Profit margins are shrinking, and companies are running out of ways to cut costs to make up the difference. There’s little to be done about the costs of raw materials and goods, and production costs have been slashed as much as possible through automation systems. Inventories can’t be cut much more, as most companies are…
When the Rust Belt in Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and other northern, heavily unionized states began to decline and lose jobs to non-unionized right to work states in the south, such as Tennessee, Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama, many blamed the unions. Even as automakers struggled financially, unions hurt their chances of survival…
The government shutdown, combined with new acts of terrorism along the Suez canal, and the normal incidents of piracy combine to complicate shipping endeavors worldwide. According to sources at the Port of Savannah, where all eleven Suez shipping services call upon for shipments to the eastern coast of the United States, 6,000 of the approximate…
Carriers have taken measures to try to improve security, including beefing up their technologies, internal processes, and employee training. Yet theft of cargo still continues to rise. During the three-month period between June and August of this year, cargo theft rose by five percent, while the value of the cargo stolen rose by nine percent….
The Laker’s Carrier Association (LCA) represents vessel operators on the Great Lakes. U.S. flag Great Lakes Freighters, or lakers, carried 10.5 million tons of dry-bulk cargo in the month of August. This is an increase of more than 1 million tons, or about 10.6 percent compared to the same month of last year. It was…
Biannually, officials from the business industry and transportation industry hold a meeting to discuss issues affecting the transportation of raw materials and goods. This year’s meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, September 17 in Bismark, North Dakota, is expected to be consumed with discussion about new federal regulations expected to be handed down by the Obama administration…
States around the country are passing or attempting to pass legislation to try to fill state coffers, but many businesses feel that the result is simply going to be driving business away. The issue has become a three-way battle among legislators looking for new ways to bring in cash for projects such as road improvements,…
Are we loosing or gaining momentum in the manufacturing sector here in the U.S.? If you ask the Institute for Supply Management, things are looking pretty good. They stated recently that their PMI, or Report on Business, climbed 0.3 percent totaling out at 55.7 percent in the month of August, reaching its highest peak of…
More good news on the economic front shows growth and strength even outside the encouraging sector of manufacturing. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM has released their Non-Manufacturing Report on Business indices since January 2008. August of this year showed some of the highest readings since the report was launched. The indices used to measure…
Several economists and market analysts are predicting strong growth in the U.S. manufacturing sector as the country leads the rest of the world out of the deep recession which has nearly crippled growth in most developed nations over the past several years. The Institute for Supply Management index rose to 55.7 percent during the month…