Supply chain

When Bradley S. Jacobs thinks about technology and the future of transportation, he thinks big. The CEO of XPO Logistics believes autonomous driverless trucks and three-dimensional printing will change the way goods are produced and shipped within the next few decades, utterly changing global supply chains.

India’s global merchandise exports in October fell for the first time in seven months on a year-on-year basis, primarily due to a sharp decline in engineering shipments, according to provisional government statistics.

European Union trade partners are implementing trade-restricting measures at at “alarming” pace and their efforts to remove such hindrances has slowed, according to an annual EU report on protectionism released yesterday.

A system aimed at expediting the customs clearance of goods traded between members of the Association of Southeast Nations will get its first test in in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Transplace is deploying technology that helps shippers get goods across the U.S.-Mexican border more quickly, cutting truck transit times by improving the customs process.

China’s e-commerce business catches the headlines because of the sheer scale of internet shopping in the country, but the growing trend towards ordering goods online is seeing huge investment in infrastructure and technology being made outside its borders, both in Asia and in the U.S.

Macy’s CEO Terry Lundgren is pressuring the Obama administration to help prevent a potential U.S. West Coast port strike and has invited his friend and Wal-Mart CEO Doug McMillon to help.

Freight forwarding and logistics services growth fueled a 51 percent year-over-year increase in Allcargo Logistics’s consolidated net profit in its the fiscal second quarter, which ended Sept. 30.

The seven U.S.- and Canada-based Class I railroads told U.S. regulators they shouldn’t have to provide any more data on their operations than they are already sending unless the Surface Transportation Board begins a rule-making process.

The U.S. Maritime Administration today released the first phase of a manual aimed at helping port authorities plan and fund port infrastructure improvements.

After weeks of remaining relatively quiet on U.S. West Coast labor tensions, Congress is raising its voice on the need for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and waterfront employers to forge a new labor contract.

Brazil's Special Ports Minister Cesar Borges has asserted that $1.095 billion) will be spent on the nation's ports sector before the end of 2015.

Germany’s Deutsche Post DHL booked higher third-quarter earnings as strong gains in international express and domestic parcel shipments offset shrunken margins at its global freight forwarding unit.

The millions of products ordered online in China during the November 11 “Singles Day” will have to be delivered across mainland China in the next couple of weeks, placing intense pressure on distribution networks in the country.

Damco slumped to a $68 million net operating loss in the third quarter from a $1 million profit a year ago as ocean and air freight volumes declined in a growing global market and experienced one-off charges related to a business transformation.

Combined growth among the 50 largest transportation and logistics companies worldwide slowed to a halt in 2013 amid global economic uncertainty. The combined revenue of the 50 companies slipped 0.1 percent after increasing 2.6 percent in 2012 and 8.4 percent in 2011.

CEVA’s third-quarter earnings grew 6.7 percent from a year ago as the Netherlands-based supply chain management group posted market-beating increases in ocean and air freight volumes.

SEATTLE — Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., Monday pledged to continue working to ensure the ports of Seattle and Tacoma get a fairer share of U.S. federal funding and don't lose U.S.-bound cargo to Canadian ports by pushing for an alternative funding source to the Harbor Maintenance Tax.

Major Japanese international freight forwarder Kintetsu World Express saw its group net profit tumble in the first half of fiscal 2014, which started on April 1, because of an extraordinary loss related to an antitrust class-action lawsuit in the United States.

Gati Ltd., India’s leading express distribution and supply chain solutions company, reported its group net profit in the fiscal second quarter totaled about $2 million, a more than two-fold increase from the same period in 2013.

Notable quotes from sources in news stories and analysis on JOC.com from Monday, Nov. 3 through Saturday, Nov. 8.

European retail services company Musgrave Retail Partners expands refrigerated transportation services by acquiring Irish firm Allied Logistics.

The Maritime Administration has extended its Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement program, which provides the U.S. military with assured access to commercial sealift and intermodal capacity, until Oct. 1, 2019.

Federal Maritime Commissioner Richard Lidinsky called for global regulation of container shipping alliances today.

The largest U.S. trucking advocacy group wants Congress to pass an omnibus spending bill during its “lame duck” session, not a continuing resolution that simply extends funding for a few months, before calling it quits and turning responsibility over to the next Congress.

A wide coalition of shippers and transportation providers are urging President Obama to send in a federal mediator to help reach a U.S. West Coast labor contract deal.

Logistics provider Transplace is building up its chemical business by acquiring Logistics Management Solutions, a 3PL with a strong chemicals customer base.

The Republican takeover of the U.S. Senate could unblock the gridlock delaying a long-term highway bill, but the window for legislative action may be short.

Transport Canada is proposing to allow shippers to screen their cargo before it reaches an airport, rather than solely relying on carriers to do so, in order to bridge security gaps and prevent terrorist attacks.

To help reduce congestion at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, U.S. Customs Border and Protection is offering extended gate hours to shippers and allowing them to schedule non-intrusive inspection appointments on nights and weekends.

Rising operating costs coupled with the slowdown in international freight hauling hurt profit growth at Container Corporation of India, the country’s largest intermodal logistics provider.

Jittery shareholders of China logistics operator Sinotrans frantically off-loaded shares following mainland media reports that its subsidiaries were involved in making multiple pledges of the same inventory as loan collateral.

Expeditors International of Washington, the largest non-vessel operating common carrier in the trans-Pacific eastbound market, will expand into the Asia-Europe market

Chinese regulators will closely monitoring the vessel-sharing agreement between Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Co., and the so-called 2M faces additional scrutiny if the duo doesn’t reduce their market share on Chinese trade routes to 30 percent.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Gil Kerlikowske is sticking to his pledge to solidify his team and focus on improving cargo facilitation.

The Republican takeover of the Senate could spell a hard stop for federal regulators defending existing trucking rules and pushing for stricter safety measures. But carriers and shippers should still expect tough battles over rulemakings and regulations ahead.

S.F. Express, one of China’s largest express logistics companies, plans further overseas expansion, and is targeting Europe, a company official said.

China has lifted its suspension on Red and Golden Delicious apple imports from Washington state, giving apple shippers an opening to move their record crop to a new market as domestic transport capacity tightens.

Shippers are pressuring the Obama administration send in a federal mediator to help the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and U.S. West Coast employers reach a contract, as talks appear to be deteriorating and Los Angeles-Long Beach congestion persists.

In an effort to tap growing Asian perishable demand, a Japanese logistics firm and a Chinese fishing company today joined to create a cold chain logistics provider that will serve China and then eventually Southeast Asia.