Shippers in Europe Watching the Unfolding Coronavirus Measures in China with Dismay

Feb. 10, 2020 - JOC Senior Editor, Europe, Greg Knowler, says, “Shippers in Europe are watching the unfolding coronavirus measures in China with dismay, as an extended Chinese New Year keeps factories shut down and delays the placing of orders.

"There is mounting concern that a rush of orders next week, combined with a sharp increase in the number of blank sailings, will quickly use up all available space on air, ocean, and rail,” he adds.

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping transportation. Railroads can get on board or miss out

Will policy challenges derail freight rail's progress toward a sustainable future?

The following is an opinion piece written by Ian Jefferies, President and CEO of the Association of American Railroads and published in Supply Chain Drives. Opinions are the author's own.

Feb. 7, 2020 - The White House recently issued draft principles for governing the use of artificial intelligence across sectors, including transportation. While a recent report noted the guidance may be too vague to produce substantive benefits, the larger point is clear. Various forms of AI are here to stay and will only become more ubiquitous.

That is unless public policymakers go to great lengths to inhibit progress. The industry I represent, one of America's oldest industries – privately owned freight railroads – stands in the crosshairs of this very discussion.

At issue rests a fundamental question that Silicon Valley innovators likely never contemplate: can established industries, such as freight rail, reimagine themselves through technology in an era of massive disruption?

It's been a busy year!

By Alan Bog, IFPTA President

As I write this we are approaching the end of what has been a very busy year for IFPTA. As usual we held two IFPTA on the Road events, the first in Vancouver, during International Pulp Week, and the second recently in London during London Pulp Week.

These events are a popular feature on the calendar of these major pulp meetings. Over seventy IFPTA members and friends attended the recent edition in London, where Adermo Costa, the Cenibra Global Commercial and Logistics Manager, gave a presentation on the fibre sources in Brazil, relaying the important message that the pulp producers do not source wood from the Amazon region. Thanks to Aderrno for an excellent presentation. These events also give members an excellent opportunity to network and enjoy a drink or two with friends and colleagues from the industry.

In June, IFPTA organized a transportation session during the RISI conference in Shanghai. This event was well attended and addressed some of the particular logistics concerns of pulp users and sellers in China. We are working with RISI on developing this type of session in other conferences.

Our main event of the year was of course the Transport Symposium in Tarragona. We tried some innovations this year such as the one to one interviews and the use of the Slido App. We see a lot of value in the Slido App, as it generated a lot of questions. We will adapt the timing of sessions in future symposiums to enable much better use of this tool.

We have announced the venue of the next Symposium which will be held in September 2021 in Jacksonville, Florida. We will start working on the programme for this in the course of next year.