Global Logistics and Supply Chain Strategies - May 2008 - (Page 16)

boost rates for the coming contract season. The group predicts a net decline in trans-Pacific vessel space for the coming year, along with growth in freight traffic of between 2 and 5 percent. Visit www.piers.com, www.globalinsight.com, www.crsl.com and www.tsa.com. dollar, a drop in crude oil prices, and a sustained increase in U.S. equity markets, Nobrega says. As for the rest of the world, “The big story in 2008 will be China, with unprecedented capital inflows and an economy that is overheating.” Visit www.conradgroupinc.com. Batten Down the Hatches: Stevedores’ Rep Sees ‘Perfect Storm’ Brewing on the Waterfront in 2008 Get ready for a “perfect storm” of trends that will roil the waterfront in the coming year. TPM speaker Charles T. Carroll Jr., executive director of the National Association of Waterfront Employees, outlined three big issues confronting the industry in 2008. The first is the impending Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), a common form of ID that will soon be required for all personnel with unescorted access to ships, terminals and other transportation facilities. TWIC is supposed to take effect in September, but as of late February, only 120,000 workers had enrolled in the program, out of an estimated force of 1.5 million. Carroll predicted that the Sept. 1 date will have to be pushed into next year. The second trend is the industry-wide push for “green” practices, which he believes could lead to the purchase of expensive new equipment and a shortfall of truck drivers. Finally, there is “Element X”—efforts by the AFL-CIO to organize portions of the supply chain workforce, while fighting to reopen the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act and remove that law’s ban on secondary boycotts. “I predict that all hell is going to break loose in the next Congress in the area of Taft-Hartley revisions,” Carroll said. Visit www.nawe.us. Has CRM Hit a Speed Bump? At the Very Least, It Has Become a Lot More Complicated to Implement Customer relationship management (CRM) processes, as applied to the freight and logistics industry, are becoming a lot more complex in today’s global business environment. That’s the view of Melinda Elmowy, executive vice president of global marketing with CargoWise edi. She says more advanced IT tools are called for in response to changes in the CRM sector, such as the transfer of buying decisions from the shipping dock and traffic department to the executive suite. Among her recommendations: Identify a single system to achieve management visibility across the organization. Set up marketing tools that are specific to the needs of freight management. And look for ways to streamline the data-entry process, to eliminate the re-keying of information. Management, she says, needs “a clear view of what is happening throughout the entire freight logistics process.” Visit www.cargowise.com. Election-Year Politics Will Spur Programs to Boost Sagging U.S. Economy, Conrad Group Says The U.S. economy “has been buffeted by bad news that doesn’t seem to stop coming,” observes William Nobrega, president and founder of The Conrad Group. Still, he says in a recent outlook report, a number of developments over the coming year should help to take the wind out of the crisis. Already, Congress has approved a $168bn stimulus package, the impact of which should begin to be felt in early summer. The Fed has initiated a series of interestrate reductions, while intervening in the credit markets with a $200bn credit line. Nobrega expects additional action, with the Fed and other government entities being authorized by Congress and the Bush Administration to purchase up to $400bn of mortgage-backed securities. He also predicts passage of a $75bn stimulus package for upgrading U.S. infrastructure. By the fourth quarter, such actions, combined with renewed optimism stemming from a change of presidential administrations, should “move the economy rapidly out of a recession,” he says. The last quarter of the year will also see a rally in the U.S. 16 MAY 2008 http://www.piers.com http://www.globalinsight.com http://www.crsl.com http://www.conradgroupinc.com http://www.tsa.com http://www.cargowise.com http://www.nawe.us

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Global Logistics and Supply Chain Strategies - May 2008

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