Articles
Latin America
Nearshoring: Partners Lead the Way in Mexico
Establishing operations in Mexico can streamline and shorten your supply chain. These companies can help you reap the benefits and overcome the challenges of nearshoring.
Read MoreUPS Opens New Healthcare Facility in Colombia
UPS’s new 76,000-square-foot center is the company’s latest investment in healthcare logistics aimed at helping pharmaceutical, biopharma, and medical device companies create seamless, global supply chains as they expand into, transport within, and export from Latin America. The multi-client facility is equipped with technology for storing temperature-sensitive healthcare products. The building offers best-in-class distribution services, […]
Read MoreLatin American Logistics: Learning the Tricks of the Trades
Working with a specialist can remove the stumbling blocks that can impede trade between the United States and Central and South America.
Read MoreWhat’s Driving the Air Freight Industry Today?
Last year in this space, I referenced research results published by SandlerResearch.org that predicted the worldwide air cargo logistics market will experience a 5.97% compounded annual growth rate from 2014 to 2019. Since we are nearing the middle of this period, let’s look at how things have changed and where industry growth stands in shipment […]
Read MoreA Fresh Route for Latin American Produce
More than 21 million metric tons of fruits and vegetables were imported into the United States in 2013, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Approximately 35 percent of that produce comes from Central and South America. While Latin American perishable exports have grown dramatically in recent years, some logistical shortcomings prevent maximum cold […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics—January 2015
Uber Hails Hong Kong Cargo Pilot While analysts continue to speculate about how the "Uber model" will translate to parcel and small shipment movements, especially in densely populated areas, the San Francisco-based taxi/technology company has begun testing its platform in Hong Kong. Its latest incarnation, UberCARGO, promises to deliver the same cashless convenience that has […]
Read MoreEelco de Graaf: Four-Continent Career
Eelco de Graaf is vice president, supply chain operations at Lewis-Goetz and Company’s corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh. He has held this position since August 2014. Responsibilities: Purchasing, shipping, manufacturing, and operational excellence. Experience: Management trainee, Fortis Financial Group; distribution channel manager, Fortis Investments; key account manager, Fortis ASR; assistant to chairman, executive board of directors, […]
Read More3PL Partnerships Can Ease Burden on LATAM Manufacturers
Latin America is fast becoming the destination of choice for companies looking to expand their global footprint. The significant increase in companies establishing manufacturing facilities and distribution centers there over the past several years showcases the impact the region is having on the global economy. Many Latin American governments have orchestrated multiple free trade agreements, […]
Read MoreNearshoring: Mexico – Is It Time?
Mexico presents an attractive option for U.S.-based companies moving all or a portion of their supply chains closer to home.
Read MorePanama: Leveraging Opportunities Beyond the Canal
It’s not only shipping lines, railroads, logistics service providers, and multinational firms that want to know to what extent the Panama Canal expansion project will affect business. Every company will be affected plenty, and must be prepared to modify existing distribution operations to reflect the changing world. Why will the Panama Canal expansion have such […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics—July 2014
On the Scene at CeMAT 2014 For more than 53,000 warehouse and manufacturing facility operators and equipment buyers, CeMAT 2014 was the ultimate shopping expedition. At the biennial event—held in Hannover, Germany, from May 19 to 23, 2014—1,025 exhibitors showed off 4,000 state-of-the-art warehousing, packaging, and inventory management solutions. Occupying 1.3 million square feet of […]
Read MoreLatin American Logistics: The View to the South
Opportunities abound for U.S. companies selling in and sourcing from Latin America. But trade can be tricky. Partnering with experienced logistics and transportation service providers is often the way to go.
Read MoreGlobal—February 2014
Serving Returning Customers In a fickle economy, retailers want consumers to be less discreet about their discretionary spending. One way they can encourage that is to make it easier for customers to return impulse buys or unwanted holiday gifts. But returns can add significant costs, especially when it involves cross-border business. Take, for example, online […]
Read MoreCross-Border Trade: Made in Mexico
Got the nearshoring bug? Here are the challenges, benefits, and secrets to success for manufacturing south of the border.
Read MoreMaximize Nearshoring Value to Minimize Supply Chain Complexity
Latin America—particularly Mexico—continues to gain favor as a sourcing hotspot. Its close proximity to the U.S. border has always been a draw, but recent developments have shifted the global trade landscape in favor of the Western hemisphere. Nearsourcing may never entirely replace production in Asia, but trading partners in the Americas should be an essential […]
Read MoreNearshoring in Mexico: The Benefits of Shared Borders
Offshore manufacturing has been synonymous with the Pacific Rim for decades, and it’s still often the best option for saving a line of business that might otherwise decline because of rising labor costs. As the offshoring trend has progressed, however, the drawbacks of moving production far from demand have become more obvious. For example, the […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics—November 2013
Aviation Climate Emissions Agreement Flies Forward The October 2013 agreement by 191 countries at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) general assembly in Montreal, which will develop a global market-based measure for aviation emissions by 2020, is a major breakthrough in the development of global standards for the industry. Under terms of the resolution, governments […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics—July 2013
Brazilian Shippers Safer by Sea Poor road infrastructure and rampant larceny are forcing some Brazilian shippers to consider unconventional transport options. Case in point: Paranapanema, the country’s largest refined copper producer, has shifted domestic shipments from trucks to slow-moving ocean freighters, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. Although the mode shift nearly triples transport times, it cuts […]
Read MoreLatin American Logistics: Keeping Up With the Latin Beat
The region’s improving infrastructure and trade policies offer companies supply chain expansion opportunities
Read MoreGlobal Logistics—May 2013
Did Hong Kong Strike Out? While Hong Kong’s season of labor discontent may augur an unsettling trend as Asia’s middle class continues to grow—along with discord concerning workers’ rights and compensation—the near-term implications serve as yet another reminder of the daily vagaries threatening supply chains. A lingering, month-long dockworker strike (as of press time) over […]
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