One could say that transportation faces multiple hurdles in the coming year, in the guise of new regulations and legislation that promise to have a serious impact on all modes. Me? I prefer to think of it as a minefield.

So collaborative purchasing appears feasible for the restaurant industry. But what about other business sectors? Can different companies - even direct competitors - really band together to get better deals from their suppliers?

Analyst Insight: The automotive industry is an orchestration of marketing, logistics and product development. This orchestration, which leads to higher complexity and demand, requires that many parts be available in manufacturing and services. And this global and complex way of looking at a problem drives the European automotive industry to operate in Asia, as well as localize their supply chains for sales in Asia. However, the logistics for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) between these two continents sometimes become complex. - Thomas Wiedmann, Managing Director, Europe, Tompkins International

International experts are meeting at International Maritime Organization headquarters this week, in the form of an Expert Workshop, to begin updating the inventory of greenhouse gases from international shipping.