When the widening and deepening of the Panama Canal is completed next year, it will allow significantly larger cargo container ships — known as “Panamax” ships — to pass from the Atlantic to the Pacific. But representatives of the union representing tugboat pilots working in the canal say one particular stretch known as the Gaillard … Read more
One of the unintended side effects of the rapid growth of digital communications and affordable Internet-accessible devices is a rise in electronic waste, or eWaste. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, in the period between 1999 and 2009, the number of electronic devices sold in the US doubled from about 215 million to 438 … Read more
In an effort to attract more cargo container ships, port operators in Seattle and nearby Tacoma announced that they were forming a strategic alliance that would unify their cargo terminal management. “We must make it clear that this is not a merger,” said Tara Mattina, a spokeswoman for the Port of Tacoma. Instead, the new … Read more
One word that definitely can’t be used to describe workers at one Australian workplace is “patient”. Frustrated that a car had been parked while apparently blocking a driveway, rather than waiting for a tow truck, some frustrated and outraged workers used a forklift to lift the vehicle out of the way. The forklift listed the … Read more
Here is a special sneak preview of some of the stories you will find on the Bahrns blog this week: You’ve heard about e-Commerce, e-Mail and probably even e-Learning. But what about e-Waste? It’s a growing problem that could put people at risk, especially children. We’ll tell you why … The US Postal Service is … Read more
Longshoremen, stevedores and other dock workers at at West Coast ports have been working without a contract since June and while collective bargaining continues with dock owners, the two sides appear to be drifting further apart. Earlier this month, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) issued a statement claiming the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) … Read more
With the US economy finally shaking off the effects of the Great Recession, retailers, manufacturers and industry leaders are hoping today’s Black Friday sales will mark the beginning of the first blockbuster holiday shopping season since the mid-2000s. All signs are positive so far, according to the National Retail Federation. Holiday sales have grown by … Read more
The European forklift manufacturer Kion recently announced plans to move more aggressively to capture a larger share of the North American forklift market. To mark the company’s effort, executives held a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside Kion’s existing North American headquarters in Summerville, South Carolina. While the act have been symbolic, executives are dead serious about the … Read more
Wax coatings are being used less frequently in corrugated packaging, according to a new study released recently. Waxed corrugated packaging accounted for just 3% of all volume last year. Since wax usage as first tracked in 2002, wax coated corrugated packaging has dropped 39%. This dramatic decrease is attributed to a wider availability of recyclable … Read more
Beginning at the end of next month, both UPS and FedEx will change the way they charge for most packaging. Rather than using the traditional weight-plus-distance formula that has been in use since the 1930s, both carriers will use dimensional pricing — or “dim pricing” — to calculate how much it will cost to ship … Read more
