Global supply chain challenges are compounding due to China’s strict lockdowns, especially in Shanghai, which is the home to the world’s busiest container port and a key gateway for foreign trade. The port accounted for more than 10% of the country’s total trade last year. The problem is trucks, not ships Due to the strict…
Did you know that demurrage and detention charges can accrue up to 20 times the container’s value? With international shipping rates already soaring, any extra expenses incurred on top of the freight rate will take a bite of your margin. Today, the detention and demurrage charges easily exceed $100 per container per day. While D&D can be an…
As China sticks to its zero Covid policy, a two-stage lockdown in Shanghai has created further fears of supply chain disruption. The Shanghai lockdown is causing ripples in a setting where severe port congestions, blank sailings, and increased freight rates are ongoing challenges that are yet to be resolved. In light of disruptions created by earlier pandemic-related…
Shipping as an industry is interconnected like no other! As the Russian invasion of Ukraine extends into its fourth week, its effect on an already stressed shipping industry continues to hammer what is believed to be a long path of recovery. In the last two decades, there has not been a time where the magnitude of the…
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has quickly developed into a humanitarian crisis. While disruptions in business cannot compare to human tragedy, the impact of the conflict is causing a domino effect in more aspects than one. The crisis is plaguing global trade by triggering an extensive supply chain disruption. In an increasingly globalised and interconnected supply…
At a time when major shipping lines have already seized their operations into Ukraine, which has led to an impact in the western Mediterranean and the Black Sea; the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis has now prompted the world’s three biggest container lines — Swiss-headquartered MSC, Denmark’s Maersk, and France’s CMA CGM to announce a temporary suspension…
The busiest Californian ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach saw a recording-breaking movement of cargo in 2021 aided by a rebounding economy and rapid surge in imports supported by consumer spending. Los Angeles processed about 10.7 million TEUs of cargo containers in 2021- an impressive 13% growth over the past year. Long Beach, on…
As global supply chains continue to face unprecedented disruptions, meeting the ever-growing demand while optimizing lead times and reducing inventory costs remains challenging. As a result, companies are now willing to explore better alternatives to traditional logistics, which would provide improved economies of scale and a faster return on investment. However, what is a better…
Learn how Amazon’s innovative supply chain strategies help it excel in fulfilling customer orders.The e-commerce giant has been able to handle supply chain crunches better than most retailers. It has done this by having a very strong inventory management system that tracks the inventory of every item in its warehouses across the country. The company…
The recent Ningbo port congestion piled up more pressure on the already strained global supply chains and affected businesses adversely, especially in the US. This article looks at everything that led to the disruption and how shippers can mitigate the impact of such events in the future. The Ningbo Port in China’s Zhejiang Province was…
Most of the significant events that end up disrupting global supply chains happen without a note of warning and carry the potential to disrupt the best of plans. Although organisations put their best foot forward when planning their supply chain operations, with a wide range of stakeholders involved in the network, overcoming breakdowns remains a…
The recent shipping container shortage that’s left everything from soybeans to smartphones idling in ports threw global trade into chaos. While shippers were scrambling to keep their goods moving, the import/export imbalance pushed ocean rates to eye-watering levels. So, where have all the containers gone? Many remain stranded in inland depots, and hundreds more are…
The global logistics and container shipping industry are mammoth, and keeping them in a smooth motion and overcoming obstacles is quite a challenge. While most of the world’s cargo continues to get shipped in containers, container shipments face their own set of problems too. As a shipper, one of the best ways you can minimise…
After a wild year that 2020 was, the arrival of the covid-19 vaccine, at last, got along a great deal of relief for everyone. However, the already-stretched supply chains are now up for a more significant challenge- to execute an unprecedented worldwide distribution of the vaccine. What we are witnessing today is the post-pandemic phase…
In supply chain management, a combination of an efficient workforce, automation of particular workflows, and perfect coordination between various functions is critical to a smooth functioning supply chain. Above all, there is always room for improvement and boosting business. Each time your business witnesses growth, the key is to proactively look for ways to improve…
The key goals of every supply chain professional are to optimize operational efficiency and reduce logistics costs. Mismanagement in logistics can often result in excessive expenditures, delivery delays, missed deadlines, and damaged goods. Needless to say, if you want your company to stay financially viable and drive profitability, you must prioritize efficient planning and strategize…
As a majority of the world’s goods continue to move by sea even today, the role played by shipping lines in global trade cannot be overlooked. Shipping containers move 95% of the worldwide cargo. It is these companies that have kept the international supply chains running for the longest time and have stood the test of…
To tackle unanticipated disruptions head-on and build a resilient supply chain network, you must stay ahead of various advancements in the industry. Today, a spate of state-of-the-art technologies are setting new trends in the supply chain field, and their adoption is bound to accelerate in the years to come. Most of these technological innovations have…
The last few years have marked the beginning of a digital transformation of several industries and the otherwise static freight procurement world has been no exception. If there is one thing that the emergence of digital technologies has proved beyond doubt then it’s that the procurement or supply chain industry lends itself very well to…
Tired of wrestling with freight quotes and chasing down the best deals? Imagine a world where AI negotiates for you, specialized software tackles specific challenges, and the cloud keeps everything accessible. AI is reshaping supply chain innovation, management, and optimization of freight operations. This is the reality of modern freight procurement software! We’ve explored the…
