Supply chain

Import volume from China has been increasing since late last year, and combined with the severely disrupted supply chains is leading to a deteriorating cargo storage situation across Europe.

New complaints to the US Federal Maritime Commission over the alleged failure of carriers to move volumes committed in ocean freight contracts suggests shipper frustration with capacity availability and rates remains high.

BlueX Trade is providing an extended credit product to small shippers and forwarders to help them manage working capital in the wake of historic ocean freight and ancillary fee costs.

The Federal Maritime Commission is adding the availability of export capacity to its ongoing scrutiny of how ocean carriers are operating in the US.

Already elevated fuel prices are increasing across freight transport modes in the wake of oil market volatility related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, shifting shippers' focus back to costs after two years in which speed of delivery has been paramount.

Exporters struggle to get access to trade finance tools due to technology and regulatory limitations, a gap that startup provider Fishtail is aiming to fill with a new $4.5 million venture investment.

Aircon, a technology provider aiming to bring a software-based co-loader approach to the air freight industry, has been backed by early-stage investors to drive planned aggregation of air cargo.

Democratic senators took the opportunity of a recent committee meeting to drill FMC Chairman Daniel Maffei on sky-high freight rates charged by ocean carriers amid declining service levels.

German startup Flowfox is working with Kuehne + Nagel to pilot its platform that automates import clearance and container re-use at European ports with an eye toward global expansion of the solution.

Payment technology options continue to grow for freight intermediaries, with Los Angeles-based Freightpay the latest to get funding to build its early-stage payment platform.

The need to share data among supply chain participants has become a priority amid record volumes of US imports that have resulted in vessel backlogs, terminal congestion, and a stressed inland logistics sector.

Prompt, which works with many of the top 25 global forwarders to automate integrations and data entry, is breaking out of its stealth nature of operating with an expansion of systems into which it connects.

Insurance technology provider Loadsure plans to use an $11 million funding round to expand in the US freight market and serve forwarders managing international shipments.

Lineage Logistics is acquiring MTC Logistics, a cold storage operator with warehouses at the ports of Baltimore, Wilmington, Delaware, and Mobile.

The FMC has temporarily exempted Expeditors International from tariff filing obligations to allow the beleaguered forwarder to recover following a ransomware attack on its systems two weeks ago.

Drayage provider NEXT Trucking is piloting a peel pile program in Southern California that links vessel stowage at origin with quick unloading of containers at warehouse destinations to narrow total transit times for shipments.

A digitally oriented forwarder tied to the Bolloré Group has opened a North America office to tap into burgeoning US demand as the race to attract online-oriented shippers gathers steam.

Digital forwarder Forto has smashed through the $2 billion valuation barrier with a new round of funding that it will use to grow its presence in Europe and Asia.

The Port of Oakland and the Northwest Seaport Alliance have lent support to a Long Beach initiative designed to capture and make available container milestone information.

Speakers at TPM22 and TPM Tech made clear that although US import growth may have peaked last year, the resulting supply chain challenges aren’t letting up, and port congestion and disruption could bleed into 2023.

E2open has made its fifth acquisition since 2018 with the addition of parcel fulfillment provider Logistyx as it seeks to ride e-commerce and small shipment growth for its customers.

The supply of new chassis this year in the US will be insufficient to support the ongoing surge in container shipping demand, the CEO of Flexi-Van Leasing told TPM22.

Wayfair was able to navigate the COVID-disrupted supply chain due to earlier moves to build an in-house end-to-end logistics offering, its co-founder and CEO told TPM22.

The millions of open jobs that US employers are struggling to fill has led to significant wage inflation in the two years since the COVID-19 pandemic arrived on US shores, the former director of the National Economic Council told TPM22.

The US Federal Maritime Commission and Department of Justice outlined additional resource sharing as part of their efforts to police container shipping.

Supply chain partners who share shipment data that is filed with US Customs via a common platform can help terminal operators build “peel-off” piles that help to reduce trucker turn times.

The Federal Maritime Commission is being urged to implement processes that would allow US shippers to easily get accurate data on ocean freight.

The US Department of Transportation said that it has nearly doubled the amount of grant money it had last year to support port improvement projects through the US.

A provider of technology to help brokers understand appropriate spot pricing has nabbed funding from an array of notable investors, including Tiger Global and Cambridge Capital.

As it prepares to go public, Transfix is looking to derive more revenue from non-transactional shipper services, including its drop trailer program, and to draw smaller shippers to its platform.

Expeditors International has yet to fully recover from a cyberattack over the weekend that forced the forwarder to shut down its entire computer network.

A mystery shopper survey by forwarding technology provider RPA Labs found that the vast majority of forwarders can’t automate quotes for a new ocean customer.

The board of UK e-commerce and reverse logistics specialist Clipper will recommend shareholders accept terms of a takeover deal from New York-based GXO.

Kerry Logistics’ plan to buy The Topocean Group will further consolidate the booming trade among non-vessel-operating common carriers able to provide end-to-end services on the eastbound trans-Pacific.

Although White House Port Envoy John Porcari is stepping down from leading the White House’s intervention in port operations, the administration will continue to push for short- and long-term fixes for port congestion.

FourKites has partnered with e-commerce technology specialist Narvar to link predictive freight visibility with post-purchase solutions for retailers and brands aspiring to fulfill orders online.

DB Schenker has been unable to keep pace with its global peers over the past year as they make billion-dollar investments to build scale that is critical in the fragmented forwarding market.

The Pilot Freight acquisition gives Maersk not just last-mile delivery capabilities, but the “middle-mile” backbone needed to speed freight to the final mile.

Descartes is adding to its in-house roster of trade compliance tools with the $40 million purchase of online customs broker software provider NetCHB.

Paris-based visibility provider Shippeo is eyeing North America as it seeks to expand the competitive landscape of the fierce global predictive cargo visibility market.