The primary business of a port is serving as a hub for water-borne commerce and all of the logistics that entails, with each port competing for the business of shippers and container operators. Every investment made by a port authority, from a crane to a dredge to a security checkpoint, must be based on how this activity will not only position the port to current customers, but how it will affect the attraction of future customers.

The food and beverage industry has made some major moves in recent days in the struggle over super-sweet products. Major cereal-makers Nestle and General Mills pledged to cut sugar and salt content in children's breakfast cereals abroad, while soda and restaurant trade groups sued to stop a New York City ban on sales of large sugary drinks.

Early in-house studies conducted by Shands at the University of Florida, a health system operated by the school, indicates that an asset-tracking solution installed at its three facilities in Gainesville has reduced the number of hours that its emergency department staff spends searching for missing equipment by 98 percent.

There are clearly identifiable steps needed to enhance shipping's already very impressive record of maritime safety, says International Chamber of Shipping Secretary General Peter Hinchliffe. There should be mandatory provisions to provide a place of refuge for ships in need of assistance, plus timely and obligatory reporting of casualty investigations by Flag States to the International Maritime Organization, replicating the handling of aviation incidents. In addition, environmental protection and crew and passenger safety can be addressed better by raising the current level of guidance on providing a place of refuge to a new level of obligation, he said.

FoodLink, a buying platform that connects fresh food retailers and wholesalers to a network of more than 2,000 supplier companies, will acquire TRUETRAC, a provider of mobile traceability solutions to growers, harvesters, packers and shippers of fresh-packed produce. The combined company will be the food industry's first integrated network for produce traceability that links crop planning, harvesting, packing, order management, shipping, receiving and individual item tracking from the field to the supermarket checkout line.

David Ecklund, director of the Global Supply Chain Executive MBA program at the University of Tennessee, shines some light on the difficult issue of managing the "talent supply chain." He specifies the core competencies that are required of today's supply-chain professionals.

China grew at its slowest pace in 31/2 years, the latest sign that the nation long famed for its economic miracle is still struggling to pull out of a steeper-than-expected slide.

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have committed to enhanced cooperation in the field of air cargo transportation.