Top 100 US Exporters

This latest annual Journal of Commerce Top 100 Importer and Exporter rankings underscore the impact of softer US and global economies that depressed demand for goods domestically and abroad, weakening consumer confidence and high inflation, and a major shift in the timing of imports in 2022.

Despite strong demand both in the US and overseas, actual US vehicle production and sales remain restrained by parts shortages that forced automakers to halt production several times in 2021.

IHS Markit expects US GDP to expand 7.1 percent in the fourth quarter, based on a $130 billion jump in inventory investment in October that represents goods “pulled forward” from 2022.

Walmart remained atop the list of the 100 largest US importers by a wide margin in 2020, while Koch Industries retained the No. 1 export spot.

Despite duties in China, vessel space limitations at US ports and equipment shortages at inland rail hubs, US containerized agricultural shipments increased seven percent in 2020.

Rapid e-commerce delivery requirements, as well as capacity shortages and equipment imbalances, are spurring the growth of transloading near US seaports, speakers at TPM21 said.

Exporters and trucking companies are battling delays on Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation in Memphis, causing loaded containers going to Charleston and Savannah to idle for days.

Agricultural exporter Scoular will open a transload facility this summer to export soybeans out of the Port of Wilmington, North Carolina, adding to its existing relationships with ports in Virginia, South Carolina, and Southern California.

A&R Logistics opened a resin packaging plant in Georgia last week more than a month ahead of schedule, and along with its new South Carolina facility will contribute a combined 100,000 TEU of new volume at the ports of Charleston and Savannah annually.

US exporters of scrap metals, paper, and plastics saw increased demand in 2019, but volumes have come crashing down in early 2020 due to supply and demand destruction caused by the COVID-19 crisis.

A collapse in US exports of scrap paper and forest products due to tariffs, environmental restrictions, and slowing economies in receiving countries is expected to continue this year due to the effects of the COVID-19 crisis.

The main concern for US resin producers in 2019 was an increase in Chinese import tariffs, but that has been overshadowed by macro-economic concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Walmart remained atop the list of the 100 largest US importers by a wide margin in 2019, while Koch Industries retained to the No. 1 export spot.

Nearly five months into 2020, US agricultural exporters say their main concerns are logistical issues such as blank sailings in the trans-Pacific, ocean carrier detention and demurrage charges, and supply chain disruptions due to “earliest return date” (ERD) mandates.

Among the many questions facing the auto industry in 2020 is how to build resilience into supply chains centered on just-in-time (JIT) fulfillment strategies and lean manufacturing.

Expectations for capacity, demand, and pricing across transportation modes in 2020 have been shattered by the COVID‑19 pandemic, resulting in recession.

While other industries have seen massive increases or decreases in demand, food importers have been affected by an upheaval in consumption patterns and the channels through which end-consumers purchase food.

US tariffs on electronics goods produced in China continue to push production and assembly of some electronics to Southeast Asia and Mexico, with the latter grabbing a growing share of laptop computers and televisions due to its proximity to the US market.

A coalition of 80 agricultural shippers is urging the Trump administration to get involved in the detention and demurrage debate now before the Federal Maritime Commission, saying the issue is even more important now amid supply chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The 10-year US economic expansion is over, killed by the response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019), and the recovery will be slow, IHS Markit chief economist Nariman Behravesh warns.