E-commerce

The report, entitled, “Forever Altered: The Future of Logistics Real Estate Demand,” points to various trends and themes related to how the pandemic “has forever altered the logistics real estate landscape,” with supply chain decisions having become more holistic, more data-driven, and more urgent than at any point in the past, coupled with how urbanization, digitization, and demographics have changed the ways in which people live, work, and shop.

DAT noted that the week of February 21 was the busiest week ever for load postings on the DAT network, with the total number of available loads exceeding 10 million and was 42% higher than the previous record set in June 2018 and 174% higher compared to the same period last year. A DAT spokesman told LM that, for perspective, the DAT network had 226 million loads posted last year, meaning that the activity from the week of February 21 represented almost 5% of last year’s traffic...

Late last month, Brandon Fried, Executive Director of the Washington, D.C.-based Airforwarders Association (AfA), a diverse coalition comprised of more than 275 companies with more than 500,000 employees focused on moving cargo efficiently and quickly throughout the supply chain, penned a letter to President Joe Biden. In the letter, Fried addressed, on behalf of AfA membership, that the White House consider various priorities, as agencies within the new administration set their legislative agenda for the coming years.

The increased e-commerce volume generated by the pandemic has no end in sight—and signals a permanent behavioral shift of an indeterminate magnitude. In fact, it has provided an opportunity for carriers, vehicle manufacturers and tech companies to research, test and invest in alternative ways to provide pick up, transport, sortation and delivery.

With the ongoing growth of e-commerce, the volume of returned inventory continues to rise for logistics managers in a variety of industry sectors. Finding warehousing space for this flood of goods will be a major challenge, say analysts.

When we look back on this time in history, we can say with some certainty that the pandemic acted as a great accelerator.

With the ongoing growth of e-commerce, the volume of returned inventory continues to rise for supply chain managers in a variety of industry sectors. Finding warehousing space for this flood of goods will be a major challenge, say analysts.

Total January shipments—at 1,598,492—saw an 6.1% annual gain. Domestic containers—at 671,862—were up 8.1%, while trailers—at 105,611—were up 14.6%. All domestic equipment—at 777,473—was up 9.0%. ISO, or international, containers—at 821,019—saw a 3.5% increase.

The ATA’s advanced Seasonally Adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index for January—at 114.6 (2015=100)—headed up 1.4%, from December to January, following a 1.2% increase, from November to December, which came in at 113.1.

Bremen, Germany-based global third-party logistics (3PL) services provider Kuehne+Nagel (K+N) said this week it has entered into a binding agreement to acquire Shanghai, China-based freight forwarder Apex International Corporation, in what it said is the biggest acquisition in the company’s history.

The report’s shipment’s reading—at 1.110—headed up 8.6% annually, topping December’s 6.7% annual increase, and expenditures—at 3.070—saw a 19.5% annual gain and a 0.2% sequential decline.

Total POLA volume—at 835,516 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—saw a 3.6% annual increase, and total POLB volume came in at 764,006 TEU, for a 21.9% annual increase.

When is it appropriate to outsource your logistics and what does that mean for your business?

Commerce reported that January retail sales—at $568.2 billion—were up 5.3% compared to December and were up 7.4% annually, and NRF reported that its calculation of January retail sales, which excludes automobile dealers, gasoline stations, and restaurants, pointed to a 5.9% gain, for the month, on a seasonally-adjusted basis compared to December and were up 10.7% annually on an unadjusted basis.

A major jump in e-commerce sales, ongoing supply chain disruptions, and the need for social distancing all push more companies to add robotics to their technology stables.