Logistics, Trade Administration and Supply Chain

Recently, a massive explosion took place at the Port of Beirut, Lebanon that caused the death of almost 200 people and more than 5000 people were injured. The port explosion had also rocked the entire City of Beirut to as far as 9 kilometers in distance. The explosion in the port had came from the port warehouse where about 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate were found to have been stored there since 2014, when a Russian vessel, MV Rhosus destined to Mozambique stopped at the port due to financial constraint of the vessel's owner which had resulted to a mutiny among the crews onboard. The vessel was then detained by the port authorities for operation violation, unpaid port fees and many complaints by the Russian and Ukrainian crews over their unpaid salaries and shortage of supplies. The sailing to its original destination was never resume since.  As the result, the cargos on the vessel, including that of the 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate which was considered a Dangerous Cargo (DG)

This article first appeared in the Business Times on 2 March 2020. Outbound freight rates are skyrocketing on the back of weeks-long labour shortage and disruptions to logistics links that continue to dog operations in China, although there is still international air and ocean capacity, albeit much reduced from before, according to industry players. This is set to catch on in airfreight sectors elsewhere too as the coronavirus spreads through Europe and potentially Latin America and the African subcontinent, warned Raymon Krishnan, president of The Logistics and Supply Chain Management Society. Reduced airfreight capacities have resulted in rates “going through the roof” with rates doubling or tripling for flights leaving China, said Dr Krishnan. “I also just heard that some are paying up to six times the regular rates.” The situation is also worsened by the cancellation of thousands of passenger flights to and from mainland China, resulting in the reduction in belly capacity for ca

Key performance indicators (KPIs) provide an invaluable way to judge the efficacy of operations, determine opportunities for improvement, improve customer experiences , and better manage supply chain functions, including warehouse management.  Supply chain leaders that wish to remain proactive to risks of disruption and improve operations through 2020 and beyond need to understand the top warehouse KPIs and how they can mean the difference between success and failure. This blog is the first in a two-part series where Veridian, a supply chain technology implementation company, will share the top 19 warehouse KPIs that track performance in the following areas: 1. Internal Operations 2. Staffing 3. Suppliers 4. Customers Let’s cover the top 10 warehouse KPIs for supply chain leaders and warehouse managers to succeed in 2020. (1) Internal Operations—Shrinkage of Inventory: Inventory shrinkage refers to the amount of inventory listed in the accounting records, but such inventory is