Unable to determine subject from "Week 7" alone

¶ … Importing from Asia/Europe to the United States

There are a variety of issues that logistics managers and other individuals involved with the international shipping of freight, including practical differences in the types of shipping containers used in certain instances, differences in the use of terminology and the standardization of agreements, as well as United States' laws and regulations concerning imports. Though intermodal transport containers for rail and maritime shipping have largely been standardized, European agencies have noted a lessened degree of use of these intermodal containers by many European shippers. Rail shipping in the United States can utilize the standard shipping containers, but European goods may need to be repacked into such containers at some point, either in European ports or upon arrival into the United States. There are also certain differences in the exact specifications for some containers used in Asia and Europe and those used in the United States, and ensuring compatibility with existing rail and truck transport options in the United States would be necessary for those overseeing such transport.

There can also be differences in terminology used in trade in the United States/North America and that used in Europe, and exact definitions of responsibility and expectations needs to be clarified by freight managers. Finally, the various environmental and security regulations of the United States're not really aligned with those in use by the larger international community. Goods arriving through United States' ports must all meet the criteria of packing and container strength, with emissions records intact, in order to meet with U.S. regulations.

The Use of New Container Tracking Devices

There are several ways in which the use of new container tracking devices will improve the shipment of goods. Essentially, of course, all benefits derived from these tracking devices will stem from the ability to remotely, instantly, and continuously track shipping containers and even palettes and smaller shipments, which is itself dependent on radio and Internet technologies and the global satellite network that powers telecommunications. By incorporating these tracking devices into standard shipping containers and other packaging, companies (and governments, when and where necessary) can track packages to improve efficiency in both shipping times and the utilization of transport equipment, provide more accurate information to customers, and increase security through a greater certainty and control over the placement and volume of goods coming through any one port or traveling along a specific route both generally and at specific times.

Radio frequency identification, or RFID, employs the use of radio-signal emitting tags that can be tracked by readers often miles away, thus tracking containers and there contents (when the tags have been coded to provide such information as they pass through ports, along certain rail lines, or even past certain checkpoints in truck transport. Several international bodies have already developed standardizations for RFID tags and systems, making the use of these identification and tracking devices far more seamless. As these systems become more sophisticated, there will be a greater amount of information that can be gleaned form such identifiers, improving the security applications of RFID systems immensely.

The true benefit of RFID technology and other contemporary and still-developing transport container tracking devices is not merely in the fact that freight tags can be read in transit, identifying certain points of passage, but the fact that this information can be analyzed by computers and distributed almost anywhere in the world at a moments notice. These technologies have already been put into use -- with developments and sophistications ongoing -- in rerouting freight based on tracking information to lead to a greater flow of goods while creating less congestion on road, rail, and waterways. While long-range freight options will likely not be so readily changeable at a moment's notice, the improvement in shorter-range transportation efficiencies that modern tracking devices will enable should reduce shipping costs and enable greater economic growth through the faster trade of goods and the ability to achieve more moments' notice supplies at a reduced cost. Constantly updated information as to goods' and materials' whereabouts can also lead to more effective decisions by suppliers, consumers, and transportation firms alike, and the use of the Internet and other telecommunications systems will lead to exactly this ability to update.

Other applications for modern container tracking devices will continue to emerge as the technology becomes more refined. Tracking individual units is already possible, though expensive, but for sensitive and high-priced items this might already make fiscal sense. Security and efficiency will both continue to be improved by greater tracking abilities.

Video Intro: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VBd7PB3rhk

This video provides an excellent yet brief version of the development of the railway, and specifically of the standardization of railway gauges, as it developed in England in the seventeenth century. This is something that is touched on only briefly in Chapter Three, towards the beginning of the section on railways, and it might seem to be of little importance to a discussion of modern rail transport and overall logistics, but in fact this simple and centuries-old story is actually fairly important to developing an understanding of certain issues in modern transportation logistics and rail systems. The issue of railway gauge standardization, as this video shows, was somewhat a matter of happenstance, and developed through simple conveniences. Modern standardization -- both that which is based on the standardized gauge of modern railways and those that have less to do with this measurement -- develop in somewhat similar ways, and though it might seem both quaint and fantastical to view the development of the standardized railroads as it is shown in this video, it is likely that future generations will look back on our developments with a similar attitude.

Due to the way developments unfold in this day and age, however, it is possible that this type of story won't really exist or survive. Stories of boardroom meetings and engineering processes are somewhat less endearing than tales of chariots and wagon wheels, but the same type of importance and long-term effects are the result of transport and logistics decisions made today. Understanding this will help managers and engineers take a real sense of pride in their work.

Port Administrator