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☆ Geodis’s Marie-Christine Lombard Sees Global Forces Continuing to Reshape Trade Flows
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Newsletter Sign-up The Logistics Report Top news and in-depth analysis on the world of logistics, from supply chain to transport and technology. MS. LOMBARD: The supply chain used to be quite seamless and fluid. The world order has a huge impact on the supply chain and its stability. The difference is that the supply chain itself was not disrupted. The entire supply chain is being rethought and recalibrated and re-costed.

☆ Retailers Pull Back From Using Chartered Cargo Ships
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Retailers are moving away from using chartered ships to get around pandemic-triggered disruptions now that congestion at ports has cleared and pressures in supply chains have eased. A representative for Home Depot said it stopped using chartered vessels earlier this year as space opened up in global shipping. Party City started booking space on chartered vessels in mid-2021 in advance of Halloween, its busiest time of year, said Bruce Dzinski, Party City’s director of international transportation. Will Harwood, a spokesman for Lidl, said Tailwind owns two container ships and can carry additional cargo on other chartered vessels. Most other companies, like Home Depot and Costco, relied on third-party companies to operate chartered ships.

☆ U.S. Container Imports Are Plummeting to Close the Year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Big U.S. ports are reporting steep declines in inbound container volumes for November, signaling a downturn in goods imports is accelerating and adding to concerns over a deeper slowdown in 2023. The ports also handled about 98,000 fewer inbound boxes last month than in November 2019 and imports have been below prepandemic levels since September. Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said the U.S. is seeing a slowing of imports. They also diverted goods to Gulf Coast and East Coast ports due to fears of a work slowdown as West Coast dockworkers negotiate a new multiyear labor agreement. The downturn is reaching East Coast ports, which have seen relatively strong trade as companies shipped around California’s congested gateways.

French container line CMA CGM sees the ownership of cargo terminals at U.S. ports as the next step in its bid to extend its shipping business into greater inland logistics. “Port terminals are an essential piece of the supply-chain efficiency, being at the crossroads of sea and land operations,” said Christine Cabau Woehrel, CMA CGM Group’s executive vice president of operations and assets. CMA CGM earned $17.9 billion in net profits in 2021 and its earnings in the first three quarters of this year reached more than $20.4 billion. The purchases come as CMA CGM is spending billions to buy logistics operations and more recently launch an airfreight service. China’s Cosco Shipping Ports has expanded its terminal operations around the world in concert with expansion by state-owned Cosco Shipping Lines.

☆ California Long Ruled U.S. Shipping. Importers Are Drifting East.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Paul Berger | Photographs David Walter Banks For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +13 min

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. is moving more merchandise through New York and New Jersey to avoid West Coast bottlenecks. It trailed its East Coast rival again in that measure during September and October, according to the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association and ports data. ”There are so many customers that got so screwed because they were entirely reliant on L.A. and Long Beach.”The logistical challenges of spreading imports along the East Coast and the Gulf Coast are massive. The shift in trade to the East Coast marks a return to where container ships originated. Then the U.S. began importing more goods from Europe, making an Atlantic Ocean crossing to various East Coast ports more critical.

☆ Amazon Launches Supply-Chain Software Service
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon’s launch of its cloud application, AWS Supply Chain, adds Amazon to a growing list of software suppliers, such as Manhattan Associates and Blue Yonder, that help merchants juggle increasingly complex cargo flows and inventory demands. Microsoft Corp. launched its own supply-chain management software platform earlier this month. Companies are relying more on sophisticated supply-chain software as a growing share of sales shifts away from sending goods in bulk to retailers and moves more toward direct-to-consumer online sales that require better balancing and positioning of stock. Amazon has a ready audience for its software with a phalanx of small- and medium-size businesses in its third-party marketplace. The software identifies risks and provides recommendations to guard against shortages and delays so that companies can “quickly see and respond to potential supply-chain disruptions,” said Diego Pantoja-Navajas, vice president of AWS Supply Chain at Amazon Web Services.

☆ Warehouse Packing Help Wanted, Excellent Penmanship Required
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

At a warehouse in northern New Jersey one recent weekday, a trainee wearing a pair of blue gloves hesitantly tied a ribbon around one luxury brand’s box as a supervisor looked on. Newsletter Sign-up The Logistics Report Top news and in-depth analysis on the world of logistics, from supply chain to transport and technology. Workers also personalize items with engraving and hot-stamping, compile individual items into gift sets and add handwritten notes. Luxury brands, however, are willing to pay a premium for the extra workers needed to provide additional services, Mr. Scattergood said. Workers at its Munich warehouse fold clothes in tissue paper, close the paper with a sticker and tie a ribbon into a bow.

☆ Southern California’s Container Ship Backup Ends
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

It is “time to move into a different phase of operations and declare that the backup has ended,“ Mr. Louttit said. The backup rippled through supply chains, causing monthslong delays in deliveries of furniture, electronics and clothing, and helped push ocean shipping prices to record levels. Many importers have also diverted goods away from West Coast ports. Disputes between dockworkers and their employers during previous labor talks on the West Coast have led to significant shipping delays. The diversions triggered backups at Gulf Coast and East Coast ports.

☆ California Looks to Ban Diesel Trucks at Ports by 2035
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

An ambitious California plan to require trucking fleets in the state to switch from diesel to electric power faces a potential backup at charging stations. Requiring that dealers and truckers make the switch should give companies confidence to invest in charging stations, Mr. Brasil said. The trucks tend to cost two or three times as much as diesel trucks, which retail for about $150,000. State officials say they have funded 200 charging stations for medium- and heavy-duty trucks so far and that many more are being funded by private companies. Write to Paul Berger at paul.berger@wsj.comCorrections & AmplificationsThe Port of Los Angeles expects to install a small number of charging stations for electric trucks.

☆ Imports Into Southern California’s Ports Plunged 26% in October
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Imports into the nation’s busiest container port complex in Southern California are plummeting as U.S. trade sputters and retailers and manufacturers shift their supply chains amid increasingly contentious West Coast port labor negotiations. Importers have said they are avoiding West Coast ports because previous contract talks have turned contentious and led to cargo slowdowns. Over the past few months, several West Coast ports have experienced sporadic work disruptions, although port officials say overall container movements remain steady. The declines are a contrast to East Coast ports that continue to see strong cargo volumes. That has also contributed to the recent decline in cargo volumes during what is normally a peak season for ocean shipping.

☆ Autonomous Delivery and Work Drones Will Still Need a Human Minder
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The delivery drivers of the future may not leave a package at your door. Instead, they’ll be sitting several miles or even time zones away in a control room overseeing a fleet of delivery robots or drones. Companies are plowing billions of dollars into autonomous technologies they hope will improve efficiency and solve worker shortages. So they are striving to dramatically ramp up the number of machines each human oversees. Food-deliverer Serve Robotics Inc., for instance, now has one supervisor in a control room for every four robots on the street.

☆ Union vs. Union Dispute Stalls West Coast Port Labor Talks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

A dispute between two unions over which workers get certain jobs at a cargo-handling terminal at the Port of Seattle is holding up labor talks between West Coast dockworkers and their employers. West Coast port labor talks are often fraught. Importers are already diverting some goods to Gulf Coast and East Coast ports because of the risk of labor strife. The port talks are taking place against a backdrop of global freight labor unrest. West Coast dockworkers have been working without a contract since the most recent labor agreement expired in early July.

☆ Why ‘Self-Driving’ Vehicles Will Still Need a Human Minder
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Why ‘Autonomous’ Vehicles Will Still Need a Human Minder
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Mr. Skou said the strategy should help insulate Maersk from the boom-and-bust cycles of the container industry. “Our strategy is not to gain market share in ocean,” Mr. Skou said. “When the customers themselves suffer from the effects of economic decline, volume can’t be conjured out of the thin air,” Mr. Skou said. He said the company is trying with its logistics investments “to break away from the cyclicality of the shipping industry and the commoditized nature of traditional container shipping. “We are well on the way towards a significant market position in the logistics industry,” Mr. Skou said.

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☆ J.B. Hunt Expects Weaker Freight Volumes This Holiday Season
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Liz Young | Kathryn Hardison | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Freight bellwether J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. said it is planning for a damped holiday shipping season, as cargo volumes fall ahead of what is typically the busiest period of the year for logistics operators. PREVIEWDarren Field, president of intermodal at J.B. Hunt, said on an earnings call Tuesday that peak season volumes aren’t where the company had anticipated they would be. J.B. Hunt executives said the company is seeing some of that in its freight-brokerage business, where volumes have been softening. Revenue in its brokerage business was down 11% in the third quarter year-over-year and volume was down 8%. Mr. Field said he attributed the September drop-off to the threat of a national rail strike that month.

☆ Freight Operators’ Peak Shipping Season Is Crumbling
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Paul Berger | Paul Page | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

The peak shipping season is fizzling as overstocked retailers cancel overseas orders and freight companies scale back expectations for heavy freight volumes heading into the holidays. Many retailers pulled peak season orders in early this year to avoid a repeat of 2021 when supply-chain congestion caused delays and product shortages during the holidays. Container shipping rates that hit record highs last year have also pulled back sharply, although they still remain above 2019 levels. The peak shipping season cascades down into package transport, as United Parcel Service Inc., FedEx Corp. and others typically handle growing volumes as the calendar counts down to Christmas. Citi analysts say they expect a “weaker peak season and a large amount of uncertainty in terms of the magnitude of demand.”—Esther Fung and Liz Young contributed to this article.

☆ Freight Operators’ Peak Shipping Season is Crumbling
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Paul Berger | Paul Page | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

The peak shipping season is fizzling as overstocked retailers cancel overseas orders and freight companies scale back expectations for heavy freight volumes heading into the holidays. But a range of measures of shipping demand across the U.S. are sliding, freight rates are falling as a result, leading carriers to pull back capacity amid concerns a deeper downturn is coming. Many retailers pulled peak season orders in early this year to avoid a repeat of 2021 when supply-chain congestion caused delays and product shortages during the holidays. Container shipping rates that hit record highs last year have also pulled back sharply, although they still remain above 2019 levels. The peak shipping season cascades down into package transport, as United Parcel Service Inc., FedEx Corp. and others typically handle growing volumes as the calendar counts down to Christmas.

A once-bustling logistics mergers-and-acquisitions market is quieting down as slipping freight demand and higher borrowing costs dampen deal making in the sector. Company valuations are moderating in a softening freight market and rising borrowing costs are making deals tougher to complete. The market for freight and logistics companies surged during the pandemic as retailers sought to rush goods to consumers, fueling strong growth in shipping demand, higher freight rates and record profits for companies ranging from regional truck operators to international freight forwarders. Foreign-based ocean carriers and freight forwarders have also shown great interest in the U.S. logistics market as they seek to expand their end-to-end supply-chain services. But logistics companies looking to expand their reach and private-equity firms looking to expand existing logistics portfolios are still hunting deals.

☆ Choked-Up Yards and Trailer Shortages Box In America’s Truckers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-08 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

“There’s a lot more hours and a lot more waiting, just because there’s no chassis.” Mr. Carrera said. Mr. Carrera uncouples a truck trailer, known as a chassis, from his rig at a yard outside Chicago. Mr. Carrera works as an independent owner-operator for California Cartage, a subsidiary of NFI Industries, a Camden, N.J.-based logistics and trucking operator. Mr. Carrera arrived at the container yard that held the Michaels box at about 6:45 a.m. His was the seventh truck in line when the yard opened. There was another empty container waiting nearby that needed to be picked up.

☆ Small Businesses Getting Squeezed Out in Push for Warehouse Space
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-05 | by ( Liz Young | Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

A warehouse crush across the U.S. is squeezing out smaller companies as big retailers fill industrial storage sites with their growing stockpiles of inventory. Karen Galena, president of First Logistics, which has four warehouses in the Chicago area that provide space for retailers and manufacturers, said bigger customers are willing to pay higher prices for increasingly scarce storage space. “It’s tough for the small guy,” Ms. Galena said, noting labor and other costs are rising for warehouse operators. The challenges small businesses face finding warehouse space mirrors difficulties many had securing room on container ships earlier in the Covid-19 pandemic, when ocean carriers drove up rates and bumped smaller shippers to make way for larger clients. He said some companies are even generating revenue from unconventional storage space.

☆ Freight Labor Unrest Is Going Global and Weighing on Supply Chains
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Paul Berger | Liz Young | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Newsletter Sign-up The Logistics Report Top news and in-depth analysis on the world of logistics, from supply chain to transport and technology. But this complex movement of goods underpinning the global economy is far more vulnerable than many imagined. The Biden administration narrowly avoided a systemwide freight rail shutdown last week after brokering a last-minute deal between railroads and unions. The Biden administration narrowly avoided a systemwide freight rail shutdown last week after brokering a last-minute deal between railroads and unions. The labor concerns have grown as some of the broader pandemic-driven upheaval in supply chains, including factory closures and vessel backlogs at ports, have eased.

☆ Freight Labor Unrest is Going Global and Weighing on Supply Chains
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Paul Berger | Liz Young | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

☆ Port Labor Talks Stall as Worker Disruptions Grow
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

West Coast port labor talks are stalled as dockworker disputes hit the region’s big trade gateways, according to shipping industry officials who fear the negotiations could take months to resolve. “What you are starting to hear is people are losing faith,” said one shipping industry official. In August 40,000 containers were diverted from the Port of Los Angeles to the neighboring Port of Long Beach because of one labor dispute. The concerns over the progress of the talks comes as labor disputes around the U.S. are growing. Shipping industry officials say they also want the government to get more involved in the port labor talks.

Amazon’s purchase of the Belgian business is the latest in a string of buys the e-commerce giant has made to automate its logistics operations. The e-commerce giant has targeted 66 planned or existing facilities in what experts say amounts to a reconfiguration of its fulfillment in local U.S. markets. Companies including Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific are still negotiating with two unions ahead of a Friday deadline. Newell Brands Says Retailers Are Cutting Consumer-Goods Orders The conglomerate scaled back its sales outlook, signaling retail supply chains are retrenching as they head into the fall. Retailers Start Selling Something New: Logistics Services The lineup of retailers seeking to sell supply-chain services to other merchants is growing, raising questions about control, competition and customer experience.

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