chain to drive its turn-around; company-wide logistics now funnel through single network headed by Jose Mejia in aftermath of dot.com debacle.(Driving The Integrated Globalink Supply Chain From The Top)(Interview)
April 1, 2005... Jose Mejia brought an experienced sense of how a supply chain ought to operate when he arrived at Lucent Technologies in 1999. That was good fortune, since Lucent would put him to the test. With revenues collapsing and operations downsizing,...

Customer service returns to air cargo: with freight rates going up there's less competition on price so carriers respond with improved alliances and more reliability.(Transportation & Logistics)
April 1, 2005... This year may go down as the one that marked the return of customer service in the air cargo industry. Not that it's been entirely absent in recent years, it's just that price seemed to so often overshadow everything else. And while price is...

How the petro-chemical industry weathered the perfect storm; unlike other sectors, petro-chemical companies have avoided global supply-chain bottlenecks.(Industrial focus: petro-chemical)
April 1, 2005... In comparison to lots of global shippers, the chemical and petroleum industries are in an enviable position. The sector is coming off a banner year. The American Chemistry Council predicted "... that 2004 will represent some of the best results...

Automakers are calling for translation standards; the industry's concern for quality results in improved translation protocols.(Industry focus: automotive)
April 1, 2005... The translation industry has experienced an interesting evolution. In the beginning, clients were translating individual documents in a single language. Then, the demand for multiple languages increased, along with the need to handle multiple...

Central America takes its place on the world stage; democracy, manufacturing diversity and CAFTA start to kick in.(Central American Free Trade Agreement )
April 1, 2005... Let's face it, when American firms look at the world map for sourcing opportunities, Central America doesn't usually land at the top of the list, even more so if the firm doesn't have an interest in apparel. But that's beginning to change,...

Wireless from the shop floor to the shipper's dock: the technology is showing up everywhere as more information goes real-time.
April 1, 2005... Slowly, but surely, wireless technology is popping up from the shop floor to the shipper's dock, from corporate maintenance crews to company drivers checking stock at retail outlets. There are manufacturers installing wireless signaling...

Dubai builds big.(Great Moments In World Trade)
April 1, 2005... In 1959, Middle East observers knew the emirate of Dubai as a third-tier British protectorate between Oman and Saudi Arabia on the Persian Gulf, a backwater pearl-diving village best known for frequent dust storms. Anyone predicting the Rhode...