World Trade articles from March 2007

World Trade archives from March 2007

The consequences of integration.(INSIDE WORLD TRADE)(globalization)
March 1, 2007... The impact world trade is having on the economic order cannot be exaggerated. So much is changing so fast. The Chairman of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, Jim Limbaugh, underscored that point recently as we spoke in his...

What a Democratic Congress means for free trade.(POLICY PERSPECTIVES)
March 1, 2007... In an upbeat speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce this past December, U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab predicted that President Bush and a new Democratic Congress would work together in the next two years on a range of trade...

New loan program targets U.S. exports.(TRADE FINANCE)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... The U.S. Maritime Administration together with the Export-Import Bank have launched the Transportation Freight Financing Program, which is designed to help transportation logistics companies offer more competitive rates to U.S. customers who...

Opposition grows against 100 percent air cargo inspections.(AIR)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Opposition to legislation moving through Congress that would require 100 percent physical inspection of all cargo carried aboard passenger flights is gaining steam, with industry groups and even the administrator of the Transportation Security...

Victory for shippers over rail surcharges.(RAIL)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... A decision by the federal government's Surface Transportation Board (STB) regarding railroad fuel surcharges is being hailed as a victory for rail shippers. Specifically, the agency stated that, "Computing rail fuel surcharges as a...

On-dock rail at New York-New Jersey surges.(RAIL)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... The Port of New York and New Jersey reported record-breaking volumes for on-dock rail in 2006, continuing the surge that began seven years ago. Last year, on-dock rail grew 11.8 percent, while the total growth over the past seven years...

E-filing mandatory starting April 19.(TRUCKING)
March 1, 2007... Beginning April 19, truck manifests must be filed electronically at border crossings in Texas, New Mexico and California. Specifically, truck shipments from Mexico headed for ports in those three states will be required to have manifest...

Popularity of gift cards affecting shipping trends.(TRUCKING)(truck tonnage index)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... The American Trucking Associations reported its truck tonnage index jumped 3.9 percent in December after falling 3.6 percent in November. Nonetheless, the index is still 5.5 percent lower than a year earlier. "Clearly the fall freight...

Ports of LA-LB gear up for expansion projects.(OCEAN)
March 1, 2007... The record-breaking cargo volumes posted in 2006 have prompted port officials from Los Angeles and Long Beach to speed up processing of about a dozen environmental impact reports, which will pave the way for numerous expansion projects at the...

China, Russia worst at protecting IPRs.(COUNTERFEIT GOODS DAMAGE INVESTMENT ATTRACTIVENESS)
March 1, 2007... Theft of intellectual property rights (IPRs) results in hundreds of billions of dollars in lost sales each year, and a new survey by the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) points to China and Russia as the two biggest...

Supply, demand in sync on major trade lanes.(BALANCED SHIPPING FOR 2007)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Drewry Shipping Consultants of London is forecasting a more balanced mix of demand and capacity on major shipping lanes this year, despite earlier estimates of over capacity. One shipping executive noted: "While it is still very early in...

Singapore ramps up monitoring efforts.(SCRUTINIZING HAZMAT SHIPMENTS)(hazardous materials shipments)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... The government of Singapore is tightening its security precautions for trucks carrying hazardous materials shipments. The latest measures include equipping trucks with devices that can remotely shut down the engines to prevent their use in...

Transportation Services Index (TSI).(TRADEWINDS: THE LATEST TRENDS IN THE WORLD OF TRADE)
March 1, 2007... JANUARY 2006-DECEMBER 2006 Jan. 111.1 Feb. 109.4 Mar. 110.9 Apr. 110.5 May 112.4 June 111.9 July...

CEVA appoints Pattullo as CEO.(Names & News)
March 1, 2007... CEVA Logistics (formerly TNT Logistics) has appointed John Pattullo as CEO. Mr. Pattullo currently serves as COO of the EMEA division of DHL Exel Supply Chain. His transition is expected to be completed in the second half of 2007.

APL's Agron tapped by CBP.(Names & News)
March 1, 2007... Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has tapped Earl Agron, vice president of security for APL, to a two-year appointment on the Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection and Related Homeland...

Munro named President and CEO for Roadlink USA.(Names & News)
March 1, 2007... RoadLink USA, a provider of intermodal trucking and logistics services, announced that Chris Munro has been named president and chief executive, effective immediately. Previously, Munro held the CEO position at Linfox, a $1 billion...

New post for Iversen at Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics.(Names & News)
March 1, 2007... Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics has appointed Arild Iversen as president and chief executive, effective April 1. He succeeds Nils Petter Dyvik, who will become group chief financial officer of Wilh. Wilhelmsen ASA later this year.

SAS Cargo chooses Knudsen.(Names & News)
March 1, 2007... Nils Pries Knudsen has been named vice president and new head of global sales by SAS Cargo. In this role, Knudsen will be responsible for a global sales force of 160 persons in Europe, North America and Asia.

Sidler takes position with EGL Eagle Global Logistics.(Names & News)
March 1, 2007... EGL Eagle Global Logistics of Houston announced that Bruno Sidler has been named president of its Europe, Middle East and Africa region. Sidler most recently worked at Panalpina Group of Switzerland, where he served as president and chief...

Davidson retires from UP.(Names & News)
March 1, 2007... Dick Davidson has stepped down as chairman of Union Pacific after a lifelong career with the nation's largest rail company. He will be succeeded by James Young, who had been heir apparent as the corporation's president and CEO for over a year.

ABP's Jones takes over from Lerenius.(Names & News)
March 1, 2007... Associated British Ports (ABP), the United Kingdom's biggest ocean terminal operator, has appointed Peter Jones, the former chief executive of the company that owns the Port of Liverpool, to succeed Bo Lerenius, who is retiring at the end of...

U.S. firms anticipate market openings.(CUBA'S TRADE POTENTIAL)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... A number of U.S. firms have begun preparing for an eventual lifting of the trade embargo against Cuba now that Fidel Castro's health is an issue. Although no one knows for certain when the embargo would be lifted, the Cuban government has...

Officials eager for talks to conclude.(EU, GULF STATES TRADE PACT)(negotiations to set up free trade zone)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... The European Union and a group of Gulf states want to complete negotiations to set up a free trade zone, a German official said recently. "There is a clear political desire on both sides to get a swift resolution to the disputed points,"...

Global carmakers eye manufacturing advantages.(TURKEY'S AUTO SECTOR REVS UP)
March 1, 2007... While Eastern Europe has attracted a fair share of investment from global automakers in the past few years, Turkey has begun turning up the competitive heat, say analysts. The reason, according to a recent BusinessWeek article, is the...

Survey shows joint ventures often fail.(INDIA'S FOREIGN INVESTMENT CHALLENGES)
March 1, 2007... The lure of India's booming economy and low-cost manufacturing has attracted hundreds of foreign investors in recent years, however the country's requirement that foreign companies form joint ventures to enter the marketplace is creating...

New regulations would establish unified rate.(CORPORATE TAX CHANGES FOR CHINA)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... A proposed corporate income tax law in China, which foreign firms have argued against, may come into effect as early as 2008. However, a Chinese official says the law would not have a significant impact on foreign companies operating in the...

Plan reverses low-cost manufacturing losses.(MEXICO INVESTING IN CHINA)(Brief article)
March 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...

Port of Cochin project will facilitate more trucks.(INDIAN PORT BUILDING NEW ROADWAY)
March 1, 2007... India's Public Investment Board has approved construction of a four-lane road connecting to the Port of Cochin. The $124 million project will help expedite truck traffic at the port. At the same time, the Port of Cochin is developing an...

Intellectual property: worst offenders, best protectors.(BY THE Numbers)
March 1, 2007... TOP 10 WORST TOP 10 BEST OFFENDERS PROTECTORS China United States Russia UK India ...

Mark your calendar.(TRADEWINDS)(Calendar)
March 1, 2007... January 1 International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA) 116th Annual Convention Hilton Head, South Carolina March 4-7 www.iwla.com Connections 2007 Atlanta, Georgia March 21-23 www.logility.com/ conn2007 Post Harvest 2007...

The ins and outs of Asian supply chains: there's more places for low-cost sourcing than just China.(Company overview)
March 1, 2007... In the pursuit of lower costs and increased margins, many companies have looked to Asia for product sourcing. Yet, low cost labor doesn't always translate to low cost goods if a company ends up scrambling to meet delivery timelines. For...

Cisco builds a supply chain.(The 21st Century Supply Chain)(Company overview)
March 1, 2007... Cisco is one of a small handful of companies whose importance in business looms even larger than its market cap (which was, for a while, the world's largest at the height of the dot-com boom and currently totals a hefty $159 billion-plus)....

A Conversation with Cisco's Angel Mendez.(The 21st Century Supply Chain)(Cisco Systems Inc.)(Interview)
March 1, 2007... Angel Mendez, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Manufacturing, is a bona fide star in the supply chain world. He joined Cisco in 2005, after helping to lead the turnaround at Palm where he was in charge of Global Operations. In 2003, he was...

The effects of rising fuel costs on U.S. trade: relationships between oil and global demand are complex and not entirely one-directional.
March 1, 2007... Almost 70% of the world's international currency reserves--the money that nations use to finance international trade--takes the form of U.S. dollars. Because the United States has a major share of world trade and financial assets, certain...

West Coast logistics: the next stage: expanding capacity.(WHAT BUSINESS LEADERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT)
March 1, 2007... The good news for West Coast gateways is that containerized imports are continuing to rise, pushing volumes to new records and driving demand for transportation and logistics services from the Puget Sound all the way south to San Diego. But,...

Marco Polo brings east to west.(Great Moments IN WORLD TRADE)(The Travels of Marco Polo )
March 1, 2007... The forty-four-year-old Venetian was a prisoner. His city-state, the capital of European trade and commerce, had drafted him to fight rival Genoa, where he had been captured and imprisoned. Now he shared a cell with one Rustigielo, a romance...