The logistics industry continues to outperform macroeconomic growth rates due to a number of factors. GDP aggregates, international trade, and manufacturing and logistics service activities remain strong. Growth rates and activity remains robust due in part to the acceleration to e-commerce and direct-to-consumer fulfillment. Although growth continues, activity levels across a number of indicators remain below pre-Covid-19 levels. World Trade Organization (WTO), US GDP, and purchasing managers indexes all suggest […]

First conceived at the 19th ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit in Bali, Indonesia, way back in 2011, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) finally came into fruition on November 15 at this year’s 37th ASEAN Summit. In line with these pandemic times, while the ASEAN meeting was nominally held in Hanoi, Vietnam, it […]

U.S. companies that conduct significant volumes of cross-border manufacturing and trade with Mexico have had to contend with a variety of challenges since 2019, including tariff threats, the impact of COVID-19 on the supply chain and the subsequent challenges of restarting idled manufacturing, and the forthcoming implementation of the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

China is the largest source of imports (2018) for 9 of the 10 Southeast Asian economies and the largest or second largest export market (2018) for seven of the countries in the region, Indeed, as an economic bloc, Southeast Asia is China’s second largest overall trading partner, trailing the EU but ahead of the USA. […]

Note: Today’s post is part of our “Editor’s Choice” series where we highlight recent posts published by our sponsors that provide supply chain insights and advice. Coronavirus, and the supply chain impact are being felt worldwide. As my colleague Steve Banker and I wrote about last week, coronavirus is leaving its mark on the global […]

Earlier this week, the death toll from the Wuhan coronavirus rose to over 1,000 people, invoking memories of the 2003 SARS outbreak. While the human aspect of this outbreak is clearly the biggest story, the virus is causing major disruptions in global supply chains as well. As my colleague Steve Banker pointed out yesterday, the global high-tech supply chain has been hit particularly hard. But other industries are feeling the impact as well.

Now that the fireworks are over and New Year’s resolutions are set, it’s time to prepare for global shipping in 2020. And that means looking at ongoing trends and changing regulations. One thing’s for sure, freight forwarding never has a dull moment. Recapping 2019’s top global shipping disruptors Before we jump into expectations for this […]