Supply chain

Shippers may have to start locating distribution centers closer to consumers, as growth in e-commerce pressing retailers to deliver goods inexpensively and quickly, and challenging traditional logistics models.

Kuehne + Nagel credited rising U.S. container imports for driving a market-beating 7.4 percent increase in the global forwarding and logistics group’s third-quarter ocean freight traffic.

Chinese companies are expecting more restrictions on wastepaper imports in early 2015 following a proposal circulated in August by the Ministry of Environmental Protection that reflects a growing emphasis on environmental protection.

In the latest step toward possible regulatory action, three U.S. senators have called on the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to implement freight rail reforms as quickly as possible in order to increase rail competition and address shippers’ concerns.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has posted details of its proposed changes in rules for licensing, financial responsibility and duties of ocean transportation intermediaries.

A second New Jersey Senate committee has approved a bill to allow the state to withdraw from the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, despite warnings that the legislation would be struck down in court.

The logistics of e-commerce fulfillment continues to change along with the whims of consumers, so although industrial real estate developers really want a single model to guide their planning efforts, it’s not going to happen anytime soon.

DHL Global Forwarding will secure long-term capacity in the trans-Pacific and on other trade lanes to help customers manage rising rates as global capacity tightens.

The industrial real estate market in Southern California has come roaring back from the economic recession, especially in the vast port-dependent region known as the Inland Empire.

Global Logistic Properties (GLP) continues to grow its leasing portfolio as customers expand to cater to the fast rising demand for modern e-commerce logistics facilities on the Chinese mainland.

Yusen Logistics China opened a warehouse in Guangzhou to tap into anticipated growth in demand from the fast-growing domestic consumer products market

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists have intercepted another ship contaminated with Asian Gypsy Moth, this time in the Port of Honolulu. It’s the first time the destructive pest has been found at the Hawaiian port, and also the first time the unwanted guests were sourced to Taiwan.

With stricter Ebola screenings for airline passengers in the pipeline, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called for intense health screenings on cargo ships from all Ebola-stricken countries.

The largest U.S. trucking advocacy group will redouble efforts to convince legislators, regulators and the general public that trucking is safe and getting safer, while pursuing changes to truck driver hours of service rules and other regulations that hinder rather than help trucking, American Trucking Associations President and CEO Bill Graves said.

The director of operations at the largest port of entry on the U.S.-Mexico border hopes a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection pilot program will bring in more specialized Customs agents and equipment to help prevent truck slowdowns during a current period of exploding cross-border cargo growth.

Chiquita Brands International of the U.S. and Dublin-based Fyffes have received the green light from the European Union for their proposed merger, creating the world’s biggest banana group after the Irish company released Maersk Line from an exclusivity shipping clause.

A New York-based third-party logistics company is opening a Florida office, the third major expansion for the firm in two years.

Major U.S. parcel carriers are pressuring retailers to be more realistic in shipping expectations in order to avoid a repeat of the 2013 holiday season, when over 2 million express packages were not delivered by Christmas Eve.

WASHINGTON — Rep. Alan Lowenthal, D-Ca., thinks shippers are so frustrated with freight bottlenecks on the U.S. highway network that they’re willing to fork over more money for national infrastructure.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has refused to review a Federal Maritime Commission decision that prohibited a non-vessel-operating common carrier from releasing cargo without requiring presentation of an original bill of lading.

A recommendation from a government panel that antitrust exemptions for liner shipping in Australia be rolled back came under heavy criticism from shipping interests who say the proposals are naive and unworkable and would lead smaller carriers to exit the market.

Seko Logistics is expanding in the e-commerce market by investing in Metakinetic, an e-commerce marketing and design agency.

Home Depot is expanding its brick-and-mortar infrastructure to support growing online sales.

The U.S. federal government won’t tell Congress until later this month the results of a controversial pilot program tracking Mexican trucking companies hauling goods across the border, but opponents are already railing against continuing or expanding the initiative.

The Federal Maritime Commission has put into effect a new rule allowing the commission to use its website instead of the Federal Register to provide public notice when it revokes or suspends the licenses of ocean transportation intermediaries.

Yusen Logistics is beefing up its footprint in Turkey by partnering with Turkish logistics provider İnci Logistics.

Some bad news for shippers: Switching to low-sulfur fuel on a global basis in 2020 could cost the container shipping industry up to $100 billion per year, which will likely cause container freight rates to rise as carriers attempt to pass the costs onto beneficial cargo owners.

Nearly 300 shippers, port authorities and transportation groups are urging the U.S. Congress to follow through with its plan to send more money collected via harbor maintenance taxes back to ports.

The Mexican Senate will likely consider rail reform legislation this month, paving the way for the country’s three largest railroads to keep their concessions and preventing any supply chain disruptions caused by proposed legislation that would force them to open their networks to third-parties.

A new U.S. Customs and Border Protection pilot program aims to reduce the frequency of intellectual property rights exams for trusted importers while still protecting trademark rights, saving U.S. shippers time and money.

Modern Logistics S.A. has secured funding that will help the Brazilian logistics services provider launch operations within two months, offering regional warehousing and air and ground distribution.

Several industry associations representing private port terminals throughout Brazil and private terminal operators inside organized port areas were quick to condemn a law intended to clear up irregularities and inconsistencies in an infrastructure improvement plan.

The world’s top integrators are waiting to see how the recent ruling by China’s State Council to liberalize domestic package delivery will play out across the multibillion dollar market dominated by a multitude of small low-cost operators.

Shippers need to think about end-to-end power costs, not just fuel prices, when designing supply chains, speakers at the CSCMP meeting said. Those costs, they warn, could become more volatile.

Large forwarders are less inclined to accept loss leading business and will turn down contracts rather than supply transport services at below break-even levels, according to logistics companies with strong Asia Pacific business.

Ryder System is expanding its inland distribution network in Mexico, starting with a transloading center for Chrysler at the Gulf Coast Port of Altamira.

The executive branch of the European Union has taken Spain to court over security at its ports.

BDP International (India) and its long-time local partner Unique Global Logistics have approved a merger agreement between the two parties, allowing the Philadelphia-based logistics group to consolidate its operations in the country.

On an improved macroeconomic backdrop, U.S. retail holiday sales growth this year is expected to top that of last year, putting increased pressure on logistics and parcel delivery companies.