Archive for Global Trade
Swine Flu Supply Chain
· CommentsHistory has a bad habit of repeating itself, and over the past few days, an ever-present supply chain risk reemerged: the outbreak of a new infectious disease. In this case, swine influenza appears to have started in Mexico and is quickly spreading to other places around the world, including the United States, which formally declared a public health emergency yesterday (see Department of Homeland Security press briefing).
And… Continue reading
The Road to Cap-and-Trade
· CommentsCap-and-trade is a key component of President Obama’s proposed budget, and although Congress is currently reviewing the budget, steps are being taken that make cap-and-trade almost inevitable. Earlier this week, news came out that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent the White House a proposed finding that carbon dioxide is a danger to public health. If this finding is approved by the White House Office of Management and Budget… Continue reading
A Trade War with Mexico
· CommentsIt’s been more than a decade in the making, but Mexico is finally taking action against the United States for violating the terms of NAFTA. Specifically, the U.S. was supposed to allow Mexican trucks to travel on border-state roads in 1995, and to drive anywhere in the country by January 2000. Citing safety concerns, the U.S. has kept this NAFTA provision stuck in 1995, restricting Mexican truckers to a 20-mile… Continue reading
“Buy American” and Global Trade Myths
· CommentsI’ve received several emails on my “A ‘Buy American’ Supply Chain” posting from last week, and a couple of people have commented on the website. It’s certainly a topic that’s stirring a lot of conversation, particularly around the two key questions that I raised in my posting: Are “trade wars” on the horizon, and if so, what impact will they have on your supply chains? Will more companies adopt… Continue reading
Last month, I wrote about how the Port of Long Beach decided to move ahead with its “Clean Trucks Fee,” which went into effect February 18. According to the press release, the fee is expected to raise “about $1 million a day or about $1 billion over the next few years at both San Pedro Bay ports to help finance the replacement of many of the 17,000 trucks… Continue reading
A “Buy American” Supply Chain
· CommentsCongress passed the $787 billion “stimulus bill” this weekend and President Obama is scheduled to sign it tomorrow. One item that made it into the final version of the bill, despite some opposition, is a “Buy American” provision that reads “None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used for a project for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building or… Continue reading
There was a terrific article in this month’s Supply Chain Management Review by John Ferreira and Len Prokopets from Archstone Consulting (“Does offshoring still make sense?”). The article highlights some key findings from a survey Archstone and SCMR conducted with thirty-nine senior executives from U.S. and European manufacturing companies. Among the interesting points highlighted in the article:
- North American manufacturers sourcing from China perceived that their savings
Global Trade Posts Negative Growth
· CommentsOver the past few years, if you were giving a presentation on supply chain and logistics, you were obligated to highlight “growth in global trade” as a key trend that created both challenges and opportunities for companies. Well, that’s one bullet item we won’t be seeing in presentations this year.
For a great overview of global trade activity over the past year, read the article that appeared on… Continue reading
