Infrastructure

Chris Gillis Saturday, November 1, 2014

Preventing U.S. export promotion overload

   It could be said that fledgling U.S. exporters can use all the help they can get, but are they getting too many federal agencies coming at them with offers of assistance?    In January 2010, President Obama announced the National Export Initiative which proffered the goal to double the nation’s exports over the next […]

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Chris Gillis Saturday, October 4, 2014

Truck driver shortage—pay now or pay later

   It is human nature, it seems, to ignore a potential problem—hoping it will go away—rather than dealing with it head on.    This is how most shippers are handling the looming driver shortage across North America. Shippers are already experiencing difficulties securing reliable truck capacity as the economy climbs out of a hole. And […]

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Chris Gillis Sunday, August 17, 2014

Supply chain careers, an unfortunate best kept secret

   Ask most American high school seniors what they plan to study in college, and you will likely get answers such as accounting, engineering, education and pre-med, to name a few. Supply chain management? Probably not even on their radar.    The reason generally is lack of knowledge at that age. Some young people may […]

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Chris Gillis Sunday, July 13, 2014

Supply chain’s biggest risk factor – humans

   No matter how many systems or automated solutions a company puts in place, there’s still that ever-present element of human input required to keep the supply chain humming.    Any seasoned logistics manager knows of occurrences in which the human element has delayed or even stopped a shipment from moving. The reasons are myriad, […]

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Chris Gillis Sunday, June 8, 2014

P3 Network promises dashed by regulators

   The P3 Network was an interesting concept, although unsettling to many shippers when first announced by the three largest liner carriers – Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA CGM – earlier this year.     The three carriers, grappling with absorbing the next-generation mega-containerships to enter the world’s fleet, promised the P3 Network would […]

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Chris Gillis Sunday, May 11, 2014

American shippers deserve productive container terminals

   As representatives of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and Pacific Maritime Association negotiate a new labor contract to replace the one that expires July 1, shippers say they should be thinking about how to make the ports more productive over the long term.    “A good contract, in my view, would be one […]

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Chris Gillis Sunday, April 6, 2014

The right call

   The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission made the right call in late March not to block the P3 Network, which Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA CGM plan to start later this year.    The three largest container carriers will operate the mega vessel-sharing agreement in the transpacific, transatlantic and Asia-Europe trades.    They […]

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Chris Dupin Tuesday, March 11, 2014

USDA expands storage loan program

   The U.S. Department of Agriculture has expanded its Farm Storage and Facility Loan program, which provides low-interest financing to small and mid-sized producers.    The program includes 23 new categories of eligible equipment for fruit and vegetable producers, and makes it easier for the country’s farmers and ranchers to finance the equipment they need […]

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Chris Gillis Sunday, March 2, 2014

The ever-changing American Shipper

   Nothing stays the same, and that also goes for American Shipper.    The 62-year-old publishing company, based in Jacksonville, Fla., has made a number of changes since the start of this year, which we would like to share with you on this page.     For starters, we have expanded our editorial and research staff, […]

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Chris Gillis Sunday, February 16, 2014

Cold chain innovations keep coming

   Consumers are an influential bunch, and just as they have pushed express companies to deliver products when and where they want them, so too are they having the same effect on old school container transportation providers — namely through strong demand for fresh fruits and vegetables.    Fifteen years ago, one had to wait […]

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Chris Gillis Monday, February 3, 2014

Stuck in neutral: CBP needs commissioner

   Question: What agency has the most significant role in protecting U.S. commerce from infiltration by drug smugglers, terrorists, thieves and even pests and harmful products?    Answer: Customs and Border Protection.    As simple as that answer may be, the White House and Congress for the past two years since the recess appointment of […]

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Chris Gillis Friday, January 31, 2014

Henningsen Cold Storage expands in Portland

   Henningsen Cold Storage has started construction on a 2.7 million-cubic-foot expansion to its Portland, Ore., facility.    Originally built in 2008, the facility supports many shippers requiring frozen and refrigerated warehousing services in the Pacific Northwest, the company said.    “We are simply staying ahead of the curve with our customer growth,” said Michael […]

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Chris Gillis Thursday, December 19, 2013

TMS keeps shipper-carrier relationship strong

   Let’s face it, shippers and non-vessel-operating common carriers are wed to their liner carriers, for better or worse.    The economics of the container shipping industry are such the carriers that are here today will be the ones there tomorrow for shippers and NVOs. Even during the depths of the recession several years ago, […]

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Chris Gillis Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Look out, P3 sailing through

   The P3 Network carriers – Maersk, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA CGM – have started sharing details of their proposed vessel-sharing agreement with U.S., European and Chinese regulatory authorities.    The three carriers are Nos. 1, 2 and 3, respectively, in terms of size among the world’s liner carrier fleets. They don’t make decisions […]

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