It took just a few weeks for U.S. and Canadian transportation authorities to issue new regulations on rail operators following the July incident reported here yesterday. On July 23, Transport Canada issued a new rule requiring at least two crew members to be on board any train carrying hazardous materials.
On July 6, Canada experienced the worst rail disaster since 1910. Seventy two freight cars parked safely in a parking area were improperly secured and left to roll into the downtown area of Lac-Megantic, Quebec, killing as many as 50 people and destroying 30 buildings. The train, which belonged to Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway…
E-waste, or electronic waste, is becoming quite a problem in developing nations. Not only are these countries producing mass amounts of their own e-waste, it has been common practice for developed countries to send their e-waste to developing nations for disposal, and the result isn’t pretty. Most of this waste comes from manufacturers and businesses…
A new study by Stratfor Global Intelligence concludes that China is stepping down from its unofficial position as the go to cheap labor source of the world, and other developing countries are now emerging as a replacement option for global manufacturers in need of a cheap labor source. By the year 2015, China’s most expensive…
According to Avid Garman and Samuel Thernstrom in their op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal, Europe’s use of renewable energy resources such as wind and solar power by far exceeds the use of green energy in the U.S. America’s currently generates 3.5 percent of their energy from wind and solar sources while Denmark has,…
Overall, the economy was relatively flat during the first two quarters of 2013, with an estimated GDP growth of just 1.5 percent. Rail profits in all rose just .8 percent, yet Union Pacific managed to secure a strong growth of 10.4 percent, nearly beating their record profits in year over year gains. Overall load volumes…
Computer giant Apple is once again forced to examine its supply chain, particularly in China. Earlier this year, Apple introduced its Supplier Responsibility Program report, one of the most transparent reports on a company’s suppliers to date. Their own report revealed labor rights violations in addition to 150 instances of suppliers mishandling the hazardous waste…
Lackluster numbers in the spring have rebounded into a stronger industrial production outlook for the second half of 2013, according to analysts. The Federal Reserve reported industrial production was up .3 percent for June, which was on par with expectations. The numbers fell that much in April, and the manufacturing industry experienced no growth during…
The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) just released their annual study regarding pay for professionals within the supply chain. Overall, salaries (including regular pay and bonuses, but excluding the value of benefits packages) were up slightly for the year 2012. The average salary for professionals in the supply chain was $103,700. There was a 6.7…
In the wake of news that companies are not actually taking the necessary steps to protect their supply chains, new information uncovered by Supply Chain News highlights just how long the supply chain can suffer when a key region involved in the process experiences a tragic event. The latest news ties the recent recall of…