Coronavirus

February shipments—at 1.085—were down 7.5% annually and up 6.2% compared to January, and expenditures—at 2.679—decreased 6.8% annually and were up 4.3% compared to January.

A survey issued this week by the Tempe, Ariz.-based Institute for Supply Management (ISM) took a deep dive into how supply chains dealing with coronavirus, as it continues to wreak havoc on their supply chain operations.

A survey issued by the Tempe, Ariz.-based Institute for Supply Management (ISM) took a deep dive into how supply chains dealing with coronavirus, as it continues to wreak havoc on their supply chain operations.

Total February POLA volume—at 544,037 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—saw a 22.9% annual decline. At the Port of Long Beach, total February volume—at 538,428 TEU—saw a 9.8% annual decline.

It is safe to say, at this point, society and the global economy, in a sense, will need to crawl before they walk, in order to get a handle on the ongoing and relentless impact of the coronavirus.

For December, the most recent month for which data is available, the SCI dropped from a 7.0 November reading to 4.6. Despite the decline, FTR said that utilization and logistics costs are still positive, as December freight volumes were slightly negative. And the firm added that the only input to the SCI more positive in December compared to November was fuel costs.

We have been helping companies with their global tariff strategies because of the trade war and the resultant economic emergency. The Coronavirus is causing a different kind of economic crisis that is even more urgent.

The coronavirus is continuing to impact United States-bound consumer goods originating out of China, according to the most recent edition of the Port Tracker report, which was issued today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.

In terms of the biggest pain points, or things shippers need to focus on, regarding how the coronavirus can have a negative impact on their global supply chain operations and processes, Hull explained that, unfortunately, the real opportunity to mitigate the impact of this outbreak has passed for most companies, with proper preparation and flexibility serving as key parts of contingency planning.

When a major, global pandemic like the Wuhan, China coronavirus takes hold, it is, at once, alarming, scary, uncertain, and a whole host of other things, to be sure. And that is being made more and more clear as the days goes on and the number of those impacted, or, tragically dying, continues to head up, coupled with reports of coronavirus spreading to different parts of the world truly makes things even worse.

Propelled by the Trump Administration Trade Wars, many companies have already left China for other Asian manufacturing locations. But - there are no guarantees that the virus won’t spread to these new locations.