When it comes to assessing the impact of business practices on the environment, the bar is being raised. Mere sustainability is no longer enough: now it's all about becoming "net positive."

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.