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supply chain

Supply chain

The Journal of Commerce’s supply chain news and analysis impacting the management of end-to-end supply chains reports on supply chain strategies, cargo visibility, inventory trends, sourcing, customs certification and contract logistics. Supply chain news coverage also delves into refrigerated shipping advancements and management of inventory status, regulatory updates and government funding projects. 

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The latest Supply chain News & Analysis

FMC judge ruling on chassis will have major impact, but questions linger

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |
A decision by an FMC administrative judge on chassis usage will shake up the way chassis are provisioned for ocean containers, but there are several unknowns on what the future will look like at ports and rail hubs.
Container linesContainer Shipping NewsNorth American portsDrayageTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

US DOT says ports can tap $662 million in 2023 grants

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
The US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration is on the hunt for port projects that mitigate climate change, among other aims, as it lays out grant funding opportunities for 2023.
Transport, Trade, and Regulation NewsNorth American ports

Flexport debuts Shopify app in move to target small importers

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
A new Flexport app on Shopify’s partner marketplace is likely to be the first of many initiatives between the forwarder and e-commerce storefront provider.
Logistics Technology NewsForwarding

3PL Echo moves to expand LTL business with new executive hires

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Primarily an industrial transportation sector, the LTL business is moving into retail and is also becoming more involved in transloading at US port cities. 
Trucking NewsTruckloadLTLLogistics Technology News

Increased vessel capacity, reliability key to 2023 reefer rebound

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
Refrigerated container trade was muted in 2022 due to high costs and poor service, but ocean carriers appear keen to serve those markets in 2023 now that dry cargo rates have returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Cool Cargo NewsContainer Shipping NewsNorth American ports

Overhaul acquisition consolidates freight risk management market

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
Freight visibility provider Overhaul has acquired a competitor that doubles its size and gives it deeper cargo monitoring capability in Brazil, Mexico, and Central Europe.
Logistics Technology NewsContainer Shipping NewsTrucking NewsAir Cargo

FMC order for MSC to justify congestion fee marks first under OSRA-22

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
The Federal Maritime Commission has exercised its first use of new legal authority under OSRA-22 requiring an ocean carrier to justify the reason behind levying a congestion surcharge against a shipper.
Transport, Trade, and Regulation NewsContainer Shipping News

US retailers’ global sourcing strategy will take time to develop: analysts

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor |
As the size of China’s workforce declines and production challenges increase, US retailers are shifting to global sourcing strategies, with each sector looking for the business model that meets its particular requirements.
MaritimeContainer Shipping NewsTrans-PacificInternational portsTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

US transport providers lose fewer jobs than expected in January

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Courier, trucking, and warehousing firms lost workers last month, but the seasonal surge and purge was more muted than expected, reflecting broader labor market resilience.
SurfaceTrucking laborIndustrial Real Estate News

End of 2M Alliance will set dominoes in motion across ocean shipping: analyst

Lars Jensen, CEO & Partner, Vespucci Maritime, and JOC Analyst |
The announced dissolution of the 2M Alliance raises the question of what additional large-scale dominoes might be toppling over in the next few years in the container shipping sector, writes analyst Lars Jensen.
MaritimeContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

US ‘freight recession’ putting motor carrier financing tools to the test

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
Smaller US truckload carriers and the companies that provide them with access to working capital are under increasing pressure as cargo demand slows.
Logistics Technology NewsTrucking NewsTruckload

New IMO rules force global reefer fleet to confront uncertain future

Richard Bright, JOC analyst |
The specialized reefer fleet has proven to be remarkably resilient in the face of various challenges, but now it must deal with the latest threat in the form of new IMO environmental regulations.
MaritimeCool Cargo News

C.H. Robinson reaffirms commitment to global forwarding business

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The largest US logistics provider claims “compelling results” from cross-selling surface transportation and air and ocean services, despite weak market conditions.
Supply chainMaritimeTrucking NewsAir Cargo

Rapid container rate decline complicates payment picture for shippers

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
US importers that renegotiated contract rates or shifted to the spot market in the second half of 2022 have also had to adjust to different accessorial charges and transmission formats.
Logistics Technology NewsContainer Shipping NewsContainer lines

Freightify lands funding to target digital rate management in North America

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
Technology provider Freightify is aiming to empower forwarders to build an online quoting presence that would lessen their reliance on rate marketplaces.
Logistics Technology NewsForwarding

UPS to sharpen focus on ‘smart’ technology in ‘bumpy’ 2023

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Technology that connects and automates packages, trucks, and sorting facilities will come to the fore at UPS this year as the largest US logistics provider positions itself for an economic rebound.
SurfaceTrucking NewsAir CargoSupply chain

Savannah aims for more cold-chain cargo with new reefer racks

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
The Port of Savannah says plans for additional reefer rack capacity will add to its market share for cold chain imports coming into the US Southeast and Gulf Coast.
North American portsContainer Shipping NewsCool Cargo News

Magaya gets cash infusion to fuel customs-led international growth

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
The software arms race taking place in the global forwarding space shows no signs of relenting, with Miami-based Magaya getting growth capital to fuel its international ambitions.
Logistics Technology NewsForwarding

FMC drops bid to use OSRA-22 for emergency data sharing

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
A Federal Maritime Commission member’s attempt to force marine terminals and ocean carriers to share more data under OSRA-22 has ended with the normalization of the ocean freight market.
Transport, Trade, and Regulation NewsContainer Shipping NewsPort News

Investors fuel drayage software provider PortPro with $12 million in funding

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
Investors see drayage as an area rife for technological improvement, with software provider PortPro the latest startup to secure funding to empower port truckers.
Logistics Technology NewsPort NewsDrayageTrucking News

NY-NJ marine terminals offering up more data to improve truck flow

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
Last year’s container surge prompted a harder look at information sharing for container availability and port operations, which New York-New Jersey marine terminals are responding to with new data.
North American portsContainer Shipping NewsTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

Truckers urge single appointment system across Southern California port complex

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
As federal and state laws aim to make per diem charges more transparent, California trucking groups say a unified appointment system across the Los Angeles and Long Beach port complex would go a long way toward that goal.
North American portsContainer Shipping NewsTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

FourKites aims to turbocharge shipper analytics efforts

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
The need for shippers to contextualize freight status data led visibility provider FourKites to build a data connectivity tool for enterprise shippers.
Logistics Technology NewsContainer Shipping NewsPort NewsTrucking NewsSupply chain

Freightos goes public on NASDAQ in first measure of logistics tech value

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
Freightos’ public listing on the NASDAQ will be the first test of how public investors value one of the more prominent logistics technology companies to emerge over the past decade.
Logistics Technology NewsContainer Shipping NewsForwardingAir CargoAir Cargo Carriers NewsAir Cargo Forwarder NewsSupply chain

WiseTech makes US drayage play with acquisition of Envase

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
WiseTech Global, owner of the most widely used forwarding software product, has acquired a prominent vendor of drayage management software, capping a year of takeovers for the company.
Logistics Technology NewsForwardingPort NewsDrayageSupply chain

Electronic bill of lading ‘green shoots’ emerge in wake of pandemic

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
Pandemic-driven acceleration in the usage of its digital shipping document product is a sign that blockchain does work in niche applications in global logistics, according to CargoX.
Logistics Technology NewsContainer Shipping NewsSupply chainTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

US inventory drawdown key to trans-Pacific volume recovery: analyst

Jason Miller, associate professor of logistics at Michigan State University, and JOC analyst |
While there are encouraging signs regarding general merchandise retailers seeing their inventories-to-sales return toward pre-COVID levels, data suggests many sectors have a long way to go before their inventories-to-sales come back to pre-pandemic levels.
Supply chainContainer Shipping NewsTrans-PacificIndustrial Real Estate News

Big Flexport layoffs offer potential clue to its future identity

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
Scrutiny over Flexport’s job cuts earlier this month points to a long-term issue for the venture-backed logistics company: a perceived lack of identity in a market that has long been skeptical of its differentiation.
Logistics Technology NewsForwardingTrans-Pacific

Lack of data leaves shippers reliant on 3PLs to reduce Scope 3 emissions

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
Pressure on shippers to take a more active role in bringing down so-called Scope 3 emissions covering the activities of a company’s third-party vendors — including transportation — has increased in recent years.
Transport, Trade, and Regulation NewsContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesForwardingLogistics Technology News

Terminal49 lands investment to pursue visibility automation

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
Demand for ocean visibility surged through the pandemic, including among software providers needing real-time container milestone data, an area that software vendor Terminal49 has targeted in recent years.
Logistics Technology NewsContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesPort NewsNorth American portsInternational ports

Market fallout from OSRA-22 to become clearer in 2023

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
Whether OSRA-22 — and increased FMC scrutiny — will produce tangible changes in how carriers and terminals calculate and convey detention and demurrage charges is still yet to be seen, as inaccurate invoices continue to plague shippers.
MaritimeContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American portsTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

China keeps grip on global production, but search for options continues

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
The pandemic-induced supply chain disruptions in China have left importers searching for more resilience and flexibility in their existing supply chains rather than racing for the exits.
Container Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-PacificAsia-EuropeSupply chain

ECU parent forms investment partnership with logistics-focused VC firm

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
A partnership between venture firm Northstar and India’s Allcargo Group is meant to formalize their joint investment plans into logistics-focused startups over the next year.
Logistics Technology NewsContainer Shipping NewsForwardingSupply chain

Zim wades into trade finance market with startup investment

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
Zim has joined a growing group of companies that see potential in giving small importers and exporters access to digital finance tools through an investment in an Israel-based startup.
Container linesSupply chainLogistics Technology News

USDA urges FMC to hone OSRA-22 export rules for ag shippers

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
The Ocean Shipping Reform Act’s export provisions need further clarification to explain instances when US ag exports don’t get on a ship, the US Department of Agriculture said.
Transport, Trade, and Regulation NewsContainer Shipping NewsContainer lines

Declining freight demand prompts Flexport to cut 20 percent of global staff

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
Falling demand for ocean and air freight services is driving headcount cuts across the logistics sector, with forwarder Flexport the latest to announce layoffs.
ForwardingTrans-PacificLogistics Technology News

Tight supply to keep warehousing costs rising despite slower freight growth

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The rapid expansion of US industrial real estate is expected to slow in 2023 as warehouses are completed, capital costs rise, and the US economy slows, but capacity isn’t going to suddenly flood the market.
Industrial Real Estate News

FMC nixes claim that proposed per diem rule adds to port congestion, pollution

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
The Federal Maritime Commission turned away a petition from ocean carriers and marine terminals claiming that limiting liability on per diem billing would translate into worsening port congestion and pollution.
Container Shipping NewsContainer linesNorth American portsTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

Modest predictions for freight transportation as the winds of 2023 begin to blow

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor, and Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor |
Some factors, such as the sharper attention both multinationals and smaller mom-and-pop sellers are paying to their supply chains, seem to be charting a new trajectory and are poised to help shape the freight sector this year.
Supply chainContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesTrans-PacificLongshore laborNorth American portsSurfaceTrucking NewsTransport, Trade, and Regulation News

C.H. Robinson searching for new CEO — and new course for growth

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The change in leadership is likely to accelerate strategic changes in planning and capital spending at C.H. Robinson that have been under way since last March at the urging of investors.
SurfaceForwardingTruckloadLogistics Technology News