World Trade articles from January 2007

World Trade archives from January 2007

Quote of the month.
January 1, 2007... "World Trade Magazine gives me the 'big picture' about how to manage our supply chain as business gets more and more global."

A global competitiveness strategy to head off U.S. protectionism.(inside: world trade)
January 1, 2007... What was that ancient Chinese curse, something like 'may you live in interesting times'? Well, as far as America's global trade goes, the times threaten to get more and more interesting. The mood in Washington these days does not bode well...

Is the U.S. falling behind on the fast track of international trade?(POLICY PERSPECTIVES)
January 1, 2007... The President's "fast track" trade negotiating authority is set to lapse in June 2007 and, if it is not renewed, the United States may start to fall dangerously behind in the "trade race." Simply put, the problem is that under this...

Sea-Tac next test site for air cargo security program.(AIR)
January 1, 2007... The Department of Homeland Security has chosen the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) as the next site to for its air cargo screening pilot program. Last year, the Air Cargo Explosives Detection Pilot Program began at San...

Transatlantic 'open skies' pact loses altitude.(AIR)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... A decision by the U.S. to withdraw proposed legislation that would have made it easier for foreign companies to have greater ownership of U.S. airlines has set back progress on a transatlantic open skies pact. Negotiators have been working...

Border truckers preparing for new U.S. passport rules.(TRUCKING)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Although the U.S. government had delayed the implementation date of a new rule requiring U.S., Canadian, and Mexican citizens entering or re-entering the U.S. to show passports, a recent notice in the Federal Register states that the target...

Softening market conditions predicted for 2007.(TRUCKING)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Fitch Ratings says demand for surface freight transportation will continue to soften in 2007, particularly in the trucking sector. "Increasing interest rates, uncertainty in the housing sector and high gasoline prices appear to have put a...

Port of Portland plans new rail project.(RAIL)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The Port of Portland will begin work on a new rail project to help boost intermodal volumes through the port's Terminal 6 container facility. Port officials say the project is crucial to the port's ability to serve as a gateway for...

Rate hikes planned for 2008.(RAIL)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... BNSF Railway and Union Pacifi c Railroad have informed ocean carriers that they are looking to raise rates by as much as 30 percent for Asia to U.S. West Coast freight that moves inland by rail from the seaports. Shippers will begin to...

Ports of Savannah, Charleston to create chassis pool.(ocean)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Port authorities in Georgia and South Carolina have agreed to form a chassis pool to boost efficiency and share resources. In addition, it helps free up terminal space by reducing the number of chassis needed to move containers at the...

Study shows barges could reduce truck traffic in Oakland.(OCEAN)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... A study commissioned by the Port of Oakland asserts that 400 trucks could be taken off Bay Area roads if the port were to invest in a pair of barges to transport ocean containers from the port to Sacramento. The study compares the barge...

Cisco's leading the charge with over $1 billion.(MAJOR INVESTMENTS MATERIALIZING FOR INDIA)(global networking giant Cisco)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... According to John Chambers, head of global networking giant Cisco, India is the hottest growth market in the world, which is why the company is investing over $1 billion in the country to establish a critical global operations hub there. ...

Transportation services index (TSI).(Table)
January 1, 2007... Transportation Services Index (TSI) NOVEMBER 2005-OCTOBER 2006 Nov. 112.2 Dec. 113.3 Jan. 111.1 Feb. 109.4 Mar. 110.9 Apr. 110.5 May 112.4 June 111.9 July...

Tariffs dropped on American exports.(U.S., COLOMBIA SIGN PACT)
January 1, 2007... The U.S. and Colombia have entered into a trade promotion agreement that will remove tariffs and other barriers to trade in goods and services. Specifically, duties on over 80 percent of American exports of consumer and industrial products...

Region increasingly important for U.S. firms.(CAFTA-DR trade boost)
January 1, 2007... The newly implemented U.S. Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) will provide significant opportunities to U.S. manufacturers, states a report by Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI. The author of the study says U.S....

Passports required as soon as January 1, 2008.(new rules for border truckers)
January 1, 2007... Although the U.S. government had delayed the implementation date of a new rule requiring U.S., Canadian, and Mexican citizens entering or re-entering the U.S. to show passports, a recent notice in the Federal Register states that the target...

Driver shortage still rates highest.(truckers' top concerns)(American Transportation Research Institute )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... A new survey conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute finds that driver shortages and diesel fuel issues are the leading concerns for trucking companies. Aside from those two issues, the remaining top 10 include driver...

Goal is to achieve $40 billion in two-way trade by 2010.(China, India want closer trade ties)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... A bilateral pact between China and India intends to boost two-way trade between the partners to $40 billion by 2010. "There is enough space for the two nations to develop together in a mutually supportive manner while remaining sensitive to...

Government wants to double capacity within 4 years.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... India's government has plans to build a new deep-sea port in the state of West Bengal, and has begun talking to potential developers about the project. "Currently, the biggest challenge for the country's port sector is that of inadequate...

Witt new CEO for NAL Worldwide.(NAL Worldwide LLC appoints Douglas E. Witt)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... NAL Worldwide LLC, a leading provider of third-party supply chain solutions, has announced that Douglas E. Witt has joined the company as president and chief executive officer. Witt will lead a team of approximately 600 employees in 30...

Ellison promoted at Schneider.(Names & News)
January 1, 2007... Schneider Logistics, Inc., an international lead logistics provider and part of the Schneider National enterprise, has promoted Tyler Ellison to vice president and general manager of Schneider Transportation Management.

Panalpina taps Weyeneth.(appointment of Karl Weyeneth)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Panalpina, the Swiss-based transport and logistics group, has appointed Karl Weyeneth as regional chief executive for North America, effective Feb. 1. Weyeneth succeeds Peter Merath, who is retiring after more than 40 years with the company....

New position for Shepard at British Airways.(appointment of David Shepherd)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... British Airways World Cargo has appointed David Shepherd as regional vice-president, commercial, responsible for all commercial activities in both North and South America. Shepherd has 15 years of experience at British Airways, six with...

Norfolk Southern rail appoints Mazur.(Names & News)
January 1, 2007... Norfolk Southern announced that Daniel M. Mazur has been appointed vice president of strategic planning. Mazur, who will be based in Norfolk, currently serves as assistant vice president of strategic planning. He will report to Kathryn McQuade,...

Clear Seas Research announced.(TRADE WINDS: THE LATEST TRENDS IN THE WORLD OF TRADE)(BNP Media)
January 1, 2007... BNP Media, a leading publisher in the B2B marketplace and publisher of World Trade magazine, has announced the creation of Clear Seas Research, a separate entity designed to deliver superior business-to-business market research. Clear Seas...

Top 20 North American box ports.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Top 20 North American Box Ports 1. Los Angeles (CA) 2. Long Beach (CA) 3. New York/New Jersey (NY/NJ) 4. Oakland (CA) 5. Seattle (WA) 6. Tacoma (WA) 7. Charleston (SC) 8. Hampton Roads (VA) 9. Savannah (GA) 10. Vancouver (BC) 11. San Juan...

EC says growth should hit 2.6 percent.(BETTER FORECAST FOR EURO ZONE)(European Commission)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The European Commission has upwardly revised its economic growth forecast for the 12 countries that use the euro, predicting 2.6 percent growth this year over last year's 1.4 percent. The EU as a whole is expected to grow 2.8 percent. ...

Russia to drop charges for flying over Siberia.(EU gets improved air accord)
January 1, 2007... Russia has signed an aviation pact with the EU that will bring it closer to joining the WTO. Under the agreement, Russia will no longer require EU airliners to pay a fee for fl ying over Siberia to key destinations such as China, Japan,...

Poland could enter euro zone as soon as 2010.(EURO ZONE EXPANSION)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Although Poland is expected to attract roughly $10 billion in foreign investments this year, many multinational companies are increasingly pressuring the government to join the euro zone as quickly as possible. As a legal obligation under...

Emerging markets top on list.(EU WANTS MORE BILATERAL PACTS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The EU's trade chief, Peter Mandelson, says he wants to negotiate bilateral trade deals with India, South Korea, and developing Asian nations. "These agreements will establish the foundations for deep trade and economic relations," he...

Mark your calendar.(TRADE WINDS)(Calendar)
January 1, 2007... ProMat 2007 Chicago, Illinois January 8-11 www.promatshow.com SM[C.sup.3] 52nd Annual Winter Conference Atlanta, Georgia January 23-24 www.smc3.com India Supply Chain Summit March 1 Mumbai, India www.supplychains.com Intra-China...

10 trends that will change your supply chain.(undercurrents of change)
January 1, 2007... In the day-to-day processes of business, stepping away from the press of events to entertain Big Ideas is a luxury few have time for. That's the job of supply chain business school professors. World Trade asked an eminent group of them to...

Transforming supply chain IT into 'Business Technology': you can't just add IT to mediocre supply chain processes and expect results. But savings are stellar when the project's done right.(undercurrent of change: 10 trends)
January 1, 2007... When Nike, in a well-known fiasco, implemented its new supply chain software system in 2000, it lost $200 million. Its failure wasn't an anomaly, either. Gartner, Forrester and other leading IT analysts regularly report systemic disconnects...

The perils of prediction how the father of globalization got it (partly) wrong.(undercurrents of change)
January 1, 2007... With equal parts fl air, foresight, and far-reaching controversy, Theodore Levitt predicted the future of world trade for five decades. Born March 1, 1925, outside Frankfurt, Germany, Levitt immigrated with his family to Dayton, Ohio when he...

Euler Hermes ACI.(corporate profiles)(Company overview)
January 1, 2007... Can a company be innovative even though it has been offering basically the same product for more than 100 years? Of course it can, and Euler Hermes ACI proves it. Euler Hermes ACI--which began as American Credit Indemnity (ACI)--has insured and...

China doubles down in Latin America: the country's preparing to build logistics infrastructures to reap benefits from its big investments in commodities and agriculture.
January 1, 2007... China's growth as the factory of the world requires ever increasing amounts of raw materials. Latin America has become a strategic source of raw materials for China's manufacturing process. It is also a supplier of agricultural goods to feed...

Aerospace-defense sector is first to employ collaborative supply chain platform: exostar tracks complete order lifecycle from procurement through back-end system integration.
January 1, 2007... Since 2001, The Boeing Company has been stuck in the No. 2 slot behind Airbus. However, the company has recently adopted some very unique approaches to both its manufacturing and supply chain processes in its development of the new 787 line of...

Where is trade going today? Facing a crossroad, Trade Finance must meet the challenge of dynamic markets, changing technology, and increased compliance requirements.
January 1, 2007... What do you see as the challenges facing trade today? The enormous changes in technology in recent years together with improved transparency and communications are moving international trade increasingly to open account trade arrangements....

Domestic truckers get into the global game: the new strategy calls for moving upstream in the supply chain and expanding services port-to-point.
January 1, 2007... To say that supply chains have undergone a major transformation in recent years is almost an understatement. As companies have raced into emerging markets in countries such as China and India to-take advantage of low-cost manufacturing and...

Questions about reliability persist as transport workers ID card rolls out: Homeland Security fast-tracked TWIC, but critics insist it's not ready for prime time.
January 1, 2007... Amid the first wave of Department of Homeland Security proposals developed to secure America's inbound supply chain from terrorists, one seemed to be reasonably unobjectionable: the TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential) program...

Best in show: Vellus Products: small exporter of pet grooming products finds potential in UK and throughout Europe.(small exporter of the month)
January 1, 2007... Is your pet having a bad hair day? Is Fido growling over split ends and tangled hair--or is your horse just looking for that shiny mane look? Well, Sharon Doherty, President of Vellus Products, Inc. (www.vellus.com) can help. Her small...

The World Bank.(great moments: in world trade)
January 1, 2007... The bank opened in late June. That December and January, in rapid succession, its president resigned and his second-in-command died. It was late February by the time a new president was elected. As yet, the firm, which occupied a rented floor...