The primary reason that the Arctic has remained largely undeveloped is the difficulty of transportation and logistics in such harsh climates. Current aircraft require large runways, ground crews, and other infrastructures that are difficult or impossible to build and maintain upon constantly changing beds of ice and snow. But a new aircraft, still in development,…
Hiring for the month of November was strong, according to the Labor Department’s Friday announcement. Businesses added 203,000 new jobs total, and unemployment rates are down to about 7 percent. Many of these jobs were in manufacturing, logistics, and warehouses. But analysts aren’t yet convinced that these new jobs are enough evidence of a strengthening…
The high-speed rail program spearheaded by President Obama was intended to improve access to and service by passenger trains to commuters in the Pacific Northwest, specifically in the state of Washington between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia. However, the same railways used for Amtrak’s commuter trains are shared by freight trains, owned by BNSF Railway,…
The three largest shipping lines, Maersk, MSC and CMA CGM, are proposing an alliance known as the P3 Network Vessel Sharing Agreement. This agreement would allow the three companies to share vessels, port space, and resources in the world’s three largest shipping routes: Asia to Europe, trans-Atlantic, and trans-Pacific. Though the companies are moving forward with plans to enact…
Honda is preparing to open their first new auto manufacturing facility in 23 years. The plant is located just north of Tokyo in the rolling green hills of Yorii. It is one of the most technologically advanced auto manufacturing facilities in the world, making use of new automation technologies that can be used as a…
The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) announced their quarterly index for manufacturing growth this quarter through November was up to 57.3 percent, which is a significant improvement over the 56.4 percent reading announced in October. Any percentage over 50 is considered a sign of market growth. This is the highest growth seen in two and…
Ousted JC Penny CEO Ron Johnson was let go in April following poor sales, profit losses, and a lack of cash on hand for the company. JC Penny hired Johnson in November 2011 after his successes running Apple retail stores, but his tenure was short lived as his practices failed to bring success to JC…
Dominating the news on Cyber Monday, especially in the midst of the Obamacare disaster, is a tough act, but Amazon managed the feat this week with their announcement of plans to employ a drone home delivery service within the next few years. According to reports by 60 Minutes and other top news agencies, Amazon plans…
The manufacturer’s organization of the UK, EEF, is revising projections for the 2013 production year to indicate stronger than expected growth, and is further gearing up their supply chain infrastructures in anticipation of an even stronger year in 2014. While the overall economy of the UK is expected to grow by 2.4 percent, manufacturing output…
Prices remain low among ocean container shippers, particularly concerning rates for shipping between Europe and Asia. However, the European Commission is pursuing investigations on about 14 different shippers because the EC has reason to believe that the companies were engaging in activities which violated antitrust laws. According to the laws, companies do not actually have…