A logistics network is like a complex machine. When all the parts mesh and work properly, you have an efficient system that moves freight seamlessly across borders. But remove one piece - or let it get even slightly out of alignment - and the whole supply chain can grind to a halt.

Dozens of port authorities and marine terminals received port security grants this summer from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), but millions of dollars from the $100m program went to local law enforcement agencies and other non-port entities.

It's a big and transformative phenomenon worldwide, so of course it has a buzzy lexicon all its own. You can call it whatever you want - Digital Operations Technology, Industry 4.0, Industry of the Future, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Smart Manufacturing - but you can't ignore it. MESA International offers a concise definition for this wave of change: "Smart manufacturing is the intelligent, real-time orchestration and optimization of business, physical, and digital processes within factories and across the entire value chain."

The U.S. Surface Transportation Board has proposed a rule allowing shippers to switch cargo among large railroads if there's reasonable access to competing tracks.

The long-term impact of Brexit on European supply chains is yet to be determined, but some early results are in.

Chemicals contribute to a significant portion of all American exports. According to the American Chemistry Council, the chemicals industry accounts for 12 percent of exports at a value of about $189 billion.

What stands in the way of a solution to the nation's crumbling, outdated and inadequate transportation infrastructure?

Matt Mills, senior program manager for global supply chain with EMC2, reveals how his company has developed an effective program for managing risk.

Forget playing the blame game, the fraught implementation of container weighing rules came down to the fact that the container shipping industry has no single trusted information source.