Filed in Global Trade

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Trade with China, Japan, and South Korea also helped California firms establish a new record high for merchandise exports in 2011

Thursday, February 09, 2012

As 2012-13 contract negotiations begin, container shipping lines in the transpacific are readying themselves for tougher bargaining.

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Managing international freight shipping operations presents a set of challenges that potentially expose shippers to risky and costly misfortunes.

Manufacturers can spend 50% or more of revenue on purchasing parts. So, it is not surprising that sourcing from low cost countries to improve competitiveness has been such an important business strategy in the past ten years.

US corporations import nearly $2 trillion worth of products from more than 150 countries, a number that is expected to triple by 2015, according to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The drive to capture the business benefits of low cost country sourcing has far out-paced the processes and systems needed to efficiently manage the global supply chain. A recent survey by Aberdeen identified that higher than expected transportation expenses was the primary factor in landed cost budget variances.

Saturday, February 04, 2012

China experts are also telling us that other manufacturers may be expecting “quality fade” unless they build in more transparency with second- and third-tier suppliers.

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

The implementation of the FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS) has the unintended effect of increasing shippers’ exposure to vicarious liability for highway accidents. Our transportation law expert explains how this came to be and calls on the industry to come together to support a legislative solution.

While Mexico and Canada remain our primary international opportunity, LM’s analyst panel tell us that bolder players will be exploring more distant markets once the Panama Canal expansion is complete.

This past month I was in Central America working with a natural resources firm on the negotiation of terms and freight for global supply and distribution. I was reminded again of the diversity of cultures and approaches to negotiation, contracting, and price components.