Red Sea diversions create Western Mediterranean port congestion
The mass diversion of container ships away from the Red Sea since December has raised fears of congestion across west Mediterranean container ports, as carriers from Asia drop boxes destined for the eastern Mediterranean.
Instead of entering the Mediterranean Sea dead end, created by the effec...
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Importers concerned at cost of Brexit trade checks
Delayed five times by the UK government, post-Brexit physical border checks of animal products, plants and plant products through the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel were finally implemented on the 30th April 2024. However, importers of affected products express concern about additional costs.
Th...
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India; sourcing opportunity
For years India has been looked to as the next global manufacturing powerhouse and it now appears to be finally becoming the manufacturing power and sourcing alternative to China that it has long promised to be.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi inherited an economy that was teetering on ...
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Ocean demand outweighs supply
The ongoing impact of vessel diversions as a result of the Red Sea conflict continues to absorb available capacity at a time when demand is rapidly increasing. Container volumes are already higher than many predicted and there is a possibility that we have already entered a peak season market env...
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State of the air freight market
The effective closure of the Red Sea and the Suez Canal to container ships is adding around two weeks to supply chain transit times and creating a backlog of manufacturing components, late shipments and inventory replenishment, with critical consignments reliant on air solutions. While Iran's att...
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Metro continues French expansion
Expanding Metro’s road freight coverage and service offerings in France adds further capability to the company's strong network and enhances closeness with customers in the region.
For retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers, distributers and all types of shipper, our French import and export ...
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China makes too much, but production is moving
The West says China makes too much, but many manufacturers have moved production to other countries to cut costs, leaving once prosperous manufacturing hubs like Dongguan struggling to adjust.
In recent years workers began to demand higher wages, while companies began cutting prices in order t...
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Environment matters
Managed well, supply chains reduce costs and enhance profitability, but the impact of climate change has highlighted the importance of sustainability and the need to improve supply chains to protect our ecosystem and preserve natural resources for future generations.
The supply chain plays ...
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Supporting the Monsoon Accessorize Trust
The Monsoon Accessorize (MA) Trust was formed in 1994 to give back to the communities that the business source from. It has financed 262 sustainable development projects around the world, to deliver life-changing support to over 240,000 people and with your support it could do even more.
Helpi...
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Red Sea crisis expanding and growing
After the longest period of attack-free shipping in the Red Sea since December, the situation in the region is escalating, with an increase in Houthi attacks, fears that the ‘danger area’ may be expanding into the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean and an Iranian vessel hijack off the Gulf of Oman....
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Red Sea, garments and eCommerce among factors driving up airfreight rates
Traditionally airfreight rates would soften at this time, as the start of the airline passenger summer season adds significant amounts of belly-hold airfreight capacity on long-haul routes, but pockets of high volumes are pushing rates up.
Globally, the air cargo market is experiencing rising ...
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Strengthening global partnerships: India
Metro’s main board recently completed a multi-city tour across India, as part of a strategy to fortify existing partnerships with key suppliers and to carve out new avenues for growth, by direct engagement with prospective customers.
The visit spanned several major cities including Mumbai an...
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