World Trade - August 2008 - (Page 34) SUPPLY CHAIN Air Cargo Flies a New Heading The industry faces economic and legislative challenges, but some are proving that adhering to time-tested values are key to i th t dh i t ti t td l kt survival and profitability. BY LARA L. SOWINSKI L ong before the dramatic rise in fuel prices began capturing news headlines and putting downward pressure on the transportation industry as a whole, the air cargo sector has been feeling the pinch. Although some trade lanes were obviously performing well, domestic air cargo was contracting and other transportation modes, particularly truck and even ocean in some instances, were making inroads into existing business. Furthermore, ongoing consolidation was eliminating a growing number of airfreight forwarders and the large integrators were getting larger still. The sharp escalation in fuel prices over the past year has made a challenging business climate even more difficult, while legislation mandating 100 percent screening of air cargo has prompted even seasoned executives to wonder when they’ll see a break in the clouds. Brandon Fried, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Airforwarder Association (www.airforwarder.org) is candid about the challenges facing the sector, but believes the long-term outlook is positive. “Rising fuel costs are a big game-changer,” he acknowledges. “Some economists had predicted that once gas reached $4.23 a gallon that would be the tipping point.” Certainly, there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence to support this claim as businesses and consumers alike have already begun to alter their fuel consumption. “We’ve been able to pass along fuel surcharges to customers for a while now,” explains Fried. However, it’s unlikely that shippers will ever see a return to ‘old’ prices. “The fuel situation is not specific to the U.S., it’s a worldwide problem,” he says. “I think it’s just hitting us particularly hard because we’re used to such inexpensive fuel prices.” 34 WORLD TRADE AUGUST 2008 http://www.airforwarder.org http://www.airforwarder.org
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of World Trade - August 2008 World Trade - August 2008 Contents Weathering the Storm Helping the World’s Poorest Nations Benefit from Global Trade Supply Chain Watch Tradewinds World Trade’s Top U.S. Trading Partners LTL Shipping ‘On the Fly’ Air Cargo Flies a New Heading Getting More from China Sourcing Why 3PLs Need a Seat at the C-TPAT Table Performance-based Supply Chains Drive Total Lifecycle Value SmartWay Navigates Sustainable Transportation Around the World in 80 Days—Hours—Minutes World Trade - August 2008 World Trade - August 2008 - (Page Intro) World Trade - August 2008 - World Trade - August 2008 (Page 1) World Trade - August 2008 - World Trade - August 2008 (Page 2) World Trade - August 2008 - World Trade - August 2008 (Page 3) World Trade - August 2008 - World Trade - August 2008 (Page 4) World Trade - August 2008 - Contents (Page 5) World Trade - August 2008 - Contents (Page 6) World Trade - August 2008 - Weathering the Storm (Page 7) World Trade - August 2008 - Helping the World’s Poorest Nations Benefit from Global Trade (Page 8) World Trade - August 2008 - Helping the World’s Poorest Nations Benefit from Global Trade (Page 9) World Trade - August 2008 - Supply Chain Watch (Page 10) World Trade - August 2008 - Supply Chain Watch (Page 11) World Trade - August 2008 - Tradewinds (Page 12) World Trade - August 2008 - Tradewinds (Page 13) World Trade - August 2008 - Tradewinds (Page 14) World Trade - August 2008 - Tradewinds (Page 15) World Trade - August 2008 - World Trade’s Top U.S. Trading Partners (Page 16) World Trade - August 2008 - World Trade’s Top U.S. Trading Partners (Page 17) World Trade - August 2008 - World Trade’s Top U.S. Trading Partners (Page 18) World Trade - August 2008 - World Trade’s Top U.S. Trading Partners (Page 19) World Trade - August 2008 - World Trade’s Top U.S. Trading Partners (Page 20) World Trade - August 2008 - World Trade’s Top U.S. Trading Partners (Page 21) World Trade - August 2008 - World Trade’s Top U.S. Trading Partners (Page 22) World Trade - August 2008 - World Trade’s Top U.S. Trading Partners (Page 23) World Trade - August 2008 - World Trade’s Top U.S. Trading Partners (Page 24) World Trade - August 2008 - World Trade’s Top U.S. Trading Partners (Page 25) World Trade - August 2008 - World Trade’s Top U.S. Trading Partners (Page 26) World Trade - August 2008 - World Trade’s Top U.S. Trading Partners (Page 27) World Trade - August 2008 - LTL Shipping ‘On the Fly’ (Page 28) World Trade - August 2008 - LTL Shipping ‘On the Fly’ (Page 29) World Trade - August 2008 - LTL Shipping ‘On the Fly’ (Page 30) World Trade - August 2008 - LTL Shipping ‘On the Fly’ (Page 31) World Trade - August 2008 - LTL Shipping ‘On the Fly’ (Page 32) World Trade - August 2008 - LTL Shipping ‘On the Fly’ (Page 33) World Trade - August 2008 - Air Cargo Flies a New Heading (Page 34) World Trade - August 2008 - Air Cargo Flies a New Heading (Page 35) World Trade - August 2008 - Air Cargo Flies a New Heading (Page 36) World Trade - August 2008 - Air Cargo Flies a New Heading (Page 37) World Trade - August 2008 - Getting More from China Sourcing (Page 38) World Trade - August 2008 - Getting More from China Sourcing (Page 39) World Trade - August 2008 - Getting More from China Sourcing (Page 40) World Trade - August 2008 - Getting More from China Sourcing (Page 41) World Trade - August 2008 - Getting More from China Sourcing (Page 42) World Trade - August 2008 - Getting More from China Sourcing (Page 43) World Trade - August 2008 - Why 3PLs Need a Seat at the C-TPAT Table (Page 44) World Trade - August 2008 - Why 3PLs Need a Seat at the C-TPAT Table (Page 45) World Trade - August 2008 - Why 3PLs Need a Seat at the C-TPAT Table (Page 46) World Trade - August 2008 - Why 3PLs Need a Seat at the C-TPAT Table (Page 47) World Trade - August 2008 - Performance-based Supply Chains Drive Total Lifecycle Value (Page 48) World Trade - August 2008 - Performance-based Supply Chains Drive Total Lifecycle Value (Page 49) World Trade - August 2008 - Performance-based Supply Chains Drive Total Lifecycle Value (Page 50) World Trade - August 2008 - SmartWay Navigates Sustainable Transportation (Page 51) World Trade - August 2008 - SmartWay Navigates Sustainable Transportation (Page 52) World Trade - August 2008 - SmartWay Navigates Sustainable Transportation (Page 53) World Trade - August 2008 - Around the World in 80 Days—Hours—Minutes (Page 54) World Trade - August 2008 - Around the World in 80 Days—Hours—Minutes (Page 55) World Trade - August 2008 - Around the World in 80 Days—Hours—Minutes (Page 56) World Trade - August 2008 - Around the World in 80 Days—Hours—Minutes (Page Map1) World Trade - August 2008 - Around the World in 80 Days—Hours—Minutes (Page Map2)
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