World Trade articles from April 2008

World Trade archives from April 2008

NAFTA: the Bogus Bogeyman.(INSIDE WORLD TRADE)
April 1, 2008... Call it a ghost story for our times, 'The Trade Deal That Devoured America.' Instead of bug-eyed campers, though, the audience for this yarn is frightened (largely Democratic) voters. More's the pity that NAFTA has become a symbol of...

Reading the economic tea leaves: confessions of a successful forecast.(POLICY PERSPECTIVES)
April 1, 2008... One of the reasons economics is known as "The Dismal Science" is that it has an absolutely dismal forecasting record. Why? Well, an economist's business often requires him to emphasize the short term. At the same time, most economists do not...

U.S. carriers post big traffic gains in January.(AIR)(Financial report)
April 1, 2008... The Air Transport Association of America (ATA) reports that air cargo traffic on U.S. carriers posted its biggest monthly increase in January since August 2006. Domestic cargo had the biggest gain since last May and the strongest January...

Port of New Orleans to pump $1 billion into boosting box capacity.(OCEAN)
April 1, 2008... The Port of New Orleans says it intends to spend more than $1 billion by 2020 to boost its container cargo capacity, expand cruise facilities, and bounce back fully from Hurricane Katrina. The proposal calls for the port to spend $574.4...

Three ocean carriers partner for new China-U.S. service.(OCEAN)
April 1, 2008... Maersk, Mediterranean Shipping Company and CMA CGM, the world's three largest container lines, are reorganizing their services between China and the U.S. West Coast with the launch of two joint services beginning in April. The two new...

Norfolk Southern opens intermodal hub near Columbus.(RAIL)
April 1, 2008... Norfolk Southern railroad has opened the Rickenbacker Intermodal Terminal near Columbus, Ohio. The $68.5 million facility, which is part of the Rickenbacker Global Logistics Park, will allow the company to expand its intermodal business in...

Proposed Midwest Commerce Center clears hurdle.(RAIL)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The Midwest Commerce Center--a proposed 2.2 million-square-foot warehouse project near Gardner, Kansas--cleared a hurdle last month after the Johnson County Commission rejected a zoning board's recommendation to deny the project. The...

Con-way Freight turns back governors on truck fleet.(TRUCKING)
April 1, 2008... Con-way Freight has announced that it has turned back the speed governors on its 8,400-tractor fleet in a move to improve fuel conservation and reduce carbon emissions. Specifically, the company has adjusted the governors on its truck engines...

Transportation secretary voices support for cross-border truck program.(TRUCKING)
April 1, 2008... U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters has cautioned Congress that now is not the time to halt efforts to implement trucking provisions in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which is delivering economic benefits to U.S....

Asia/Pacific, Latin America at the top.(EMERGING MARKETS DRIVE IT SPENDING)
April 1, 2008... Research firm Gartner reports that IT spending continues to rise in the emerging regions of Asia/Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, as well as Eastern Europe at a pace far outstripping that of the industrialized world. All...

New laws could alter U.S. import rules.(CANADA WORRIED ABOUT DRUG SUPPLY CHAIN)
April 1, 2008... Canada's pharmaceutical industry is worried that the next U.S. president will pass long-delayed legislation to open up the cross-border prescription drug chain, reports the National Post. A member of the Canadian Pharmacists Association...

Transportation Services Index (TSI).(TRADE WINDS: THE LATEST TRENDS IN THE WORLD OF TRADE)
April 1, 2008... February 108.5 March 109.7 April 109.6 May 109.7 June 108.9 July ...

Deutsche post appoints Appel.(Names & News)(Deutsche Post AG hired Frank Appel)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Deutsche Post has named Frank Appel, the head of its logistics unit, as chief executive. Appel, 46, who also runs Deutsche Post's international mail operation, is expected to focus first on restructuring Bonn-based Deutsche Post's unprofitable...

KCS taps Bowers.(Names & News)
April 1, 2008... Kansas City Southern has appointed Brian Bowers senior vice president, intermodal and automotive. In this position, Bowers will direct The Kansas City Southern Railway Co. and advise Kansas City Southern de Mexico S.A. de C.V. on sales and...

Brescia chosen as COO for Transplace.(Names & News)
April 1, 2008... Transplace, Inc., a leading provider of transportation management services and logistics technology solutions, has announced the hiring of Robert Brescia as executive vice president and chief operations officer (COO). Brescia has more than...

YRC names Friedlander for Asia post.(Names & News)
April 1, 2008... YRC Logistics, a subsidiary of YRC Worldwide Inc., has named Eric Friedlander as managing director for Asia. In this role, Friedlander will be responsible for all aspects of business operations, development, government relations, and...

National ID card pushing adoption.(CHINA IS LARGEST MARKET FOR RFID)
April 1, 2008... For the first time, China has become the world's largest market for RFID by value. In 2007, RFID spending in East Asia amounted to $2.7 billion of the $4.96 billion spent globally. The majority of this--$1.9 billion--is in China alone. ...

Goal is to help companies manage their supply chains.(IBM TO OPEN SUPPLY CHAIN CENTER IN BEIJING)
April 1, 2008... International Business Machines Corp. is preparing to open a center in Beijing that will help companies manage their global supply chains. According to IBM, the center will offer consultations with companies to help them design and operate...

Correction.(Correction notice)
April 1, 2008... On page 36 of the February issue, "America's Ports Take on the Challenge of Trade Growth," Mitsui O.S.K. Lines was misspelled and should have been referred to as MOL. In addition, TraPac Inc. is the terminal and stevedoring arm of U.S.-based...

Mark your calendar.(Calendar)
April 1, 2008... WERC Annual Conference Chicago, Illinois May 4-7 www.werc.org ISM's 93rd Annual International Supply Management Conference and Educational Exhibit St. Louis, Missouri May 4-7 www.ism.ws ...

As exports surge, Americans are discovering trade credit insurance: a better way to manage risk without straining balance sheets.(TRADE FINANCE)(Cover story)(Company overview)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] These days, when Joe Ketzner, executive vice president of credit insurer Euler Hermes ACI in Baltimore, talks about the outlook for his business, the upbeat mood is palpable. "This is the golden era of credit...

Wireless takes to the road: from tracking assets to schedule optimization, truckers embrace technology as costs fall.(SUPPLY CHAIN)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Not a typical story. A medium-sized trucking company loses all knowledge of the whereabouts of one of its rigs. The driver, for reasons unknown, has walked off the job, abandoning the vehicle. Days later, the errant...

The southeast sets the pace: trade volumes along the U.S. East Coast are buoyed by the region's stable economy and growing imports.(LOGISTICS)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A recent study of the commercial real estate market throughout the U.S. put the Southeast ahead of all other regions, according to the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors' (SIOR) year-end 2007 Commercial Real...

Doing business in India keeps getting easier: with an annual growth rate close to 10%, the world's most populated capitalist market is taking off.(INDIA IN DEPTH)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One of the most recent, comprehensive evaluations of current business conditions in India is the World Bank Group's Doing Business 2007 database (www.doingbusiness.org), which provides reasonably objective measures...

Eight steps to a greener supply chain: it's not a bandwagon--it's a journey to a more profitable balance sheet.(SPECIAL REPORT)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Just the sheer complexity of today's long and global supply chains might be enough to daunt any thought of where to start to implement green strategies and technologies. But there is a lot of help available out there...

Wales takes the forefront in renewables: new technologies have a direct impact on transportation, logistics, and distribution.(SPECIAL REPORT)
April 1, 2008... While the introduction and implementation of green technologies continues to take root in the U.S. and abroad, some of the most exciting developments in the sector are fully underway in Wales. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Walsh Assembly...

The fall of China's treasure fleet.(Great Moments IN WORLD TRADE)
April 1, 2008... Prince Zhu Di stormed the Chinese Imperial Palace and occupied its throne by force on a July day in 1402. As his first order of business, the new emperor executed hundreds of Confucian officials considered loyal to his sibling predecessor and...