Friendly Reminder

Hi to All!

Just wanted to remind folks that the blog has moved over to Wordpress:

http://globalsupplychaininsights.com/

Be sure to check out the latest series on retailers which will culminate with the publication of Ti's Global Ecommerce Logistics report in January.

Thanks!
Cathy

Weekly Update - August 8

Hi!

It's Friday here, not even 6:00 am yet but I thought I'd put a few words down just to let all know what's going on. The big news across the pond is the addition to our group, Stephen Olugbode. Stephen comes from GeoPost where he managed the groups market research. From what I gather he'll be playing a big role in our express parcel and ecommerce projects. Stay tuned.

For me I've been working on various projects - APAC Logistics report, GLM, Dashboard, Agility Emerging Markets Index and writing briefs for the APAC and Americas e-newsletters.

Next week I reckon I'll be working on the same things along with updating the blog. Speaking of the blog, a big thanks to Eye for Transport for picking it up!

No photos to share this week as the weather has been a bit too hot plus it looks like we're in for a rainy weekend. At least with the rainy weekend I'll not be tempted to stray from my work assignments!

Enjoy the weekend and week ahead!

Thanks for taking the time to read.

Cathy

Freight forwarding, APAC Logistics and Mergers and Acquisitions

Just when I think I can catch a breather something else comes around that catches my attention! Wow. The weeks seem to get busier and busier but it is fun and keeps my mind occupied - a good thing, particularly when the team is a few thousand miles away!!

So, what's happened since the last time I updated here? Well, the Global Freight Forwarding report is now officially published and to great success! I'm very pleased to see the interest. Thank you to all that have purchased it!

Now, I focus on my next report - APAC Logistics. The outline was approved this morning so I'll get to work on that early next week. Also, the August Global Logistics Monitor is scheduled to be completed early next week. If you are a Ti portal subscriber and did not receive a copy of the July GLM, let me know and I'll send a copy to you. I'm not sure if it has been posted to the portal yet.

Also, if you are not a subscriber to our free monthly m&a e-newsletter, be sure to sign up before Monday. As you probably know, a few acquisitions in the North America market have recently been made. We'll highlight three of them - XPO Logistics/New Breed, TransForce/Contrans and Norbert Dentressangle/Jacobson Companies along with a special briefing on the North America m&a market - what's driving this growth? what sectors? why? and more.

Duh. Before I forget. I wrote a blog post this week! Speaking of acquisitions....

Supply Chain Plays a Major in the US Dollar Discount Retail Sector This is an interesting topic. I keep seeing more discount retailers such as these pop up. Also, Wal-Mart seems to be interested in this space particularly as they build smaller, neighborhood stores. Who says the US economy is improving? I guess it depends on who you ask. These dollar discount retail stores are increasing revenue in the double-digits on an annual basis. Something's going on for sure. Check it out when you can.

Well, that's about it from here. Just to let you know that I do more than just write articles and reports, below is a photo I took while on a recent walk in the North Georgia mountains. I'm trying to get back into shape so that if I get to attend our conference in Singapore in October, my plan is for an extra few days in Japan to walk part of Mt. Fuji!! Fingers crossed on that one!

Have a great weekend and next week and thanks for reading!

Cathy

Global Freight Forwarding report publishing soon!

That's right. Ti's Global Freight Forwarding report will be published July 31. The Ti team, led by the wonderful Lilith, is putting the finishing touches on the report - formatting charts, proofing etc.

Did you see the report infographic? if not here it is:

What's next? well, Thomas is at work on the Global Automotive Logistics report and I'll be planning the Asia Pacific Logistics report this coming week. I also a few other things to take care of such as updating Dashboard charts, making sure some customers are doing ok and contact some folks that may like to speak at our conference in Singapore (scheduled for October).

With that, enjoy the week ahead and thanks for reading!

Cathy

Freight Forwarding and More

The Smoky Mountains always amaze me and it seems the place I retreat to when a breather is in order. Be sure to check out my photo and the banner on my Twitter page. My photo was taken at Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the park. The banner is a photo I took in Cades Cove, one of the last remaining holdouts before the US government annexed it into the Smoky Mountains National Park.

The Freight Forwarding report is almost finished. In fact, it will be completed and reviewed by our boss who happens to be enjoying the Welsh outdoors this week. Once approved, it will be published on July 31st.

Also for this week will be to catch up on updating Dashboard charts and outlining the next report - Asia Pacific Logistics. Reckon a new blog post is also in order, lots of topics to think about!

That's about it from here. Below is a photo Chris took of me in the doorway of an old Church in Cades Cove. For those folks close to me, many will get this photo - My background is in History and I've always had a love for old Churches and cemeteries.

Enjoy the week ahead and be sure to check out Ti's blog, my blog and our Twitter accounts: @TransportIntell and @cmroberson06 for additional logistics news.

Thanks for reading,
Cathy

New blog post and more!

I must confess, I am so glad this week is over. Last weekend was tough from a personal perspective and the week began on a very sad note - our beloved Allie Cat passed away. She was a part of our family for only a few months and had developed diabetes, fluid build-up in the lungs and several other ailments that the doctor suspected all added up to cancer.

This is Allie in her favorite place, on Chris' lap, asleep.

Work-wise the freight forwarding report is coming along nicely and should be published the end of this month. Also this week the Global Logistics Monitor was completed. Folks that subscribe to our GSCI portal will now have access to these monthly updates and analysis of the global market starting with this one. I've already received some good feedback on this one and will use that tailor it to fit the needs of folks needing market analysis to benchmark their companies against and for investor relations presentations.


Yes, after what, 3 weeks now? I finally wrote a new blog post. This one was interesting. a specialized PR firm in California found out my fascination with start-up companies and sent me a case study featuring JAS Forwarding and Zoom. To be honest, I wasn't sure about this but after some thought, the simplicity of the solution and the need for such a solution for communications and collaboration around the world for freight forwarders hit me. So, the post is available here in case you're interested in reading more.

Next week will be kind of a short one for me. I will be focused on the freight forwarding report and then Thursday and Friday Chris and I are heading to the Smoky Mountains for some long overdue hiking. Don't worry, I'll still continue to check emails and phone while away from the desk but probably just in the evenings.

Enjoy the weekend. I hope to catch the World Cup this weekend. Apologies to my German friends but since I am responsible for the Americas region for Ti, I will be pulling for Argentina this time around. But honestly, I am just hoping for a really good game regardless of the outcome!

Take care and thanks again for reading the blog!

Cathy

A bit late in posting....

Apologies for the tardiness in posting this week's update. This is a time of year that is both happy and rather sad for me. I took most of yesterday off (Happy Independence day!!) and spent it in the North Georgia mountains. On a more personal level, today would have been my Dad's birthday. Physically he's no longer with us but in spirit I know he is here and probably is figuring out a way to pop me on the head for being glued to my laptop so much! Funny thing is that I seem to have inherited my work habits from him!

Anyway, what's up here? The Ti team completed the annual Global Contract Logistics report. Boy, the minute it was announced via Twitter, quite a few purchase requests came in for it! It is a good report so if you're interested in learning more, click here.

Meanwhile, I'm working fast and furious on the Global Freight Forwarding report. Look for this report to be published the end of the month.

Good news for those folks that subscribe to our portal - the Global Logistics Monitor is returning!! Look for it to be posted on the portal next week. What is the portal you may be asking? click here for details.

And my blog. Yes. I just noticed it's been a few weeks since I posted anything. I think I've finally found a topic I want to write on so look for that hopefully in the next couple of days. Also, I'm still in search of more start-up logistics companies who would like to be a part of a webcast interview. If other folks in the logistics industry are interested in participating, please just let me know.

So, next week the focus is Freight Forwarding - I'll be concentrating on trade lane analysis. Yes. This report will include a section on top trade lanes, air and ocean, with analysis for each. I'm really excited about this!

I also will be visiting with one of our favorite customers next week so busy week ahead!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and thanks for taking the time to read.

Cathy

An update

Happy Friday!

I hope all have had a great week so far. It's been a good week here - worked on the Freight Forwarding report and the two regular weekly briefings. I also attended a luncheon sponsored by the Transportation Club of Atlanta. The topic of discussion was sustainability and we had speakers from US Xpress, Saia and FedEx Express share what each of their companies were doing along these lines.

I've been see-sawing over a white paper and have finally decided to go ahead with it and post on the blog. Look for that next week. Also, the first "emerging company" webcast is being planned. Details on this will be available next week as well. Which reminds me, if you know of an "emerging company" (i.e. start-up logistics company) and would like to participate in one of the upcoming webcasts, just let me know.

As for news across the pond, the Ti team has published the first part of our annual financial analysis report. For info on this report, just click here. 

That's about it from here. Enjoy the weekend and the week ahead.

Thanks for reading!

Cathy

What's up? P3 Looses and FedEx Wins

It's a hot, sticky Saturday here in Atlanta. Lots of chores on my to do list this weekend including planting some flowers that I've been planning to do for quite some time (if I can stand the humidity!).

As noted in the early week update post, a new page was created to the blog site. I hope to do web-chats with start-up logistics companies - there's alot the logistics community can learn from these companies. Like I've said in the past, a new mindset is needed for this changing economy and I believe these start-up companies are leading the way. I've sent a couple of invites but in the meantime if you know of an interesting company, let me know.

Another plan for the page is to add white papers so the first one I did for Transport Intelligence is posted there - Middle East e-Commerce Logistics Overview. I'm at work on a second one and plans are being laid out for a third one.

This past week saw the P3 Alliance fall through. Thomas Cullen wrote a good brief on this topic and is available on the Ti website. Look for continued capacity and rate problems. Possibilities of consolidation more likely now in my opinion.

Also, FedEx announced their earnings. Folks have been asking me if I was surprised by their earnings. Nope, not overall. However, I think the only thing I was surprised with was the growth rate in Ground volumes. Wow. A blog post was written on FedEx's earnings and is available here. I also chatted with the folks from The Loadstar about FedEx and their writeup is available here.
How will UPS respond? Its quarterly earnings report is scheduled for July 29.

So, what about Ti reports? Yep. We have several in the lineup with the first coming out next week. Sign up for our email newsletter service to be among the first to be notified. Details on our website (link on the side of this page).

Time for more coffee and with that, enjoy the weekend and the week ahead!

Thanks,
Cathy

Early weekly update

The week has only begun and it's already starting out with a bang!

First off, I'm very sad to report that I will be leaving my eft column effective today. Ti work has picked up even more so I need to focus on that. I want to thank eft for posting and tweeting my blog posts for the past couple of years - it really has meant alot to me, more than alot of folks realize. Also a big thanks for allowing me to further contribute as a columnist. A great bunch of folks that I encourage all to follow via twitter as well as attend the numerous conferences they offer around the world.

Ok, so, on a brighter note, I hope, a new page has been added to the blog site - one that will host white papers, webinars, podcasts and other media stuff. Currently only one white paper is available but plans are in the works for a regular webinar series featuring start-up logistics companies. If you are one or would like to nominate one, drop me a line and let me know.

To check out the new page, click here.

The regular weekly update will come out later this week.

Thanks again and have a great week.

Cathy

What?!

I just reread my post from last week and it really sounded frazzled! Well, last week was quite busy but very fun. The conference was a success and it was wonderful meeting so many new people. Check out my blog post on the conference here.

With that being said, the trip to Dubai and back was a bit nerve-wracking - scheduled for 14 hours (each way), it actually turned into 15 hours (each way!!) as the airline discovered there was a bag on board without an owner and then on the way home, IT delays resulted in delays in take-off. But such as the case with travel - you just never know! But I love it all - despite feeling like a cow on a cattle car!

So, next we'll be heading to Singapore in October. I'm already at work on the program. Thoughts and suggestions are welcomed!

This week I'm a bit at a loss as I'm in between reports. While I'm waiting for the green light to begin work on the next report, I'm working on the monthly Stifel Logistics Confidence Index, pondering the next EFT column and a couple of other articles.

The team at the head office is finishing up on the Contract Logistics report which will be published this month as well as our annual financial analysis report. Look for more info on each soon.

Have a great weekend and week ahead! I'm packing up here in Alabama and moving the hubby home. Yay!

Thanks again,
Cathy

Just returned from Dubai

Just returned home from Dubai this morning. It was great meeting so many great people at the conference. Look for a blog post on the conference within the next couple of days.

Next week will be updating Ti Dashboard charts, briefings, hopefully another blog post and EFT column and planning the next report I work on.

Sorry for the short post for this week - Recovering from the 14 hour flight home!

Have a great weekend and week ahead,

Cathy

Busy Week - Publish Report, White Paper and Blog Post - What Else is Going On?

Where has this week gone? Wow. It was a good week as we published (finally) the Global Express and Small Parcel 2014 report and the Middle East eCommerce Logistics white paper. Whew.

Since then, I've been working on presentations for our upcoming conference, a blog post and a webinar. Ah, a webinar you say? yes indeed.  Yep. We've decided to try something out with our latest report and give folks an opportunity to ask questions concerning our reports. First up will be the Express and Small parcel report - a brief overview of the report will be provided and then we'll open it up to questions and discussion. This will be scheduled for June 12th, for more info and/or to sign up just let me know.

So, next week I will be in Dubai which likely means no blog updates. But be sure to check out tweets from the conference (#TiDubai2014) as well as my Twitter (@cmroberson06) and Ti's Twitter (@TransportIntell) for the latest news and brief.

Speaking of blog posts, I posted one last night and is available here.

To download the Middle East eCommerce white paper for free, click here.

For more info on the Global Express and Small Parcel report, click here.


With that, check out the links, thanks for reading as usual and have a great weekend and week ahead!

Thanks,
Cathy

Finally, the return of the blog post

It's the beginning of a long holiday weekend here but work continues - putting the finishing touches on a white paper and one more round of revisions for the express and small parcel report. It looks like this report may finally be published next week - fingers crossed!

Great news, I did get a blog post completed and posted on the blog and yes, it is on Procter & Gamble and is available here.  I'm working on another post at the moment and hope to have that posted within the next day or so.

Next week preparations for the Ti conference will be underway - I'll be participating on three sessions - perishables, healthcare and e-commerce logistics - so I'll be working on presentations for each.  

Besides the presentations, I also hope to have a column completed for eft. Stay tune....

So, with that, enjoy the weekend and thanks for reading!

Cathy

Catching up and back on track

Hi!

A hectic but productive week has passed and I think I'm finally catching up!

An update to what's going here

A new blog post will be posted this evening/Sunday morning. Finally. Posts should resume on a regular basis now so look for another one later next week.

Thanks for hanging in there with me and be sure to keep up with all the logistics news on Twitter @cmroberson06.

Thanks so much and have a great weekend!!

Cathy

Where are the blog posts?!

Another busy week has passed and I did not get a chance to write my blog posts as promised! I will this week, probably later in the week though. This past week was spent redoing a section of the Express/Small Parcel report as well as the Middle East eCommerce Logistics white paper, briefs and some other stuff.

On top of all of that, I took a couple of days off to help out with my best friend's son's wedding - an outdoor event that was questionable at times thanks to rain, heat and humidity but it all turned out great and I'm now trying to recover from the reception - I don't think I danced that much in quite some time!!

So, this week is get back on track with blog posts, briefs, the white paper and preparing for Ti's conference for June 4 and 5 in Dubai.

Have a great week!

Thanks,
Cathy

Busy Week

Thanks for your patience, this past week was an extra busy one and as a result, no blog posts to report. Finally finishing up the Express and Small Parcels report this weekend.

Next week, I'll start on a really cool project, a Middle East e-Commerce Logistics white paper, which will be available for free download later in the month from Ti's website. The white paper along with special weekly briefings also beginning next week will culminate with our conference in Dubai, set for June 4 and 5. Be sure to sign up for our free newsletters to learn more and also follow #TiDubai2014 (@transportintell as well) on Twitter where we will post additional news and tweets up to and during the conference itself.

Blog posts to return next week but in the meantime, I ran across this amusing article/video, an option to drone delivery perhaps?

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Are Being Delivered By Parachute, And We Couldn't Be Happier

Enjoy the weekend and week ahead!

Cathy

Thank you!!

Thank you to folks at The Loadstar for posting my blog post on Zara this past week!! Be sure to check out all the great stuff The Loadstar does here. Also the folks at EFT also posted the post, check out their website here.

If you missed the Zara post, it's available here.

I didn't get a chance to write on the online grocery scene as promised but will do so hopefully this coming week. Instead, UPS Q1 earnings took me by surprise - I forgot they reported this past week. So, I wrote up some thoughts on that which are on the blog.

Also this coming week I hope to write up a conversation I had with the CEO at Freightos. I really like what they are doing. Stay tune. Over the coming weeks, expect more retail related posts to be posted as well, lots of cool things happening within that industry.

Finally, I'll also be writing some posts to help the folks from Innovation Enterprise regarding some upcoming US conferences on manufacturing and CPG. Look for those in the next couple of weeks or so.

Be sure to check out the latest posts, including the UPS earnings post on the Global Supply Chain Insights blog here.

Thank you!!

New Posts

After all the rain we have received, it looks like today will be a beautiful Easter here in Atlanta! New posts are now available at the blog. Check it out - one on ASOS and one on Zara. Also, a post on the rise in mobile apps is available. This is also available on Eye for Transport's website in a column I do for them.

This coming week look for posts on the online grocery market. Speaking of which, guess who is starting a new online grocery business? The founder of Webvan! That will be exciting to watch.

Global Supply Chain Insights Blog is available here.

Thanks!

Cathy

Changes to the Weekly Update and Musings

Yes indeed. Check out what the latest is on the blog - Just click here.