Posted on Thu, Jul 29, 2010
CANADA – After harsh words had been exchanged over what the Innternational Transport Workers Federation (ITF) called last week “a needless overreaction” it seems talks are to resume at the Port of Montreal which will possibly mean an end to the labor dispute which commenced in June. On the 27th of that month the dockworkers claim that employers changed the working conditions of 169 dock workers with the least seniority. The longshoremen responded by refusing to work overtime as of the 9th July.
On Sunday the 18th July the union and employers met all afternoon and planned to continue ongoing negotiations during the following week. During the next 48 hours however there was a lockout preventing access to the port and infuriating union officials. The lock out was described as “incomprehensible and pointless. News of the lockout reached them they were in the middle of a general meeting to cancel the planned application of pressure tactics. They pointed out that overtime is voluntary and no reason to be excluded from work.
Now it appears common sense has prevailed on both sides and they have agreed a protocol to return to work enabling the port to function whilst negotiations continue, with union representative Michel Murray saying that with both sides talking an agreement could be reached in the next few weeks.
Shipping through the port, Canada’s second largest behind Vancouver and capable of handling one and a quarter million TEU’s per annum, has been diverted to other ports, principally Halifax, since the dispute started and the problems are causing delays and possibly the cancellation of new contracts and investments.
Pack n send has reproduced portions of this article from Handy Shipping News as a service to our customers.
Pack n send monitors port operations throughout the world. While most of our cargo shipments go via ship to ports in Central America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, any port closure or slowdown can affect freight shipments throughout the world.
For more information on overseas shipping, please feel free to contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.
Posted on Tue, Jul 27, 2010
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Pack n send is located at 6214 Beverly Hill Street in Houston Texas. We are between Fountainview and Hillcroft, at the light at Greenridge.
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Posted on Tue, Jul 27, 2010
In the closing days of the 2010 legislative session, Delaware lawmakers took quick action to exempt some mobile two-way radios from a pending law that would have barred their use by motorists.
Legislation signed into law by Gov. Jack Markell on July 6 (HS 1 for HB 229) prohibits Delaware drivers from using hand-held cell phones or other electronic devices to hold conversations, send text-messages or access the Internet. The legislation also outlaws the use of two-way radios in moving vehicles.
Schwartzkopf said that, while police and first responders were excluded from the original ban, he was embarrassed to admit that he forgot transportation workers and others still use the dated, but proven, technology.
Delaware will be breaking new ground when the law is implemented. No other state in the country prohibits motorists from using CB radios installed in their vehicles.
On the issue of hand-held cell phones, the First State will actually be the seventh state to enforce the prohibition on motorists. It’s already illegal for drivers to use the devices in California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Oregon, and in Washington, D.C., as it is in the Delaware municipalities of Wilmington and Elsmere. Maryland’s hand-free cell phone law will go into effect on Oct. 1.
Additionally, 25 states have enacted laws prohibiting texting while driving.
Supporters of the Delaware law point to the increased distraction caused by cell phone use and the hazard impaired drivers posed to their fellow motorists and pedestrians.
“This new law is about improving safety for everyone who shares the road. We hope we can reduce the number of drivers who text and e-mail while driving, and therefore, reduce the number of distraction-related crashes. Just as we’re keeping our focus as a state on creating more jobs, we want drivers keeping their focus on the road,” Markell said.
Violators would not accumulate any points on their licenses. Drivers would be permitted to punch in the phone number or activate the hands-free device, but then cannot have the phone in their hands.
The bill also allows drivers to use a hand-held cell phone to report an accident, fire, reckless driver or another emergency.
Sen. Karen E. Peterson (D-Stanton), who was the primary Senate sponsor of the bill, acknowledged that it was controversial.
The new laws go into effect 180 days from signature – on Jan. 2, 2011.
Portions of the article written by M. Patricia Titus,
Coastal Point News have been printed here as a public service.
While pack n send specializes in freight preparation and cargo shipping, we are always looking for ways to keep our customers informed about new laws affecting drivers.
For information about shipping furniture on pallets, please call us at 713 266 1450.
Posted on Tue, Jul 20, 2010
Travelers who slog through long lines at airport security just to reach their seats might be surprised to learn that not all the cargo beneath their feet has been screened for explosives. But that's about to change.
As a result of the 9/11 Act endorsed by Congress in 2007, all cargo ferried aboard passenger aircraft originating in the United States must be screened, a mandate that federal officials say affects some 25 million pounds of cargo a day.
The law has ramifications for metro-area shippers and freight forwarders, who moved 24,825 tons of cargo -- including 4,263 tons of mail, as well as chemical materials, fruits and vegetables, high-tech machinery and electronic equipment -- out of Portland International Airport last year on passenger flights. It wouldn't take much for that kind of volume to interrupt timetables and back up cargo.
Next month, cargo headed for the belly of a passenger plane will be screened here before heading out through open doors in the back and down the tarmac for loading.
The law requires screening at the piece level, which means that shipments that are bundled together and shrink-wrapped on pallets or packed in containers have to be taken apart and reviewed and then repackaged.
The mandate also applies to shipments coming in from foreign countries, but T S A not expect to meet that requirement any time soon. It does not apply to all-cargo companies such as UPS and FedEx.
According to James Fotenos, a TSA spokesman, 47 percent of cargo is already being screened by certified freight forwarders.
He said the agency doesn't anticipate any major problems once the law fully takes affect, though acknowledged that "There may be minor back ups in some of the major gateway airports."
Shippers and air forwarding companies opposed the 2007 law, formally known as the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act, arguing instead for a "risk-based" system that would call for screening only when there was a known security risk, but Congress opted for the 100 percent solution.
The law has been phased in. Last year, airlines were required to screen 50 percent of all cargo;in May of this year that went up to 75 percent.
In fact, nearly all cargo going on narrow-bodied aircraft is screened now. Most of the remaining cargo to be screened is shipped in the hold of wide-bodied aircraft.
The final 25 percent includes the most difficult to screen products, such as pharmaceuticals, electronics, and perishables.
The mandate doesn't specify the method of screening and allows for hand screening, or X-ray and other scanning types of systems. It requires that the screening for cargo basically be the same as the T S A expects for passengers' bags and carry-on items.
A recent survey by the Air Forwarders Assn. found that 64 percent of its members expect the airlines to handle the screening. But the airlines lack space and manpower, and airline officials have made it clear they will fly when they are ready, and if the cargo isn't screened, it will sit at the airport until it is.
A March 2009 Government Accounting Office report said that participation in the Certified screening program may be cost prohibitive for small freight forwarders, which constitute 80 percent of the industry.
In an effort to keep our customers informed about trends and laws in the cargo industry, we are publishing parts of the article written by Pack n send is publishing by James Mayer of the Oregonian.
For more information on freight and cargo shipping, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.
Posted on Tue, Jul 20, 2010
China– The North Eastern port of Dalian which had been closed to freight traffic has just reopened. Friday there was after a huge explosion and fire left the oil terminal there in flames. The explosion was caused by a pipe from the tanker caught fire. The pipe exploded and then burst an adjacent pipeline which also ignited.
There is a cleanup underway with about 800 vessels. It is reported that they hope to have the clean up completed by July 24th. At this point in time, due to heavy winds and rains, the 800 vessels have exited the area until the weather improves.
Both Chinas oil and grain markets are affected by the closure of this port.
Pack n send monitors ports throughout the world. When we ship cargo and freight, we watch water ways and ports that are affected by both closures and personnel strikes.
For information on packing, crating shipping and freighting, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450. We offer both domestic and international shipping.
Posted on Mon, Jul 19, 2010
Pack n send is posting this article form Handy Shipping News. As new ideas in freight appear on the market pack n send tracks their success. As a company that recycles we are constantly tracking ways to save on fuel and improve freight shipping.
Con-way Invests in New Trade Marked Double Stacking System
US – Fitting a system of racking within a box or tilt trailer isn’t new but, as usual, they do things big in America, and they don’t come much bigger in the full truckload market. Conway Truck load a full truckload carrier and subsidiary of Con-way Inc. This week the company announced they have initially converted 100 of its standard 53-foot truckload trailers to their DoubleStack™ system, with additional unit conversions planned for later this year, based on customer demand. The racking system allows for loading of cargoes on two separate, adjustable levels throughout the length of the trailer, accommodating shipments of different dimensions while more fully utilizing the trailer.
The advanced cargo loading and capacity management system which allows shippers to more fully and efficiently utilize space in trailers whilst a custom-designed strapping mechanisms unique to the DoubleStack system enable shipments to be securely tied down to prevent movement during transit and provide added protection against damage.
"We are continually exploring ways to bring our customers advantages that enable them to obtain the highest value for the transportation dollar," said Herb Schmidt, president, Con-way Truckload. "With DoubleStack trailers, we're maximizing the available capacity customers can use and adding better protection systems to reduce claims, while driving benefits to our operations through more effective asset utilization."
Con-way Truckload's DoubleStack trailers feature thick aluminum tracks attached to supporting vertical posts every 16 inches along the trailer walls, with adjustable bars, or cross beams, that clamp securely into each track. The metal cross beams are height-adjustable and can be set in a variety of horizontal track positions to accommodate freight pallets of different sizes, while maximizing the stability of loaded freight at any point in the trailer and ensuring optimum capacity use. The DoubleStack system is ideal for a wide variety of customer goods, including fragile products that must be segregated and traditionally cannot be double-stacked, or pallets with products of varying height dimensions and stability.
Posted on Thu, Jul 08, 2010
US – Regular readers will know that we are always pleased to publish stories about the new generation of environmentally sound freight delivery vehicles (just type Electric into the News Search box as evidence) but today sees a special honor for one of the foremost companies in the field who are producing practical commercial vehicles every day.
President Barack Obama is making a special trip to visit the Smith Electric Vehicles US Corporation (Smith US) facility in Kansas City, Missouri today where he will discuss the economy with the plant’s 50 workers. Smith US is the only company the President is visiting that day.
Smith US, which is America’s first manufacturer of new technology, all-electric trucks, recently received $22m in grants from the Obama administration. The funding, which follows an initial $10m government grant, is helping Smith US to build more than 500 of its market-leading ‘Smith Newton’ electric trucks. Designed for urban operations, the Newton has a top speed of 50mph, a range of up to 100 miles on a full battery charge and payload capabilities of up to 16,000lbs (7,500kg).
Smith US is an associate company of Smith Electric Vehicles UK (Smith UK), which was founded in 1920 and is the longest established electric vehicle manufacturer in the world. Based in Tyne & Wear, the company produces the world’s largest range of electric commercial vehicles (vans and trucks), in the Smith Edison van and minibus (electric Ford Transit) and the Smith Newton truck. Hundreds of these electric vehicles are now in service in the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, France, Hong Kong and Southern China.
Bryan Hansel CEO of Smith US, said:
“This is a very proud day for everyone at Smith Electric Vehicles. The Government has been extremely supportive of Smith US since we started work in Kansas City last year. This help is enabling us to quickly grow and develop our business, attracting new customers and already creating a significant number of jobs.
“Electric trucks represent a fantastic opportunity for America to create green collar jobs, cut carbon emissions from the most polluting vehicles on our highways and reduce reliance on foreign oil.”
The President will witness first hand the range of Smith’s electric commercial vehicles including the development of their latest project a purely electric version of the iconic London black taxi. Smiths US only began production in October last year and have already supplied vehicles to numerous blue chip companies
Pack n send has reproduced this article originally published in the Handy Shipping Guide.
Pack n send has recycles peanuts and boxes in an effort to help the environment.
For information on international and domestic shipping and moving, please call pack n send at 713 266 1450.
Posted on Wed, Jul 07, 2010
While the cargo shipping is beginning to pick up in the United States and exports have increased during the last quarter, Subway has come up with an ingenious use for cargo containers.
The New York Times recognized this ingenuity, and pack n send is posting parts of their article to our website. Our hats are off to Subway for pushing the American Dream to new heights.
Most of the patrons are drawn from an elite group of high-beam artists, namely ironworkers laboring hundreds of feet above the street. The dress code is severe: hard hat, overalls, safety vest and glasses. Security clearance and a union card are a must.
The restaurant, a Subway franchise, opened its door at the top of the steel honeycomb that forms 1 World Trade Center, the skyscraper rising at ground zero. The building will be the city’s tallest when finished in 2013, and the sandwich shop, currently sitting on the 27th floor, will rise along with it.
The sandwich shop is one of four movable “pods” on hydraulic legs sitting on either side of two tower cranes; the other pods house offices, a shanty where workers can change clothes, and bathrooms for men and women.
But despite advances in engineering, materials and safety, when it comes to lunch, ironworkers and other laborers are used to eating the way their literal and proverbial forebears did during the skyscraper boom of the 20th century: out of a lunch bucket, with a plastic cooler doing the job of the old metal pail.
The array of pods cost $3 million, but the contractor hopes to recoup some of the expense in saved time. “The days of eating on top of a steel beam are long gone,” said Bill Grutta, a DCM vice president.
Each pod is made of nine cargo containers welded together and stacked three levels tall. In the dining pod, the Subway sits on the top level.
It is no different from any other Subway, with a kitchen, a walk-in freezer, a service counter and refrigerators for drinks. One level down, there is a heated and air-conditioned lounge with tables and chairs. A compost tank and an evaporator in the bottom container take care of all the solid and liquid waste.
The menu, for now, is instantly recognizable to any connoisseur of the chain. But Mr. Schragger may add ready-to-heat lasagna, burgers, hot dogs and pretzels to the usual $5 footlongs to infuse the shop with a sense of variety. There is also talk of adding Papa John’s pizza. After all, he must cater to the whims of his clientele.
“I don’t think the veggies will be a big seller,” said Mr. Schragger, who owns four other Subways in Manhattan. “I imagine most of the guys will want protein. Philly Cheesesteaks and the Feast.”
The shop is open to ironworkers, who work at the top of the building as it goes up, as well as laborers, concrete workers, electricians and others on the lower floors; at any time more than 1,000 people can be on the job site. But they are not required to eat at the Subway. Business was a little slow Wednesday for what Mr. Schragger called a “soft opening,” but he and DCM are hoping the shop will catch on.
But it is probably the only one whose 500-gallon water tank is replenished weekly by an even larger tanker lifted by a crane. DCM expects — or hopes — that the compost container will not have to be opened until the building is finished. The waterless toilets and urinals are cleaned by negative pressure that pulls the waste into an evaporator that turns much of the sewage into steam.
“As the building goes up,” he said, “the views will be pretty nice. I’m sure it will be one of the most talked-about sites to come have lunch.”
For more mundane uses of cargo containers, please contact pack n send for both cargo shipping and freight preparation at 713 266 1450.
Posted on Fri, Jul 02, 2010
The Los Angeles Times has reported that clerical workers went on strike at several terminals in both Los Angeles Long beach. These workers are responsible for critical paperwork for ocean cargo in California.
While the ports are fully functioning, there have been some picketing by workers at the port.
An arbitrator declared that the strike was improper and ordered the employees back to work.
The clerks who have walked off their jobs are responsible for export paperwork as well as transport documentation.
This job action along with the governor call for minimum wage for all California state employees not currently under contract, could set a double whammy for the already beleaguered economy in California.
Other ports around the nation that handle freight and cargo shipping have not been affected by this labor dispute.
For information on shipping freight and cargo from the Port of Houston, please contact pack n send at 713 266 1450.
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Posted on Wed, Jun 30, 2010
Is Manufacturing Coming Back to the U.S.?
Why is pack n send posting this article on our website? If it costs us more to do business with China, it will be more expensive to import Chinese goods. If the US can pick up on this, we should be able to manufacture more in the US. This should enable the US to not only to manufacture more goods, but also export more goods to other countries! This will be good for not only pack n send, but other companies that prepare freight, and ship freight to other countries.
By Jack Stack Article from New York Times
June 23, 2010
If you haven't been paying attention to the news lately, you might have missed some interesting developments: the Chinese government has started allowing the value of its currency to fluctuate, and Chinese workers have begun striking in efforts to increase their wages. Both of those developments are likely to increase the cost of manufacturing in China, and here's another newsflash: the costs of shipping containers are also going up. Fast.
Steve Crowder, the president of GuildMaster, an SRC affiliate that manufacturers and sells accent furniture, told me that the costs of overseas shipping containers have increased by 30 percent since the beginning of May - increasing from $4,000 a container to $5,200. And that doesn't fully account for the fuel surcharges that logistics and shipping companies have begun tacking on to take advantage of all the goods needed for an expected surge in demand for the upcoming holiday shopping season. The reason I point out these stories is that I'm seeing an emerging trend: the increasing cost of doing business in China.
The upside of such a trend, of course, is that more and more companies like GuildMaster are taking a second look at United States manufacturers, something that's being called "near-sourcing."
Personally, I've always seen off-shore manufacturing as a significant risk to a company's cash flow, something not enough people pay attention to. It used to be cheap and easy to borrow the money to finance off-shore manufacturing, but that's changed. Consider this example: Let's say you want to order a batch of widgets from a manufacturer in China that's charging 50 percent less than a manufacturer here in the United States. The price may be good, but you have to wire the money up front to pay for your order. Then you wait - up to 90 days while your product is produced and shipped across the ocean.
When you finally get the product to your customer - let's say it's a big-box retailer - you then have to wait up to 90 days before you get your money. Think about that. The time between when you lay out your money to your manufacturer and when you finally receive a payment from your customer can be as long as 180 days. So, you might wait up to 225 days before you get your money back. That's a long time and a serious drain on cash flow. And that's assuming everything goes well. It's also possible that your product won't sell and your big-box client will return it. If that happens, you're stuck holding more inventory and waiting to get paid for it, possibly until the following season.
But let's look at this scenario from a different angle. Suppose you choose to hire a domestic manufacturer instead of one in China. Now, rather than paying up front, you may well be able to negotiate terms where you pay your supplier 60 days after you receive your product - which amounts to a 60-day, interest-free loan. Ideally, you end up paying your supplier at just about the same time you receive your payment from your customer.
The shorter supply chain also comes into play in a big way if you run into a quality problem or a shipping delay or if you have the happy problem of needing more product to meet customer demand. Several big-box retailers will penalize you if they sell out of your product and you can't resupply them immediately - what's known as a "stockout."
When you source your product from China, and need to wait up to 90 days for each order, you have to carry extra inventory as stock-out protection - another big hit to your cash flow. When you use a domestic supplier, you can turn to FedEx or UPS to solve your problem overnight. That means you don't have to carry as much extra inventory.
With a long supply chain, an entrepreneur faces tough choices because the company's cash is tied up with suppliers and customers. With credit still tight, companies can end up struggling to cover the inevitable cash shortfalls that come from growth. Some companies resort to doing things like factoring - borrowing off their accounts receivable at interest rates that can top 20 percent - or bringing in outside investors and private equity money, decisions that cut into either net income or equity.
Then there are companies like Springfield Spring in Springfield, Mass., an open-book company founded in 1942 that makes precision-engineered springs and clips. Norman Rodrigues, the company's chief executive, says that domestic small businesses have long underestimated the true cost of manufacturing overseas, but he believes those costs are now becoming clearer.
"Six years ago, everyone was falling over themselves to get into China to save money and maximize what they called their ‘shareholder value,'" Mr. Rodrigues told me. "But, when you begin to add up the cost of freight, the aggravation of delays, the lack of quality control, and the money you need to invest relative to cash flow, you're starting to see people in the boardrooms of the big corporations reconsider that decision."
Of course, we don't have the same manufacturing base here that we used to. And, for certain products, off-shoring might still make sense. But, given the advantages that a domestic manufacturer can give its customers, like just-in-time delivery and better quality controls, maybe we'll see more opportunities for new businesses to take root in the United States in the near future.
Pack n send already makes our custom crates for shipping in our ware house. That way, each crate is specifically prepared to fit the individual order.
For freight and cargo shipping please visit our website at http://www.pack-n-send.com/. We have listed the countries that we ship to. Or, you can call us at 713 266 1450