The major lanes between Houston/LA (I-10 Corridor), Chicago/Ohio, NJ/Eastern PA, and Atlanta remains the same with ample capacity however lead times have shortened. Cargo flows and ship calls are rebounding in China. Savannah / Brunswick are predicting import cargo decrease by 40% in March and April from 2019 levels. Port of Virginia estimates cargo lost in February thru April at 44,000 ctrs ~11% decline. Ohio container ramps are some of the worst impacted. MORE

As reported by The Seattle Times , “Amazon will fly its latest Boeing 767 widebody jet freighter, publicly revealing the new ‘Prime Air’ branded livery of its fast-growing fleet of used cargo planes” at today’s Seafair aerial display over Lake Washington near Seattle. Here are some excerpts from the article: Amazon already is operating a fleet of 10 Boeing 767 freighters, flying daily out of its air hub in Wilmington, Ohio. MORE

Amazon’s model, now backed by a fleet of branded semitrailers and cargo planes, will push more inventory through the supply chain and increase Amazon’s purchasing power. The fleet of planes based in Ohio gives the company more control of the last mile, and lower costs through practices like cross-docking. The advantage for Google here is that it can keep adding new partners without worrying about inventory carrying costs. MORE

Ocean Cargo Updates. Cargo flows and ship calls are rebounding in China as the situation normalizes. The reopening of factories in China would see a gradual return of demand, but Alphaliner noted in a recent newsletter that cargo volume recovery was expected to take a few weeks. Savannah and Brunswick are predicting an import cargo decrease by 40% in March and April from 2019 levels. to Asia export bookings, especially in markets with low container inventory. MORE

When the expanded Panama Canal opened this June, a new set of routes became available for shippers and beneficial cargo owners (BCOs). Cargo can enter the country via East coast or West coast ports depending on variables such as the type of product being shipped. The preferred amount of inventory held on ships and trucks depends on constraints such as the value of the cargo. If high-value items are being shipped, it’s important to minimize inventory levels. MORE

In higher-traffic markets, Advance Auto Parts has “hub” stores that keep more inventory in-stock to give customers what they need when they need it. Bed Bath & Beyond is also implementing inventory reduction strategies and is on track for a 5% reduction year-over-year by the end of the current fiscal year. Foot Locker @footlocker Foot Locker makes it easy for customers to shop the way they want to shop by improving inventory visibility. MORE

One manifestation of this problem is that multiple ports on the east coast are deepening their approach channels in order to attract bigger cargo ships. The State of Ohio, for example, is buffering its PPE inventories, for example. Supply chain professionals know that risk pooling – where vital global inventories are co-managed as a common resource – is critical in maximizing the impact of a scarce commodity. MORE