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Winter weather continues to impact supply chain operations from Texas to Georgia. For Wednesday (Jan 17th) our MIQ Global Houston branch will open on a delayed start; opening their doors at 12:00 (noon). Additionally, our MIQ Global Atlanta branch will be closed today due to the storm which has brought about a state of emergency in central and north Georgia.
News
MIQ Global Houston office is closed for today (Jan 16th) due to inclement winter weather. According to the National Weather Service the Houston area is currently under a Winter Storm Warning for northern portions of the Houston area, while a Winter Storm Advisory is in effect for southern portions of the area. These advisories are in effect until midnight tonight, but may be replaced by a Hard Freeze Warning before this afternoon. Due to the fact that the National Weather Service has advised to avoid traveling, our MIQ Global Houston office will remain closed.
Over the last few weeks operations within MIQ Logistics have been experiencing a tightening of the intermodal drayage market, especially throughout certain regions of the U.S. Drayage demand is currently outpacing capacity, and there are several factors, both new and old that are contributing to increased pricing and equipment shortages.
Source: National Retail Federation
Imports at the nation’s major retail container ports grew 7 percent during 2017 over 2016 as retail sales continued to increase and the industry wrapped up the year with a strong holiday season, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
GSP Expired On December 31, 2017
The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) provides duty-free treatment to goods of designated beneficiary countries. The program was authorized by the Trade Act of 1974 to promote economic growth in the developing countries and was implemented on January 1, 1976.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 148,000 in December, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment gains occurred in health care, construction, and manufacturing.
MIQ Logistics was named a top service provider in Inbound Logistics magazine’s recent Who’s Who in Airfreight Forwarding guide. This is the eighth consecutive year Inbound Logistics has included MIQ Logistics in its annual listing.
Source: Institute for Supply Management
Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in December, and the overall economy grew for the 103rd consecutive month, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM® Report on Business®.
Ernesto Zegarra, MIQ’s general manager for Chile and Argentina, was recently interviewed by Heavy Lift & Project Forwarding International magazine about the mining and recovery of lithium. The full interview is available on pages 125-126 of Heavy Lift & Project Forwarding International Magazine.
It would be an understatement to say that those involved in international supply chain were kept busy with logistics news in 2017. Our own MIQ team members who monitor news within supply chain have issued numerous communications to MIQ customers throughout this last year. These supply chain alerts ranged in topic from global trade policy, cyber security, Customs Border Protection, port congestion, record import volumes, earthquakes, floods and hurricanes. It is with these communications in mind that we look back quarter-by-quarter at what we witnessed this year. As we take stock in what has taken place in 2017, we also turn our attention to 2018 and examine what could be taking shape on the horizon.