World Trade articles from December 2007

World Trade archives from December 2007

A chat with the U.S. trade representative.(INSIDE WORLD TRADE)(Susan Schwab)(Interview)
December 1, 2007... On a recent afternoon, as opinion polls were finding that less than a quarter of the American public thought their country was on the right track, I paid a visit to the United States Trade Representative Susan Schwab to see how the world looked...

China's outward national investment strategy.(POLICY PERSPECTIVES)
December 1, 2007... Despite multinationals' misadventures in the People's Republic, nearly every major company remains convinced that it must have a China strategy, and some years China attracts the biggest pool of foreign direct investment of any nation. ...

TSA says it will adhere to cargo screening deadlines.(AIR)
December 1, 2007... The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says it will meet federal deadlines to screen all cargo transported on passenger aircraft by 2010, according to the agency's administrator Kip Hawley. In August, Congress mandated half...

APL debuts 'ocean-capable' 53-foot containers.(OCEAN)
December 1, 2007... Ocean carrier APL has introduced the world's first 'ocean-capable' 53-foot containers, which will be deployed on the carrier's South China to Los Angeles trade lane. The carrier says the outsized boxes have the potential to make a...

Transpacific lines warn of higher fuel surcharges.(OCEAN)
December 1, 2007... Ocean carriers on the busy Asia-U.S. trade lane have announced plans to raise freight rates and restore fuel surcharges to offset surging oil prices. The Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (TSA) container carrier group, which represents...

New CN terminal eyes North American backhaul freight to Asia.(RAIL)
December 1, 2007... CN railroad has begun operating out of its Prince George, Canada facility, which will play a significant role in generating backhaul traffic destined for Asian markets via the new Port of Prince Rupert, B.C., container terminal that recently...

Port of Long Beach bans dirty trucks.(TRUCKING)
December 1, 2007... Long Beach harbor commissioners voted last month to ban old-model, dirty trucks from the port in a ruling that will eventually limit access to all but the cleanest vehicles. The rule, which matches one enacted previously by the Port of Los...

Reliability matters more than low-cost transportation.(WORLD BANK SUPPLY CHAIN STUDY)
December 1, 2007... A new World Bank study ranking 150 countries identifies the locations where it's easy or difficult to ship goods across countries, into and out of ports, and over borders. The Logistics Performance Index (LPI) and accompanying study,...

Mark your calendar.(Calendar)
December 1, 2007... National Retail Federation's Annual Convention & Expo New York, New York January 13-16 www.nrf.com/annual08 Logistics & Supply Chain Management University of North Texas, Denton, Texas January 16-18 ...

Transportation Services Index (TSI).
December 1, 2007... Transportation Services Index (TSI) October 109.7 November 108.2 December 108.9 January 108.5 February 108.5 March 109.7 April 109.6 May 109.7 June...

SEKO celebrates fifth-year milestone of new incarnation.(Names & News)(SEKO Air Freight Inc.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... SEKO, a global provider of supply chain solutions, is celebrating the fifth anniversary of its new incarnation since William Wascher, president & CEO, along with his partners and his management team assumed control of the struggling company...

Talks could start in early 2008.(CHINA, INDIA TRADE PACT)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... India and China are likely to start negotiations on a regional trade pact early next year during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Beijing as the world's two fastest-growing economies seek to boost commerce. The two countries are...

Industry launches "Cargo Canada" campaign.(CANADIAN AIR CARGO INITIATIVE)
December 1, 2007... The Canadian Airports Council and 13 cargo airport members last month unveiled "Cargo Canada," an informational campaign designed to raise awareness of Canada as a fast, reliable and cost-effective conduit for air cargo between North America...

Throughput to hit 100 million TEUs.(CHINA'S BOX VOLUME GROWS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... A Chinese official says throughput of TEUs at the country's ports is expected to hit 100 million by the end of 2007. Weng Mengyong, vice minister of communications, said that during the first nine months of this year, China's ports handled...

France emerges as leading location.(EUROPE'S INDUSTRIAL REAL ESTATE)
December 1, 2007... New research by ProLogis, the world's largest owner, manager and developer of distribution facilities, shows that France has emerging as a leading location for logistics property in Europe, due to its central location, ample supply of raw land,...

Fearless forecasts.(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... With due apologies to Charles Dickens, our fearless Supply Chain forecasters are predicting that 2008 will go down in the books as both the best and worst of years. The operative word in all aspects of the Supply Chain--transportation,...

Top 10 predictions for 2008: better, faster supply chain decision making will be the next big thing.
December 1, 2007... Manufacturing Insights, an IDC company, is a vertical research company focusing on Manufacturing and Supply Chain, and providing strategic business technology and application advice. IDC is the foremost global market intelligence and advisory...

Buckle up and hunker down: coming off a tough 2007, supply chain service providers look ahead to a year of transformational change.(Great Predictions: 2008)
December 1, 2007... It was a challenging year for the logistics sector with continued consolidations, increasing fuel and transportation costs, intermodal issues and a softening in the economy overall. So what does it all mean for 2008? We asked a sampling of...

Innovation and creativity are now the constants creating a presence on both sides of the deal is the new priority.(Trade Finance: 2008)
December 1, 2007... Innovation didn't used to be a dominant characteristic of trade finance. The field was tradition-bound, and the letter of credit, its signature product, which dates back centuries, required laborious, error-prone, paper documents. But in...

More shippers are shifting to air freight: carriers will push for more and better access to markets.(Air Cargo: 2008)
December 1, 2007... In the movie "The Devil Wears Prada," Miranda Priestly, the ruthless and cynical editor of top fashion Runway magazine, determines whether a collection succeeds or fails simply by pursing her lips. But in this highly competitive industry...

Google Earth meets the platforms.(Supply Chain IT: 2008)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Imagine a time when all supply chain partners will enjoy real-time visuals of their shipment, allowing for intervention without having to pick up a phone, and you have a glimpse of the supply chain of the future. ...

Global value-adds rather than price wars on moving pallets: CEOs of third-party logistics companies are following their customers worldwide to offer seamless supply chains.(3PLs: 2008)
December 1, 2007... This year's 3PL CEO study reveals leading third-arty logistics providers (3PLs) are looking to find their way in a world in which their roles are growing and becoming increasingly complex. Conducted by IBM Global Business Services, in...

Getting America moving again: outgoing UPS Chairman Mike Eskew posits an action agenda to break through the infrastructure gridlock before it's too late.(Cover story)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The sheer volume of unsettling statistics about our country's overwhelmed transportation infrastructure might actually numb Americans to the magnitude of the problem--just flip through any issue of World Trade...

Dynamic warehousing: distribution centers capable of real-time data are critical to lean, demand-driven supply chains.(EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW)
December 1, 2007... There is 'buzz' that heightened concerns about supply chain resiliency are prompting tactics of 'regionalization' of the supply chain process, keeping inventory closer at hand, if not necessarily taking possession sooner. The result is making...

Taking a home-based cosmetics business global.(Small Exporter OF THE MONTH)
December 1, 2007... Mykytyn Enterprises, Inc. The tabloid headline, "Penniless Mom Strikes It Rich," summed up the story of Rosie Herman of Houston, Texas, and the million-dollar nail and hand care business she created from everyday ingredients in her...

Clock-time goes standard.(Great Moments IN WORLD TRADE)
December 1, 2007... German Field Marshall General Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke had well earned his pension but he still had one last battle to fight. Born to nobility, but impoverished by a plundering French army before his tenth birthday, young Von...