The Office of the United States Trade Representative announced that it is seeking public comments on whether to further extend COVID related product exclusions in the Section 301 tariff that is set to expire on February 28th, 2023. The exclusions cover 81 medical-care products. The USTR is considering if particular exclusions should extend for up to another six months. To allow for comments, an interim 75-day extension was granted for the exclusions, extending the current expiration date to May 15th. You must submit all comments through the online portal: https://comments.ustr.gov/.

Before the COVID-19 Pandemic, not many people used the phrase “supply chain” in their everyday vernacular. Today, it is commonly used for blaming product shortages across the world. Yet it is the supply chain management strategies that will be needed to reduce these shortages and make improvements to the system.
The pandemic brought everyone’s attention to the complexities of our global supply chain systems and the need for better coordination. Now, the future of our supply chain management is up to students who are hungry and eager to help design new and innovative ideas to further the success of the industry.

“Supply chains are no longer so simple as ‘The Little Red Hen’ children’s book,” said UNT Logistics and Supply Chain Management (LSCM) Business Organization Vice President Regan Weaver.

In the book, the Little Red Hen grew her wheat, made her bread, and ate it on her farm. But now, wheat is harvested, trucked to factories, taken to bakeries, baked into bread, and then packaged for delivery to stores across the country.

As the supply chain system has become more complex over the years, the need for using advanced technology, such as warehouse robots, has increased.

Students are the future of those advanced technologies and new ways of thinking. In 2022, UNT was ranked first in Texas and sixth in the nation by Gartner’s  Top 25 North American Supply Chain Undergraduate Program Report.

UNT LSCM is one of the largest organizations at the G. Brint Ryan College of Business. It’s a newly combined organization that was previously three smaller groups—Logistics Student Organization (LogSA), Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) and the Institute of Supply Chain Management (ISM).

The three groups united after the COVID shutdowns limited activities and membership. The joint organization now allows students more opportunity in the field because they’re exposed to all aspects of the industry instead of focusing on just one area. 

Now bigger and better than ever, UNT LSCM is revitalizing their activities and wants you to begin your membership and join them at a future event.

According to UNT LSCM, “the organization’s official membership is nearing 100 and growing monthly. Membership in UNT LSCM Student Organization provides the opportunity to join the professional organizations of ASCM and ISM at reduced rates and to participate in their activities to network.”

LSCM hosts monthly sessions to connect members to guest speakers and to provide tours of DFW businesses who are involved in logistics and supply chain activities. They host job fairs, bringing in recruiters from across the US, and have partnerships with companies for internship opportunities for members before graduation and jobs after they graduate.

Partnerships for LSCM include huge names in the Supply Chain industry, such as Keurig, Dr. Pepper, DHL, PepsiCo Logistics, Ben E. Keith, BNSF Railway, and Southwest Airlines. Recent tours with LSCM were hosted by BNSF Railway, Southwest Airlines, and Fastenal, and American Diamond Logistics.

Professional guest speakers in the Fall 2022 semester included Norma Payne, CEO of DIF Transportation, Mitchell Ward, chairman and CEO of MW Logistics, and Dr. Hanns-Christian Hanebeck, CEO of Truckl.

UNT LSCM is currently looking for more members to join, and is open for officer positions as well. They are hosting their semester welcome back event on Wednesday, February 8th at 6:00 PM in Sage Hall (room #116). This is a chance to sign up for membership, network with other students and officers, and get free pizza! Their last welcome event was a huge success with over 60 people in attendance.

Two of the current officers for UNT LSCM are Christine Truong, president, and Regan Weaver, vice president.

Christine Truong is a senior majoring in operations and supply management and is a research assistant for UNT’s Logistics and Operations Management Department. She’s originally from Vietnam and has a diverse background and experience in communication, education, non-profit organizations, customer service, marketing, project management, and more. Her hard work and dedication to excel have contributed to her receiving numerous leadership positions at NGOs like UNICEF Vietnam, JUNKO Association, Forte Foundation, as well as earning several academic honors (President’s List, Phi Theta Kappa, etc.).

Regan Weaver is a junior majoring in logistics and supply chain management. He actively supported the winning IANA Case Competition Team last semester and will be competing with the student case competition team going to Colorado State University in

March. He’s a native-born Texan, an avid fan of baseball and loves meeting new people. His goal is to help UNT grow to number one in the nation in Gartner’s ranking of top Supply Chain Undergraduate Programs. To get in touch with UNT LSCM and become a member, you can follow them on social media or reach out to Christine or Regan.

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UNT LSCM SOCIALS:
Instagram – @unt_lscm

DEPARTMENT SOCIALS:
LinkedIn

CHRISTINE TRUONG SOCIALS:
Instagram – @Christine.Truong_
LinkedIn – https://bit.ly/3RJsRby

REGAN WEAVER SOCIALS:
Instagram – @Regan_Weaver3
LinkedIn 

CREDIT: JOC.COM 

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Nov 03, 2020 5:06PM EST

 

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Nov 03, 2020 5:06PM EST

Credit: JOC.COM 

CREDIT: JOC.COM

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Aug 28, 2020 5:34PM EDT

Freight forwarders and logistics experts are now predicting that US imports will remain at elevated levels at least through October, fueled primarily by e-commerce fulfillment and a steady flow of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Non-vessel operating common carriers (NVOs) told JOC.com this week the continued surge in imports will push the already record-high spot rates in the eastbound trans-Pacific even higher. As of Aug. 28, the Asia–US West Coast rate reached $3,639 per FEU, up 5.8 percent from the previous week’s record high and 125.3 percent from the same week in 2019, according to the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI), published in the JOC Shipping & Logistics Pricing Hub. The rate from China to the US East Coast stood at $4,207 per FEU, up 6.4 percent from last week and 56.3 percent year over year.

Earlier this month, NVOs were predicting that the import surge that began in late June would last at least through September. Now they are extending that timeline, based on continued growth in e-commerce fulfillment, as shoppers favor online shopping during the COVID-19 crisis.

“We can see demand strength through October,” Jon Monroe, a consultant to NVOs, said in his weekly newsletter on Wednesday. PPE shipments, which contributed to the surge in July, remain strong due to large-volume purchases by federal and state governments, he said.

However, e-commerce fulfillment is also playing an important role in the import surge. Consumers are shopping online for a broad range of merchandise, more than replacing the weakness in in-store purchases due to COVID-19. Analysts say the growing role of e-commerce imports could be changing the timing of peak-season shipping patterns in the eastbound trans-Pacific.

“E-commerce is replacing in-store shopping. The entire Black Friday shopping scene ain’t going to happen,” a transportation consultant and former logistics executive for national retailers told JOC.com.

However, the same consultant, who asked not to be identified, noted that some big-box retailers are still replenishing inventory that was burned off when the US emerged from COVID-19 lockdowns. Those retailers are ordering both for e-commerce fulfillment and for the restocking of inventory at the stores. “There are still a lot of stores that are low on replenishment,” he said.

Imports may stay strong for rest of year
NVOs do not have a clear view of demand beyond October, but purchase orders placed with factories in China may point to the strength in US imports continuing until the end of the year. Monroe cited a recent survey of factories in China conducted by Nansha Port, which found that purchase orders were strong for the rest of 2020.

“End of the year? It could very well be,” Monroe said in his newsletter.

US imports from Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam, continue to set records. Nerijus Poskus, global head of ocean freight at Flexport, told a webcast Wednesday that imports from Vietnam in July were up 39 percent from June. July was the best month ever for imports from Vietnam through the West Coast, he said. In order to meet growing demand for premium services from Vietnam, APL Logistics next week will add Haiphong to the list of Asian ports served by its OceanGuaranteed product, which already included Ho Chi Minh City.

Monroe added that the two tightest trade lanes in Asia in terms of vessel capacity are Ho Chi Minh and Yantian, China, to Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Strong US imports from China and Southeast Asia, coupled with weak US exports to Asia, have resulted in equipment shortages in those regions, said Jan Hinz, head of North America and Turkey at Flexport.

“There is a significant shortage of equipment in Asia,” he said. Hinz advised shippers attending the Flexport webcast to be flexible when shipping from Asia. For example, 40-foot high-cube containers are difficult to secure, so shippers who are turned down for those containers should consider moving their freight in standard 40-foot containers if that’s what’s available, he said.

Asia–East Coast spot rates also increasing
Strengthening import demand, equipment shortages in Asia, and tight vessel capacity on vessels leaving Asian ports are boosting spot rates in the eastbound trans-Pacific. NVOs told JOC.com last week that carriers are forecasting a rate of $4,000 per FEU to the West Coast when a Sept. 1 general rate increase (GRI) takes effect next week.

Friday’s SCFI reading also indicated that demand for all-water services from Asia to the East Coast is increasing. Normally, the difference between the East Coast and West Coast rate is close to $1,000 per FEU. However, that gap closed considerably in July as retailers concentrated their imports through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Imports through the Southern California gateway increased 33.8 percent in July from June, whereas total US imports in July increased only 0.9 percent month over month, according to PIERS, a JOC.com sister company within IHS Markit.

The East Coast spot rate on July 31 was $3,495 per FEU, or only $328 per FEU higher than the $3,167 rate to the West Coast. On Friday, the differential had increased to $568 per FEU, according to the SCFI. East Coast port directors earlier this month told JOC.com their bookings for August were looking strong.

Port Logistics Group, which has distribution warehouses on both coasts, said the East Coast facilities are increasingly busy.

“Southern California has always been number one, but we’re seeing high demand all around the country,” said Scott Weiss, vice president of business development at Port Logistics Group. He said the company’s warehouses serving Savannah are especially busy.

Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at bill.mongelluzzo@ihsmarkit.com and follow him on Twitter: @billmongelluzzo.

Norma Payne President & Owner of D.I.F. INC- Talks Live with Business Owner & Radio host  Lana Danko.    Lana is known throughout the Transportation industry as Owner of Danko & Sons, but also as a leader in the fight for Truckers rights.

Hundreds of truckers have been protesting at the capitol for Broker Transparency. Targeting “Mega” Brokers and accusing them of unfair, and unethical practices.  Norma Payne provided feedback from the brokers side, the ethical brokers side. While live on Lana’s Talk  the two sided together, equally understanding the importance the two sides share.    Listen below for the full episode-

Norma  begins at 51minutes into the show.

https://www.blogtalkradio.com/talkshowtaylor/2020/05/21/lanas-talk