The giant producer of alcoholic beverages lacked visibility of its prepaid ocean shipments and carrier performance levels. It sought a single platform for managing the flow of goods from the factory all the way to destination.

The EU has recently announced the official launch of negotiations for a free trade agreement with Japan. The agreement would cover goods, services and investment, and would eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers, and cover other trade-related issues, such as sustainable development, regulatory issues, competition and public procurement.

Nobody knows what the future holds for air cargo, but the mode is an important part of the economy, said Andrew Herdman, director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines.

A crisis is a wonderful opportunity to overhaul inadequate or ineffective business processes and systems. We have seen examples where adverse events have led to improvements in everything from the way in which we obtain a credit card to the security practices at schools and public buildings. The furor that started last month over the discovery of horse and pig DNA in products labeled as "containing beef" in the European food supply chain is gathering as much speed, momentum and breadth as the proverbial snowball rolling downhill. Smart supply chain practitioners and companies will harness this energy to implement changes that will ensure a safer food supply.