Rates are back in the news as contract season sees rising prices and fluctuations, putting pressure on negotiated General Rate Increases (GRI) with climbing spot rates. It might seem like a simple case of supply and demand driving costs, but long-term, the decisions made during contract negotiations last a year; one of the benefits of...Read More

Ocean freight rates on the trans-Pacific could double as a soap opera with the dramatic nature of sweeping change we’ve seen in the past three years. Over the course of thirty-six months, the threat of the pandemic turned into a full blown global crisis and volatility exploded across the logistics market. Where spot rates soared...Read More

If you don’t have a DUNS number, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can cancel your facility registration and create lengthy delays. Every facility should have a unique facility identifier (UFI) called a DUNS (Dun & Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System) – an easily identifiable and standardized way for the FDA to recognize facilities. Your...Read More

Stress tests are designed to replicate periods of extreme difficulty, mimicking real-life situations and complex problems to determine how well a person, place, or thing copes with a traumatic situation in a safe, controlled environment. The pandemic was the crisis that stress tests are designed to prepare for. It exposed the myriad weaknesses supply chains...Read More

The tumbling rates and service offerings have signaled that the profit party is over for ocean carriers. After the pandemic sent ocean freight rates soaring and clogged up ports, carriers were watching their rates skyrocket as shippers desperately tried to hunt down inventory, clear containers, and find a balance as shoppers went wild placing online...Read More

In the world of global logistics, the connections we make and the relationships we cultivate are the most important part of a successful supply chain. The interconnected nature of the industry brings together all facets of retail, manufacturing, procurement, shipping, transportation, compliance, and inventory management, distribution, and a plethora of vendors that provide cutting edge...Read More

U.S. FDA (Food & Drug Administration has announced new requirements for food traceability and documentation for the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) which have been published in the Federal Register. The need to swiftly identify and remove potentially contaminated food requires the people who manufacture, process, pack, or hold foods on the Food Traceability List...Read More

Under China’s zero-Covid policy, strict lockdowns are being blamed for an apartment fire that killed ten people when emergency services were delayed due to restrictions. The pushback has led to civil unrest in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, and Chengdu, further complicating the cargo situation that’s facing delays from Covid outbreaks impacting labor and transportation.   ...Read More

Last week we discussed the possibility of a rail strike hitting as we move into the holiday season, and intelligent shippers are talking to their logistics partners to determine what can be done to mitigate disruptions if a work stoppage occurs. Besides transportation solutions, customers need to be aware of warehousing and distribution options they...Read More

Once again, the supply chain is watching China and the zero-COVID policy that slowed transportation to a crawl earlier this year. Currently, only Ningbo is experiencing severe disruption, but as more cases in Shanghai come back positive and more areas in the city are locked down, the delays will likely compound and hit hard. It’s...Read More