Supply chain

The economies of China, India and Vietnam are projected to grow faster in 2013 than they did in 2012, raising hopes in the maritime industry that the major east-west trade lanes serving Asia again will be engines of growth.

CargoWise, which provides technology solutions for logistics service providers, has partnered with enterprise resource planning software company RBC Group to expand its network in eastern Europe and Russia.

John Horsley, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, will retire on Feb. 1, after 14 years leading the organization.

Greece will tax merchant ships managed by companies based in the country and sailing under foreign flags to raise revenue to reverse the nation’s debt crisis, according to Bloomberg.

Federal Maritime Commissioner Richard Lidinsky spoke with The Journal of Commerce this week on the issues facing the agency in 2013, including a renewed push for an agriculture export index.

The European Parliament today endorsed the European Union’s first economic partnership deal with an African region, the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement, which provides Madagascar, Mauritius, the Seychelles and Zimbabwe with duty- and quota-free access to the EU market.

The International Trade Committee of the European Parliament today voted that the European Union must make the use of “made in” origin labels mandatory on goods imported from third countries mandatory.

CaroTrans has added a new weekly less-than-containerload export service from San Francisco to Japan.

Trade Tech, which supplies cloud-based solutions for the logistics industry, announced that its electronic filing solution has been authorized by Nippon Automated Cargo and Port Consolidated System, the Japanese government’s trade and customs clearance service, for Japan’s Advance Filing Rules that will go into effect in March 2014.

U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk has notified Congress that the Obama administration plans to enter into negotiations for a new trade agreement on international trade in services.

The Alliance for American Manufacturing has applauded Walmart’s announcement that Walmart and Sam’s Club plan to buy an additional $50 billion in U.S.-made products over the next 10 years.

Salt Lake City-based third-party logistics provider England Logistics has promoted Jason Beardall to president.

Shri Anand Sharma, India’s Union Minister for Commerce, Industry & Textiles, and Rob Davies, South Africa’s Minister of Trade and Industry, have reviewed the India-South African Custom Union preferential trade agreement negotiations...

Third-party logistics provider BNSF Logistics has acquired logistics management company EP-Team, based in Flower Mound, Texas.

Freight forwarding and logistics management company China Logistics Group has launched a domestic trucking services operation in China through a partnership with a domestic trucking company.

Supply chain management company ModusLink Global Solutions has named John J. Boucher, 53, president and CEO, effective Jan. 28.

Third-party logistics provider OHL has promoted Randy Tucker, current executive vice president of human resources and project management, to president of OHL Contract Logistics, effective immediately, according to OHL CEO Randy Curran.

The Federal Statistical Office of Germany reported that its gross domestic product shrank by 0.5 percent in the final three months of 2012, the worst quarterly performance in nearly three years, according to Reuters.

FedEx has named Henry J. Maier as president and CEO of FedEx Ground, a subsidiary of FedEx that provides ground small-package delivery services.

The U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has approved HR 219, the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013. The vote was 403 to 0.

The U.S. Meat Export Federation reported that U.S. beef and pork exports dipped slightly in November 2012.

Purolator International today announced its plans to add three new branches during the first quarter of 2013, bringing the logistics provider’s total number of branches to 33.

UPS’s withdrawal of its $6.9 billion offer to buy TNT Express raises what steps the Dutch shipping company will take next to sell its Asian and Latin American ground networks, health care supply-chain operations, and European road and parcel assets.

North American customs broker Livingston International has acquired New Orleans-based MBLX and MBLX Resources, according to Peter Luit, Livingston’s president and CEO.

This past holiday season, Chicago Customs and Border Protection officers at the O’Hare International Mail Facility seized more than 50 counterfeit electric and acoustic guitars, in addition to other types of fake merchandise.

UPS today said it will withdraw its $6.9 billion offer to acquire Dutch shipping company TNT Express, after competition authorities at the European Commission informed UPS that it would block the arrangement.

The Chilean Fruit Exporters Association today affirmed it is compliant with U.S. Department of Agriculture requirements for the importation of fresh fruit into the U.S., in response to the detection of a fruit fly focal point in Cerro Yungay, Chile...

The U.S. is requesting consultations with Indonesia under the dispute settlement provisions of the World Trade Organization regarding trade-restrictive measures applied to horticultural products, animals and animal products...

Express transportation company FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx, has implemented new rates for customers in the Asia-Pacific using FedEx International Priority and FedEx International Economy services.

Transportation and supply chain management company MIQ Logistics, based in Overland Park, Kan., has hired Barry Solomon to be part of the sales team as manager of business development.