Category Archives: Global Contexts

Mexico auto exports to Brazil capped to settle a trade spat

Posted on March 18, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (March 16,2012) describes Mexican auto exports growing to 20% of all imports into Brazil. Recent agreements between the countries have planned an auto import limit of $1.6 billion, down from the current $2.1 … Continue reading →

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The supply chain impact of minimum wage increases in China, Vietnam and Indonesia

Posted on March 18, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (March 14,2012) describes the impact of wage increases in China on Charming Shoppes, owner of the Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug and Catherine labels. In addition to wage increases, the company realized that 60% … Continue reading →

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Sharp’s delivery delays and Samsung’s competitiveness with Apple

Posted on March 18, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (March 14, 2012) describes delivery delays for Sharp’s LCD screens for the new iPad.  The new screens were planned to be higher resolution with lower energy consumption. This makes Apple depend on Samsung … Continue reading →

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India, China trade flows and market access

Posted on March 6, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (Feb 27,2012) describes the 43 billion dollars of exports from China to India and the 10 billion exports from India to China. This trade imbalance has resulted in 46 complaints by India to the WTO about … Continue reading →

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Elpida bankruptcy and supply chain competitiveness

Posted on March 6, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (Feb 29, 2012) describes the bankruptcy of Elpida, a Japanese DRAM chip manufacturer. Falling PC volumes, competition from South Korean manufacturers have caused prices to drop 85%. With the Japanese govt reluctant to … Continue reading →

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GM, Peugeot Alliance

Posted on March 6, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (Feb 29,2012) describes a decision by General Motors to invest in 7% of Peugeot, creating an alliance. The associated $125 billion spend of the two companies is expected to deliver synergies in the … Continue reading →

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California’s Supply Chain Transparency Act and Enforcement

Posted on March 6, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (Feb 27,2012) describes the California Supply Chain Transperancy Act requiring retailers with more than $100 million in sales to ensure that their supply chains do not involve slave labor. But  the article reports allegations of slave … Continue reading →

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Mexico’s gain at China’s rising cost expense ?

Posted on February 6, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (Feb 6, 2012) describes data that trains and trucks carried 9 % more freight last year from Mexico to the US, while container traffic from Asia dropped 0.2 %. As we have heard … Continue reading →

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Manufacturer “bonus depreciation” rules and impact

Posted on February 6, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (Feb 3, 2012) describes the “bonus depreciation” rule that permits capital investments to be treated as costs for the current year and thus subsidizes equipment purchases.  The impact is to incentivize capital investments … Continue reading →

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Asian container flow to the East Coast, Panama canal width and Long Beach

Posted on February 6, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Economist (Jan 28, 2012) describes the impact of increased Panama Canal width to handle large ships and the consequent container shipments to the East Coast being sent directly to East Coast ports, rather than being shipped … Continue reading →

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