ARTICLES
Latest Insights & Case Studies
Expert insights on global logistics, supply chain management, and international shipping.
The Visibility Gap
This comprehensive analysis examines the four most critical questions that freight forwarders struggle to answer in 2026—questions about real-time container location, all-inclusive pricing, proactive delay prediction, and system integration. The report reveals why these fundamental information gaps persist despite technological advances, quantifies their business impact (including $5-10 billion in losses from delayed shipments and 35-45% potential savings from better visibility), and explores emerging AI-powered solutions transforming the industry. Readers will understand the structural barriers preventing transparency, the competitive threats from digital disruptors, and the specific technologies enabling the shift from reactive firefighting to predictive decision intelligence in ocean freight operations.
China-US Air Freight: 2026 Market Analysis
This comprehensive report examines the current state of air freight between China and the United States as of January 2026, providing detailed analysis of pricing structures, market dynamics, and strategic considerations for businesses. The report covers current spot rates across major routes and service levels, explores the key cost drivers including fuel surcharges, capacity constraints, and the impending Chinese New Year disruption, and analyzes how trade policies, technology sector demand, and the removal of the de minimis exemption have fundamentally reshaped the market. Readers will gain actionable insights into cost optimization strategies, carrier selection, timing considerations, and risk management approaches. The report also provides forward-looking analysis of capacity development, trade policy evolution, digitalization trends, and sustainability requirements that will shape the air freight landscape throughout 2026 and beyond. Essential reading for supply chain professionals, procurement managers, logistics coordinators, and business leaders managing China-US trade operations.
Tariffs and Maritime Shipping Costs
This comprehensive report examines how the Trump administration's 2025 tariff policies fundamentally disrupted global container shipping, analyzing the complex impacts on freight rates, trade volumes, and supply chain structures. The report covers the tariff implementation timeline from February through December 2025, including the dramatic 'Liberation Day' tariffs that reached 145% on Chinese goods, and traces their effects through shipping rate volatility, carrier financial performance, port operations, and global trade pattern shifts. Readers will understand why shipping rates counterintuitively declined despite massive tariffs, how the industry responded with capacity adjustments and route redeployments, and why Southeast Asian countries emerged as major beneficiaries of supply chain restructuring. The analysis includes detailed comparisons with the 2018-2020 trade war, examination of countervailing factors like Red Sea disruptions, and forward-looking assessments of 2026 outlook and long-term structural changes. This report matters because it documents one of the most significant disruptions to global maritime shipping in recent history, providing critical insights for businesses, policymakers, and industry stakeholders navigating an era of heightened trade policy uncertainty and supply chain transformation.