The market index for Asia to North Europe is still on the decline, with the average for a 20-foot seeing a 19-percent drop since the 26th of May compared to the 26th of June, according to Xeneta, the price comparison service for sea freight. The market average for a 40-foot in Asia to North Europe performed similarly with a 20-percent decline in container shipping rates in the same period.

Easy access to multiple modes of transportation is a big boon to any business involved in shipping products to a wide array of destinations. For companies that supply parts needed in manufacturing operations, intermodal access has become essential as more manufacturers adopt just-in-time and similar supply chain management strategies. Cities throughout the United States have done what they can to respond to the needs of shippers.

The Supply Chain Management Systems Project is a PEPFAR funded program administered by USAID designed to get life-saving drugs for the treatment of HIV/AIDs to many developing countries, most of them in Africa. Clinton De Souza, Warehousing and Distribution Principal Advisor, explains how the project has leveraged private sector logistics firms to exceed its goals.

An ongoing supply chain and procurement transformation project at Seagate was driven by market changes and supply disruptions following natural disasters in Asia. Vice President Marcos Meirelles provides highlights of the project.

Mobility solutions are boosting employee and asset efficiency, increasing safety and reducing risk, especially for trucking companies. These and other mobility-driven changes are discussed by John Favors, specialist in field technical services at CBeyond; Michael Nischan, risk control and safety consultant, The McCart Group; Ryan Barnett, director-market development, XRS Corp; and Chad Oginz, enterprise account executive, Ortec. The conversation is facilitated by SupplyChainBrain Editor Emeritus Jean Murphy.

Total U.S. business logistics costs in 2012 rose to $1.33tr, up 3.4 percent from the year before, but remaining at 8.5 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product, according to the 24th annual State of Logistics Report released by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals and presented by Penske Logistics.

Today's multichannel consumers are driving manufacturers and retailers to find new ways to sustain service levels while containing costs. This, in turn, requires transportation and logistics providers to be more innovative and agile than ever.