December Logistics Link, MIQ Logistics

December Logistics Link. INDUSTRY NEWS. GLOBAL MARKET UPDATE.

Container Weight Verification Rule : The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted a new requirement under the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Chapter VI, Part A, Regulation 2. The new container weight verfication rule will go into effect on July 1, 2016 and will impact shippers from 171 countries due to the added requirements of necessary documentation. Read more here. Trade Facilitation & Trade Enforcement Act Of 2015 : On December 9, 2015 Congress reached a final agreement on H.R. 644 . The bipartisan, bicameral trade legislation authorizes U.S. Customs and Border Protection and puts in place effective tools to: (a) strengthen trade enforcement at the border; and, (b) facilitate the efficient movement of legitimate trade and travel. Read more now. U.S.

Customs Automated Commercial Environment (ACE ) : The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is mandating the use of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). Learn more here . U.S. ECONOMIC UPDATE. “The U.S. LEI rose sharply in October, with the yield spread, stock prices, and building permits driving the increase,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, Director of Business Cycles and Growth Research at The Conference Board. Read more about the U.S.

economic update. TRANSPORTATION MARKET UPDATE. “It was good to see tonnage increase nicely in October after contracting a total of 1.6% in August and September” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “However, tonnage has been overall pretty flat this year, as October’s reading is just shy of January’s level. CASE STUDY. HIGH TECH FIRM. The Challenge: The Customer, a global provider of secure IP/Ethernet switching solutions, sources products from South China and Taiwan for sales in the U.S. They identified cost contain,ent objectives and wanted to improve the overall performance of their supply chain. The Strategy: MIQ analyized the situation and decided they could enhance their supply chain and attain their cost savings objectives. The Solution: MIQ consolidated shipments, reducing the number of warehouses. MIQ also helped with labor costs and bypassed the U.S. distribution center. The Results: The solution accomplishes the customer’s cost containment objects. Savings are realized through a reduction in the number of warehouses, transportation optimization, and decreases in the carrying costs associated with products in inventory.