Supply Chain News

Trade decline in Asia

2009-02-12T18:19:00.000-08:00

Power plants in China burned 1.69 million tonnes of coal, 17% less than in January 2008. Coal stockpiles at power plants more than doubled from January 2008 to 36.4 million tonnes. Electricity generation fell 6.7% in the first half of January from January 2008. US exports in December were down 8.4% from December 2007 while imports were down 14.7%.

Exports in fugures:
January exports from China, Taiwan (down 42%)
South Korea (down 33%)
India (merchandise exports down 22%)
Japan (export figures down 35%).

Smart 2009 Sydney

2009-02-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

Smart Conference is held every two years and it is the largest supply chain and logistics event staged in Australia, where practitioners share insight on the latest supply chain challenges facing businesses worldwide.
At Smart 2009 on 10-11 June, Professor Richard Wilding will present on Competitive Supply Chain Resilience: Gaining competitive advantage through innovation and collaboration, discussing innovative methods for improving supply chain processes, systems and structures based on time, trust and transparency.

Logistics in Vietnam

2009-02-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

Logistics Bureau Asia (LBA) have successfully completed two major consultancy projects near Ho Chi Minh City; a strategic study and business plan for a client considering moving into the third-party logistics industry, and a supply chain review with a major Vietnamese beverages manufacturer. The successful completion of the latter has resulted in four follow-on projects from the same client, covering warehouse optimisation, procurement, transportation optimisation and a cost-to-serve analysis of the distribution network.
The major advantage is that LBA consultants are able to develop facilities and resources in line with what is available and at the same time, move the development envelope forward by utilising the up-to-date professional knowledge of our Australian-based colleagues, many of who also have experience in projects conducted in SE Asia. In addition, LBA has TrainingLBA website www.traininglba.com which provides training courses in supply chain and logistics aimed at filling the gap that exists in most Asian countries between theory-based, university-gained degrees and the operational realities of getting the job done on the ground.

Air cargo plummets

2009-02-05T19:50:00.000-08:00

The 22.6% free fall in global air cargo is unprecedented and shocking. There is no clearer description of the slowdown in world trade. Even in September 2001, when much of the global fleet was grounded, the decline was only 13.9%, said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO. Air cargo carries 35% of the value of goods traded internationally.
In this economic downturn IATA is calling for major structural changes to the industry. There is a need to change the ownership rules. Almost every other business has the freedom to access to global capital and the ability to merge across borders where it makes sense. To manage in this crisis, airlines need the same management tools.

Overloaded truck

2009-02-03T20:15:00.000-08:00