It is no surprise that Apple is always two steps ahead of the competition. It seems when a new product is unveiled, without question, all other brands follow suit. But when it comes to Apple’s supply chain intricacy, the brand is stuck between publicity and the necessity of secrecy.

SCM World completed their Supply Chain Officer Study this past summer and found that China was ranked as the number one country for growth opportunities by a wide margin. At the same time, it was fifth on executives' list of countries considered too risky to do business in.

When it comes to investing in your international supply chain, awareness is key. Don’t forget to register for the complimentary Logistics Management webinar featuring Amber Road and Aberdeen Group, Domestic vs. International Supply Chain Performance Gap: Uncovering the Investment Disparity, this Wednesday, November 19th at 2:00pm ET.

As the world’s largest exporter and second largest importer, China offers many trade opportunities for companies. However, significant challenges still exist, making it difficult to conduct China global trade share.

With China being an attractive location for sourcing and manufacturing goods, it's crucial to understand the impact of cross-border documentation, licensing requirements, and export compliance with local regulations on supply chain performance.

The increased complexity and multi-party nature of global supply chains has led to longer lead times, more in-transit and multi-channel inventory, and the need to control downstream and upstream logistics.

The November issue of World Trade 100, “Technology Pushes Supply Chain Agility,” discusses the ever-present threat of technology disrupters in the businesses arena and how they are challenging supply chains to become more flexible. PwC surveyed 1,500 business and IT executives and concluded that while executives are aware they operate in a disruptive global business community, they are still concerned by inevitable technology disrupters. For this reason, global supply chains must be agile and ready to reconfigure themselves to operate to a new set of business initiatives with the click of a button. 

On September 12, the United States imposed a new round of sanctions against Russia prohibiting U.S. companies from exporting goods, services, or technology to Russian defense and energy companies. Last year, the U.S. exported over $400 million worth of oilfield equipment to Russia. Consequently, the new round of sanctions has greatly affected the oil and gas compliance industry, including suspending a $20 billion joint venture between Exxon and Rosneft, Russia’s state-controlled oil company. 

Ensuring St. Nick Stays Safe

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house...

You have everything in place for a wonderful morning of holiday gift-giving and memories to be made.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care…

So you settle down with a mug of warm cocoa, light the log in the fireplace, and unwind from the hustle and bustle of the holiday. 

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter…

I thought, “Uh, oh. What is that noise out there?  Kids messing around with my 6 foot inflatable Abominable Snowman? Someone on their way home from a party?”  

According to Aberdeen Research, international shipment costs twice as much, takes five times as long and has five times the lead time variability of a domestic shipment.  In light of these facts, a 1% improvement in international supply chain efficiency will obviously yield a far greater return than a 1% improvement in domestic supply chain efficiency.

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