US rail workers could be headed for a nationwide strike if an agreement is not reached within days, which could be a devastating blow to the economy and manufacturing. Union members voted in July to strike, seeking better quality-of-life provisions in their contracts. These provisions center around attendance policies and vacation and sick days. ... Read more »
While the Russian invasion of Ukraine has largely fallen from the daily headlines, the economic effects of the conflict are still being felt worldwide. Prior to the conflict, the European Union (EU) imported 40% of its natural gas from Russia, with Germany as their largest consumer. Nearly 1/3 of Germany’s natural gas was supplied by... Read more »
The supply chain is bracing for yet another strain or break, as California’s controversial “AB5” legislation takes full effect this month. AB5 is California Assembly Bill 5, which was passed at the end of 2019 and technically went into law on January 1, 2020. The bill was designed to regulate companies like Lyft, Uber and... Read more »
For months, the news cycles and industry blogs have been filled with stories involving worldwide supply chain issues. Now it seems that for the first time in a while, we are seeing some progress being made and it’s coming from a predictably progressive source: California. With just two California ports handling roughly 40% of... Read more »
Heading into winter amid a supply-chain crisis comes with some new considerations, and buyers should be concerned about more than just whether or not there will be gifts under the tree this year. With more than 100 ships waiting to offload at LA ports, it’s important to remember that those container ships carry more than... Read more »
I think most will agree that right now is a very difficult time to be a purchaser of chemical raw materials. It was a perfect storm of unfortunate events that put us in this situation, and the reasons why each individual product is in tight supply vary in complexity. For most, it was the aftermath... Read more »
Transportation and weather are two things that don’t mix. Every year transportation companies lose about $3.5 million to severe weather events. These delays not only affect the transportation companies, they affect the drivers, the consumers, the shippers, and the list could go on. Last year closures in March impacted more than 300,000 vehicles a day,... Read more »
Tariffs are not the only thing that is set to shake up the shipping industries. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is setting out to make changes to the sulfur content that is allowed in the fuels being used by ships. This change is said to be one of the biggest changes that the oil and... Read more »
More than 400 people were killed after a tsunami struck in Indonesia on Dec 22, 2018 and that was just one. Tsunamis are large, unbroken tidal waves which are usually caused by an underwater explosion resulting from volcanic activity, earthquakes or glacier clavings. Tsunamis not only pose a huge threat to civilian life, but they... Read more »
One of the longest dry spells on record in Germany is causing unexpected problems for chemical manufactures. The dry weather has led to record-low water levels in the Rhine river, a major route of barge traffic. Because of the low water levels, as shallow as 10 inches in many places, most cargo on the river... Read more »
