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Within the next 12 months, Agility Robotics plans to build its ‘Digit’ model bipedal, autonomous robot. These are human-like robots and will be designed to work alongside warehouse and logistics human employees. The plan is for these robots, which are adult human-size, to work on the assembly lines of Fortune 100 companies.

Mexico’s government is reviving a railway between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean that has been declining for more than a century. The goal is to take container traffic away from the Panama Canal. Mexico’s government is bullish about the prospects for the rail crossing, which will offer proximity to the US and cut transit times.

The only way around paying high shipping costs for most manufacturers is through inventory management. Only manufacturers that were able to store excess inventories over the past year and have a little fat in their supply chain planning will sail through the period of high shipping costs without incurring a lot of debt. The cost of shipping goods worldwide has more than quadrupled in the past 8 weeks, hitting record highs as a shortage of empty containers stemming from the drop in business due to the pandemic has disrupted global trade. It’s a bottleneck problem. The high rates are being driven by customers fighting over limited resources – containers. Thousands of empty containers were left stranded in Europe and the US in the first half of 2020 when shipping lines cancelled hundreds of trips as coronavirus lockdowns caused a sudden slow-down in global trade. When western demand for Asian-made goods rebounded in the second half of 2020, competition among shippers for available containers sent freight rates soaring. In other words, we’ve gone from a tremendous drop in container demand to getting whipsawed into historically high cargo volumes. Terminals are having a difficult time efficiently handling the demand, congestion at ports, longer wait times and restrictions on port workers all add up to higher shipping prices. As the world economies return to a more “normal” level, shipping costs should level out but in the meantime the end user and consumer will pay a lot more for durable goods. Call PC CARGO today to see how we can be your storage solution to help you STOCK UP and SAVE!

Recent world economic events is changing the way businesses control their inventories in favor of hedging against potential disruptions in the supply chain.

The pandemic has pushed more consumers online, prompting a rush for warehouse space, from small “last mile” delivery sites near city centers to huge “big box” distribution centers. Amazon has led the charge, as sales have jumped, in inking lease agreements on mammoth warehouses around the world. It has committed to opening 33 fulfillment centers in the US this year spreading from Atlanta to Arizona. Ten years ago E-commerce accounted for 6.7%of all retail sales in the US furthermore, the business is unlikely to diminish as stores reopen. There is a convenience to online shopping that consumers like. Until recently, the most desirable property to own was a traditional mall. The rise of E-commerce has shifted the demand to warehouses. In addition, dozens of shopping malls in the US are being turned into industrial sites. Rents are expected to grow 6% per year for warehousing. Another reason for the jump in demand is that Fashion retailers with a limited online presence have desperately sought space to park stock they could not shift in the pandemic. They already have warehouses full of clothes, then next season’s clothing comes in and they have not place to store the newer product, thus the surge for warehouse space demand.

The Beacon Group has raised $15m in a funding round, most notably funded by Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos. The Beacon Group founded by former Uber executives combines supply chain finance with technology to find the most cost-effective shipping routes for cargo.

So for now, practice Aesop, the ancient Greek storyteller, who once said, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”

The corona virus may drive a shift in global manufacturing that will be sustained for the unforeseeable future.

Proper warehouse management is critical to continued profitability for many businesses, but too often companies do not account for the unforeseen variables that can impact warehouse logistics.