World Trade articles from April 2007

World Trade archives from April 2007

The flight to reality.(INSIDE WORLD TRADE)
April 1, 2007... Running boldly across the cover of our December issue, headlining our annual supply chains predictions story, were the words "2007: The Year of Living Dangerously." Well, if events in the first few months are an indication, we were (alas)...

Do U.S. traders really need presidential fast track?(POLICY PERSPECTIVES)
April 1, 2007... The last remnants of Congressional credibility on international trade negotiations were lost when the new Democratic majority recently called for the Bush administration to reopen and renegotiate the labor chapter in the free trade agreements...

U.S., EU reach agreement on open skies pact.(AIR)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... A last ditch effort between negotiators from the U.S. and EU to agree on terms for a trans-Atlantic air pact has resulted in a major breakthrough. The main sticking point, which involved what percentage of foreign ownership of an air...

Latest PIERPass survey shows improvement for truckers.(TRUCK)
April 1, 2007... The latest survey of truck drivers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex shows that drivers are making more turns with the PIERPass extended gate program and, likewise, higher earnings. Research firm Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin &...

Mexican truckers get green light in U.S.(TRUCK)(North American Free Trade Agreement)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... The U.S. Department of Commerce is launching a pilot program to allow Mexican trucks unrestricted access to U.S. roadways. The provision was supposed to begin in 1993 with the ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA),...

Port of Vancouver, WA approves rail project.(RAIL)
April 1, 2007... The Port of Vancouver, Washington, has approved a $1.5 million rail project--the West Vancouver Freight Access (WVFA) project--that will help the port accommodate rising freight volumes from Asia. Work on the project is to begin this fall...

Lawmaker seeking shorter work hours.(RAIL)
April 1, 2007... Democratic Representative James Oberstar of Minnesota, who is the new chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is considering new regulations that would limit train crews to 10-hour shifts, down from the current 12 hours....

Seaports prepare for rollout of TWIC.(OCEAN)(Transportation Worker Identification Credential)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Ten seaports around the nation are preparing for the rollout of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), which is set to start in April with full implementation anticipated by mid-2008. The TWIC program is designed to...

New port proposed for Savannah River.(OCEAN)
April 1, 2007... The governors of South Carolina and Georgia announced a plan to jointly develop and operate a new port on the Savannah River, ending years of legal tussling over the rights to develop the port. Under the proposal, the two states would form...

Proliferation of RFID tags slower than expected.(TECHNOLOGY)
April 1, 2007... Even though over 1 billion Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags were sold worldwide in 2006, logistics analysts had predicted that number to be considerably higher. There are several reasons for the lower than expected numbers. For...

Mexico looking to China for export opportunities.(MEXICO SHIFTS PRODUCTION GEARS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... In recent years, Mexico has lost millions of dollars in foreign investment and low-cost manufacturing to China, particularly in sectors such as electronics. However, business leaders and Mexican government officials have begun viewing their...

Foreign firms setting up more facilities.(CHINA TOP PICK FOR R&D)
April 1, 2007... A new report by the United Nations finds that China has become the most popular country for establishing research and development (R&D) facilities. Specifically, in recent years 61 percent of foreign companies have set up R&D facilities in...

Triple-stack trains proposed for key routes.(RAIL IMPROVEMENTS FOR INDIA)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Indian Railways says it will introduce triple-stack trains on certain key routes following the success it's had with double-stack container trains throughout the country. "Such containers will be useful to carry motor vehicles," said India's...

Transportation Services Index (TSI).(TRADE WINDS: THE LATEST TRENDS IN THE WORLD OF TRADE)
April 1, 2007... The Transportation Services Index (TSI) fell 0.6 percent in January to 109.5 (2000=100) from its December level, falling after a one-month rise, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)...

NYK promotes Keller.(Names & News)
April 1, 2007... NYK Line (North America) has promoted Peter Keller to the position of president and corporate officer of the Japanese carrier's board, starting April 1. Keller is currently executive vice president and COO of NYK Line (North America).

SEKO appoints Fitzgerald.(Names & News)
April 1, 2007... SEKO, a global provider of freight forwarding and logistics solutions, has appointed John A. Fitzgerald as Global Vice President of Sales and Marketing. In this position, Fitzgerald will be responsible for the overall management of SEKO's sales...

Lowe's Cos. awards Horizon Lines.(Names & News)
April 1, 2007... The Home Improvement Transportation Division of Lowe's Cos. has awarded Horizon Lines with its most prestigious honor, The 2006 Platinum Carrier Award for the highest levels of delivered service. This is the sixth consecutive year Horizon Lines...

RailAmerica taps Giles.(Names & News)
April 1, 2007... John Giles has been named the new CEO for short line rail operator RailAmerica. Previously, Giles served as president and chief executive of Great Lakes Transportation. He has 35 years of experience in the transportation industry.

Nelson named advisor to TradeBeam.(Names & News)
April 1, 2007... TradeBeam, Inc., a leading provider of on-demand Global Trade Management (GTM) software and services, has announced that David Nelson has been named as an advisor to the company. In this role, Nelson will provide strategic feedback to...

New CEO for Werner Enterprises.(Names & News)
April 1, 2007... Truckload carrier Werner Enterprises has promoted Gregory L. Werner to CEO, replacing his father and company founder Clarence L. "C.L." Werner, who will remain as chairman of the board. The younger Werner joined the company in 1997.

JAXPORT promotes Peek.(Names & News)
April 1, 2007... The Jacksonville Port Authority has promoted Robert A. Peek to director of marketing development. Peek had previously served as communications director in the port's external affairs office for 11 years.

Mark your calendar.(Calendar)
April 1, 2007... 2007 Radio Frequency Identification Summit Washington, D.C. April 3-4 www.dodrfidsummit.com Supply Chain Management Summit Boston, MA April 4-5 www.aberdeen.com 2007 MHIA Spring Meeting Charlotte, NC April 14-17 www.mhia.org WERC...

New ideas in trade finance.(Cover story)
April 1, 2007... As more and more small and mid-sized companies increasingly appreciate, international trade affords them the same kinds of opportunities that have historically been the province of 'the big boys'. This change of mind has occurred in the past...

Innovative trade financing expands U.S. pool of lenders and market for machinery export: Internet-based payment systems, credit finance and supply chain trade finance replacing letters of credit as currency of exchange.(NEW IDEAS IN TRADE FINANCE)
April 1, 2007... Innovation did not usually come to mind, over the years, when talk turned to trade finance. It was a venerable, mostly unchanging, part of global commerce, with a centerpiece product, the letter of credit, that had origins in the European...

It's a buyer's market for export credit insurance: with a wide range of providers offering competitive options and terms, it's an ideal time to secure insurance against non-payment.(NEW IDEAS IN TRADE FINANCE)
April 1, 2007... Every buyer loves being in the catbird seat, savoring one of those moments when sellers are jostling one another to snag his business. And that, fortunately for American exporters, is where they now find themselves in buying credit insurance....

Export-Import Bank recalibrates strategy to promote small business: other top priorities include faster decision making, confronting the China challenge and African trade.(NEW IDEAS IN TRADE FINANCE)
April 1, 2007... The years 2005-2006 were a tough patch for the Export-Import Bank in the political arena. Congress received an earful of complaints about the agency's programs, and, in typical fashion, trotted out two of its favorite weapons to work its will...

Interview: James Lambright: chairman of the Export-Import Bank of the United States.(NEW IDEAS IN TRADE FINANCE)(Interview)
April 1, 2007... James Lambright ("call me Jim"), an attorney by training (Harvard Law) and an investment banker professionally, has been Chairman of the Export-Bank of the United States since July, 2005 (first as 'acting,' then in his own right with a term...

The uses of trade finance: through the services of our BNP Media corporate colleague Clear Seas Research, over 200 World Trade subscribers--financial activities influencers at their companies--were surveyed in mid-February concerning trade finance. Following is a snapshot of how U.S. traders are deploying trade finance.(NEW IDEAS IN TRADE FINANCE)(Survey)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... How has your company's use of trade finance instruments to secure foreign transactions changed over the past 12 months? Remain the same 59% Decreased 8% Increased 33%...

Boeing reinvents its supply chain: avoid capacity problems of boom-and-bust: rather than do everything in-house, a collaboration of global suppliers is optimized to calibrate output.(The 21st Century Supply Chain)(Company overview)
April 1, 2007... Saying no to one of your best customers may not seem like a smart business strategy. But that is exactly what Boeing said recently to Southwest Airlines, which buys more Boeing planes than any other carrier, having taken delivery of 477 to...

Explosion of options in global supply chain integration: software developers are working overtime to provide Total Visibility applications.(Company overview)
April 1, 2007... From bottled water producers in France to American retailers, paper manufacturers in Finland and United States-based auto supply retailers, there's been an explosion in demand for building out global supply chains and a myriad of new ways to...

What business leaders need to know about: East Coast logistics: the next stage: expanding capacity.(EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW)
April 1, 2007... Seaports along the East Coast of the U.S. are preparing for another banner year in 2007. Unlike some of the issues that have plagued major West Coast ports in recent years with the influx of Asian imports, ports all along the eastern seaboard...

The on-going management of international sourcing: NCR Corporation looks to international sourcing for mass production capabilities at higher quantities and lower costs.(How We Do It)(Interview)
April 1, 2007... John Mascaritolo is Director of Global Logistics, Corporate Global Procurement for NCR Corporation. As such, he is responsible for corporate compliance with global transportation and logistics strategies and policies; further, he serves as...

Air cargo reinvents itself: competition from truck and rail, volatile fuel costs, and legislative concerns are forcing the industry to work harder for market share.(TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS)
April 1, 2007... It finally seems as though the air cargo industry is recovering after years of mixed results. According to the International Air Transport Association (www.iata.org), last year's cargo growth rate increased to 4.6 percent from 3.2 percent in...

Candy is Dandy: Candy Bouquet International finds sweet success in franchising.(Small Exporter OF THE MONTH)
April 1, 2007... Chocolate vases, squares of vanilla fudge, and sugar-free lemon drops--what better way to grow a business than appealing to the world's sweet tooth? Margaret McEntire, founder, president, and chief executive officer of Candy Bouquet...

Retail RFID gets real.(Great Moments IN WORLD TRADE)
April 1, 2007... On a map of Texas, a tiny dot marks the city of Sanger, population 4,500, some 50 miles northwest of Dallas and 20 miles south of the Oklahoma border. Sanger is an out-of-the-way place by most considerations, but during the summer of 2003, to...