World Trade - July 2008 - (Page 110)

LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER ‘The Authority for Supply Chain Decision Makers’ J BY DANIEL GRISWOLD BY SARAH HARDING uly and the Buyer’s Guide mark my oneyear anniversary with World Trade magazine. After ten years in publishing, this also marked my introduction into the supply chain and logistics space. Having previously published magazines in the economic development and manufacturing sectors, I long knew the importance of a strong supply chain, but since joining World Trade I’ve come to realize that it is the ‘central nervous system’ of a successful company. However, acknowledging the importance of the global supply chain and effectively managing the processes to make it work well are very different things. I have learned how complicated the sector is and the challenges shippers and carriers face. Both shippers and carriers have discussed the challenges of sourcing and managing operations overseas, the risks involved, and the unknowns to control. Yet at the same time, it’s been made clear to me that for most companies in the United States there is no alternative to many kinds of global trade, whether directly or through intermediaries and vendors and distributors. I am pleased to share my pride in how hard World Trade Magazine works for its stakeholders, both reader and advertiser. Furthermore, the logistics of competitive manufacturing and retail enterprises is no longer about merely shipping products from point A to B. It also includes securing ﬁnances, expanding and sourcing in new markets, and managing these complicated operations with maximum visibility throughout the entire process. These are the subjects we cover every month in World Trade and our e-products—the Web site (www.worldtrademag.com) and the increasingly popular World Trader e-newsletters. Whether you’re a reader or an advertiser, ship- per or vendor, or a supplier of trade ﬁnance or IT services, World Trade provides quality information to help you do your business better by managing the supply chain better, both domestically and overseas. We have taken to heart our mandate: ‘The Authority for Supply Chain Decision Makers.’ As Publisher, I am pleased to take this one-year anniversary to share my pride in how hard World Trade works for its stakeholders—its readers and advertisers—in accomplishing its mission to generate superior content, tools, and best practices that help you navigate today’s rapidly changing and highly competitive marketplace. This Buyer’s Guide exempliﬁes our commitment to distributing important information in accessible formats that can directly impact your business performance. As shippers and manufacturers enter their budget season, you’ll be making decisions on logistics providers. The Buyer’s Guide will put at your ﬁngertips, in one place, the information you need to make good choices. In addition, our editors have added a new tool to the Buyer’s Guide—a vendor scorecard—to help you better assess your 2008 vendors and their service levels, simply and concisely. The Supplier Index and Product Listing in World Trade is the most up-to-date Supply Chain Directory in the industry. The directory is also online at www.worldtrademag.com and includes links to vendors’ sites and the option to request more information from multiple vendors at one time. So, this issue really does mark an appropriate moment for me to reﬂect about my ﬁrst year as Publisher of World Trade. Needless to say, it has been a year full of unexpected challenges in the sector (who would have expected oil to double in price?). But, challenges drive improvements. And, I’m conﬁdent that the ingenuity and determination of American business will not just react to the new economic context but master it. Of course, World Trade will be right there with you to help! Again, let me thank you for this ﬁrst year of serving the supply chain and logistics sectors. I look forward to many more working together with all of you. WT 110 WORLD TRADE JULY 2008 http://www.worldtrademag.com http://www.worldtrademag.com

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World Trade - July 2008 Contents Inside World Trade Logistics Service Provider Report Card 3rd Annnual Buyer's Guide to Logistics Suppliers and Services Supply Chain Partners Letter From the Publisher

World Trade - July 2008

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