Annual Review and Outlook

Supply chain optimization is the bread and butter of America’s most successful retailers.

The health of the global economy will be the big story in 2012. I believe there is great likelihood the following three events will occur this year:

No other industry has been hit harder in recent years than the global shipping industry.

In 2012, the economic difficulties of the post recessionary period may continue to have an impact on many importers and exporters globally.

The trucking industry in 2012 will be largely shaped by two primary issues: the worsening shortage of qualified drivers and the outcome of legislative and regulatory policy developments regarding high

The U.S. Congress passed the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act into law in 1976.

Three seemingly unconnected trends are converging to affect the way business is conducted in the trans-Pacific: the development and expansion of the U.S.

The biggest concern for 2012 is the uncertainty in our industry and for that matter most industries.

We see more direct control of freight moving back to the country of origin this year.

Who will control the majority of the freight, and therefore invest the most in supply chain technology, in 2012? Our answer: the third-party logistics provider.

Continued global uncertainty will characterize the environment in which we conduct business in 2012.

One of the most important changes I foresee in the coming year is the diminishing manufacturing cost advantage that China currently has over the U.S.

Over the past few years, I have written about different benefits of global trade platforms in the JOC Annual Review and Outlook.

The single most influential factor in the supply chain, transportation and logistics job market in 2012, and for the next 10 years is the aging population of the overwhelmingly white male work force.

The trends are clear by now. Asian economies are growing and Asian consumers and manufacturers are increasing consumption at a rate faster than their U.S. and European counterparts.

The unsteady state of the global economic environment in recent few years has left many organizations doing more with less.

Our 2011 prediction called for a renewed commitment to strategic sourcing and global distribution and investments in new distribution channels.

As we look ahead to 2012, we hope we don’t see a return to 2009.

Severe rate instability in the maritime environment, while not unfamiliar, will be significantly increased for the foreseeable future.

We expect to see a continuing push from our customers throughout 2012 to minimize on-hand inventory, and an ongoing effort to manage their businesses with leaner inventories.

I strongly believe the most important change in 2012 will be the whole service contract negotiation process.

Transportation is an asset-based network-operating business. Historically, the industry draws attention to itself when the network experiences disruption because of weather, labor or congestion.

The year 2012 will be characterized by uncertainty.

Uncertainty in any link of the logistics chain has a cascading effect on the future and financial well-being of the entire shipping industry.

U.S. seaports, while considered important “economic engines” for their communities, are being called upon to play a much larger role in the global economy.

As economic engines of our communities, port authorities find themselves somewhat challenged.

What’s ahead for the maritime industry in 2012? In a word — uncertainty.

On a world stage set with increased competition and ongoing economic instability, our nation’s seaports must still perform at a high level, meet new and continuing challenges to increase interna

The biggest challenge in 2012 will be adapting as the liner industry attempts to match container demand with supply at competitive and remunerative rate levels.

The most important challenge facing the maritime industry is to maintain our energy, our forward motion and our can-do attitude of years past in the face of continuing economic uncertainty.

As they navigate through uncertain economic times, seaports worldwide must rededicate themselves to the mission of energizing the economies of the regions they serve.

The year 2012 might be known as the Year of the Dragon, but it could also be called the Year of the Reset.

Two trends we expect to continue to impact the industry in 2012 are interrelated and inextricably linked: shrinking availability of capacity and the continued onslaught of regulatory challenges.

The deployment of more post-Panamax container ships, the expansion of the Panama Canal, and scarce federal resources for deepening projects make it absolutely essential that our nation produces sound

In this ongoing climate of volatility and economic uncertainty, forging strong relationships is proving to be a major secret to success.

America’s inland waterways system is the silent workhorse of our export market, moving some 60 percent of the nation’s grain to the world market.

Now that cloud computing has officially arrived in the mainstream IT world, practitioners in different industries are racing to figure out what it means.

Global sourcing relies on an extended multimodal transport system with security vulnerabilities.

[Editorial note: image removed/no longer available] 1. The “Wow” Factor. You have approximately 10 seconds to wow the company with your resume, so make them count. Your resume should be 75 percent about your accomplishments and 25 percent about your job description. Avoid using “we” — this is about you!2. Doormat Format. Yes, the fancy “Introduction/Goals” and heavy functional resume format your professionally hired resume writer created looks pretty, but it doesn’t tell your whole story fast enough. Don’t keep your prospective employer guessing what you did, when and where. Use a traditional chronologically formatted resume. If you aren’t specific, the delete button is! 3. One Page Wonder — may keep them wondering! One page isn’t enough no matter what your college guidance counselor said! If your career is well developed, it may take two or three pages, but be sure to focus on your recent career. Everyone wants to know what you’ve done recently.4. Truth or Dare. Make sure your resume is accurate. Don’t fib on the degree, don’t fib on dates of employment (sometimes indicating dates in years works better than months), because companies will check — maybe now, maybe later. It’s not worth a dare!5. Don’t Date Yourself. Keep graduation dates off other than for your highest degree. Keep dates off older irrelevant jobs.6. Mystery Novel. Now isn’t the time to try your hand at writing a novel. Make your resume easy to read — bullet points are best. No one likes the hiring process, and rummaging through resumes is the hardest part for the Human Resources Department and the hiring manager. How often have you wanted to read someone else’s resume? Short and simple, yet informative is best. Include the buzzwords, especially those appearing in the job description. The theme here is to make it easy for someone reading your resume to see how well you match their job description — i.e. the Fit Factor.7. Work, Work, Work! So you like to belly dance on the weekends — too much information! Who cares about hobbies? Get rid of them. This goes for unrelated achievements and awards, too. Sorry, no one cares if you made head cheerleader or president of the Chess Club. 8. Dress Up Your E-mail Address. Don’t ever use your work e-mail address for job applications or correspondence. A hiring company may perceive this as using company time to do something personal. Don’t even think about what would happen if your boss or those IT spies saw your e-mail; it could be the end of your current job. And make sure your e-mail address isn’t too cutesy. That may be fine for your Facebook pals, but ipartyhardyatlunch@yahoo.com may give the wrong impression to your potential employer.9. Job Hopping. A company will likely ask you about your career moves if you have made a few in short span of time or if you have a pattern of changing jobs as often as movie stars change wives. Be prepared to provide short, convincing explanations. No one expects a perfect resume, companies want to make a hire, so make it easy for them. Consider a brief blurb next to each job title explaining what happened — “Company filed Chapter 11” or “My dog bit my boss,” for example.10. Consulting. If your resume shows you are currently consulting, be prepared to back it up. It’s easy to say you are a consultant if you recently left you last job and are out of work, and it sounds good, too! However, companies are now asking for names of clients and details, so make sure you have a prepared list of your consulting clients, type, length of assignment and compensation. Make sure you’re not just consulting the Yellow Pages!Linda Lexo and Rick Miller are licensed customs brokers and Executive Recruiters at Tyler Search Consultants. Linda previously was director of brokerage global training for the Customs & Trade Compliance Division of UPS-SCS, and in earlier worked as a manager in human resources, where she handled recruitment and workforce planning. Contact her at llexo@tylersearch.com . Rick previously ran the trade compliance programs for Electrolux, Springs Window Fashions and Recoton and worked for U.S. Customs. Contact him at rmiller@tylersearch.com

The new Federal Maritime Commission rules on NVOCC Negotiated Rate Agreements will impact Shippers.