Macy’s logistics exec admits $3.5m shipping scam

Posted on July 28, 2016 by | Leave a comment

Thanks to Loadstar for reminding us that in business our ethics can be challenged daily.  Logistics is no different.  This type of scam has been practiced for years; there was an incident when I was working for a mining company.  It involved accountants and shell companies that simply cashed checks without providing services.

Complexity in supply chains offers increased opportunity to cheat without being noticed.  The more partners there are, the more diverse interests and more complex contracts. But not every contingency can be detailed in a contract.  At the base, business deals are founded on trust.

  Logistics executive working for Macy’s pleads guilty to shipping scam that saw $3.5m embezzled from the retailer

Source: Macy’s logistics exec faces jail after admitting $3.5m shipping scam – The Loadstar

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

A taste of irony: LNG tanker transits new Panama Canal locks

Posted on July 27, 2016 by | Leave a comment

LNG is an area in which we can expect the new bigger Panama Canal to make a great difference in trade patterns. The major source of US export LNG will be in the deep south, the US Gulf Coast. There are also major LNG processing and storage facilities in the Caribbean island nations.  Transit times to Asia and to South America will be substantially improved, making US LNG exports competitive from a transportation standpoint.  And it appears the canal is accomplishing that.

So why hasn’t the flow of tankers happened yet?  The Canal management expects it to happen soon.  But wait a minute!  Just as for container ships, it appears that the Gulf Coast tanker ports cannot handle the larger vessels. They need operational and infrastructure improvements to support the larger ships’ needs for berthing, loading, and unloading.

Isn’t it ironic?  All the angst over dredging East Coast ports for container ships and rigging terminals to unload big ships fast, and no one thought of the same issues for tankers? Is no one in shipping thinking about supply chains?

Here’s the nice story by Deepa Vijiyasingam of Platts.

Platts Source: First LNG tanker transits new Panama Canal locks; 54 vessels through: ACP – Shipping | Platts News Article & Story

Leave a comment

Posted in Ports, Production Operations, Shipping, Strategy, Supply Chains, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , ,

National Retail Federation’s Jonathan Gold Shares His Views on the Ocean Cargo Supply Chain

Posted on July 19, 2016 by | Comments Off on National Retail Federation’s Jonathan Gold Shares His Views on the Ocean Cargo Supply Chain

It’s not the big ships; it’s the lack of coordination. Ocean carriers need to cooperate more with upstream supply chain service providers.  That’s what the National Retail Federation members think.

While that is only one type of supply chain, I submit it’s a somewhat simpler chain than for instance a manufacturer’s chain. That’s because there aren’t as many intermediate assemblers and manufacturers in retail, and products are all expected for sale promptly.  The problem might be worse for manufacturers since they have some items that they want to buy in large batches since they are willing to inventory them, and others they want just-in-time if possible. Manufacturers might require at least two service and performance levels in their chain

  In an exclusive interview with Supply Chain Management Review’s Patrick Burnson, Jonathan Gold, vice president, supply chain and customs policy for the National Retail Federation shares his views and forecasts on the ocean cargo supply chain.

Source: National Retail Federation’s Jonathan Gold Shares His Views on the Ocean Cargo Supply Chain – Supply Chain 24/7

Comments Off on National Retail Federation’s Jonathan Gold Shares His Views on the Ocean Cargo Supply Chain

Posted in Logistics, Ports, Service Management, Shipping, Supply Chains

Tagged , ,