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The COVID-19 pandemic underscores how utterly dependent society is on technology, and the logistics industry is no different. By and large, shippers, carriers, and 3PLs are getting by even in the most adverse conditions. But crises such as this shine a brighter light on system and process inadequacies, so this may be a time that accelerates a shift toward cloud, automation, and online transactional tools. It’s always instructive to look to the past to inform how the industry may handle this future, and this JOC webcast will incorporate technology leaders who have managed the dot.com boom and bust, the 2008 economic downturn, and a newer entrepreneur looking to succeed in a post-COVID environment.

This webcast will give attendees actionable insight into how they should prioritize logistics technology advancement prior, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moderator/Presenter:

Eric Johnson, Senior Editor, Technology, JOC, Maritime & Trade, IHS Markit

Speakers:

John Urban, Founder and Former President, GT Nexus

Dan Sanker, Founder, and President, CaseStack

Chris Kirchner, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO Slync.io

As recent events have shown, a crisis of unprecedented magnitude can strike at any time. Whether it’s a pandemic, natural disaster, a recession, or normal times, supply chain visibility plays an essential role in maintaining business continuity and managing risk.

Join two recognized industry experts in a discussion about what it takes to prepare for and deal with critical supply chain disruptions.

Topics covered will include:

● Building your supply chain contingency plans

● Planning for unexpected shifts in demand

● Leveraging digitization to mitigate risks

The best medicine for your supply chain is real-time visibility. Learn how to take command and control, so you’re better prepared to handle any crisis.

Moderator:

Alessandra Barrett, Senior Content Editor, JOC, Maritime & Trade, IHS Markit

Speaker(s):

Barry Conlon, CEO and Founder, Overhaul

David Warrick, General Manager Global Supply Chain, Microsoft

Oil prices haven’t seen this level of volatility in decades. Energy demand has crashed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the world awash in oil. OPEC and its partners have agreed to slash a staggering 9.7 million barrels per day of crude production in a bid to prop up prices that have plummeted to 34-year lows. The low-sulfur fuel regulations brought on by the International Maritime Organization’s low-sulfur mandate at the start of the year — and the accompanying concerns of the shipping industry and its customers — seem a quaint vestige from a calmer, long-ago time. Even so, the fall in bunker fuel costs -- low-sulfur prices have declined by about 65 percent in major markets -- is reflecting the downside of carriers’ scrubber investments but has given them a much-needed cash injection as volumes fall. And while cargo owners may be paying less for fuel than they expected to before the IMO rule took effect, they’re still monitoring any changes to bunker adjustment factors, particularly amid trans-Pacific service contract negotiations.

In this timely and important webcast, energy analysts and cargo owners will discuss what the new energy reality means for bunker fuel costs in the short and medium-term. Attendees will learn how cargo owners should work with carriers to adjust to a market where low fuel prices belie mounting, long-term cost pressures via tightening environmental restrictions.

Moderator/Presenter:

Kevin Saville, Associate Managing Editor, JOC.com and The Journal of Commerce, Maritime & Trade, IHS Markit

Speaker(s):

Philip Damas, Managing Director, Drewry, and Operational Head, Drewry Supply Chain Advisors

Hédi Grati, Research & Analysis Director, Refining & Marketing, IHS Markit

Matt Muenster, Senior Manager, Applied Knowledge, Breakthrough Fuel

Interested in sponsoring this webcast? For more information, please visit https://subscribe.joc.com/advertising/

The annual Top 100 Importers and Exporters report is one of the most extensive products The Journal of Commerce produces. Based on exclusive research, it analyzes the largest global companies shipping containerized goods to and from the US — essential information for shippers, carriers, and third-party logistics providers.

This webcast, the first in a two-part series, will analyze the makeup and dynamics of the Top 100 US Importers and, importantly, how much has changed for retailers, electronics companies, footwear providers, and others since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020. How has consumer sentiment changed, and what does it mean for importers in the near, mid- and long term. How are other facets of the supply chain — blank sailings, equipment dislocation, and inventories — impacting the market?

Moderator/Presenter: Dustin Braden, Shipper Engagement Manager, JOC, Maritime & Trade, IHS Markit

Speaker (s):

Eric Johnson, Senior Editor, Technology, JOC, Maritime & Trade, IHS MarkitBill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor, JOC, Maritime & Trade, IHS MarkitMark Szakonyi, Executive Editor, JOC, Maritime & Trade, IHS Markit

Interested in sponsoring this webcast? For more information, please visit https://subscribe.joc.com/advertising/

After years of rapid growth despite weak economic growth, downward pressures are beginning to catch up to the Mexican logistics sector, as reflected by declining freight volumes through ports and over the border with the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic is only deepening the pain of a national economy that already had been stagnating, auto production is declining, and cargo volumes moving through the ports hit six-year lows in 2019.

The Mexican economy is struggling, with GDP increasing a mere 0.1 percent in 2019, according to JOC parent company IHS Markit, and set to slide as much as 8 percent this year as the full effects of the COVID-19 outbreak unfurl. Added to that, IHS Markit’s Mexico Manufacturing PMI plummeted to a record low of 46.9 in March, and automotive production, which accounts for nearly 4 percent of GDP, plunged nearly 25 percent in March, according to INEGI, the national statistics institute.

That’s forcing the industry to adjust to a new reality of lower freight volumes but with no let-up on the demands for reliability within Mexico’s supply chains. Freight volumes will rebound, making the next 12 months a critical period for logistics managers and their transportation providers to not only adjust to a new environment but to take steps so supply chains become more resilient and agile when the market turns.

Yet, there also are some positive signs, most notably the signing of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and relative strength and resilience in Mexico’s biggest trade partner, the US, COVID-19 impacts notwithstanding. Through its dozens of trade deals, Mexico has cemented itself as a factory floor for not just North America but much of the Americas, too, allowing it to ride the overall regionalization of trade. COVID-19 has exposed the weakness of US importers focusing on China sourcing, adding extra impetus to source from Mexico — when possible. When the pandemic threat ends, the agreement offers the potential for increased trade and cargo and the kind of certainty that could encourage investors to again put their money into the country.

Longer-term, Mexico’s logistics sector should benefit from continued infrastructure improvements, including a 30 percent expansion in capacity at Contecon Manzanillo SA de CV terminal and a dredging project that will enable the Port of Altamira to handle 14,000-TEU vessels. And the new rail line into Veracruz makes it the country’s first port to experience competition from two major railroads.

With market intelligence from the JOC, IHS Markit, and industry analysts, this webcast will analyze the impacts COVID-19 is having on the Mexican economy, the country’s freight flows, and the outlook on the other side of the pandemic.

Moderator/Presenter: Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor, JOC, Maritime & Trade, IHS MarkitSpeaker (s):Rafael Amiel, Director, Latin America, and Caribbean Economics, IHS Markit Ashley Craig, Partner, and Co-Chair, International Trade Group, Venable Erik Markeset, CEO, TsolInterested in sponsoring this webcast? For more information, please visit https://subscribe.joc.com/advertising/