Earthblog

by Angela Cavallari Walker

In the wake of Haiti's deadly earthquake on January 12, 2010, an estimated three million people are in need of food, water and medical supplies. The unconfirmed homeless rate is anywhere from 200,000 to 1.5 million, says the American Red Cross. So far, fundraising campaigns have been successful, but that is just the first step of many when it comes to the tedious task of delivering these products into the hands of those in dire need.

Logistics volunteer organizations such as the American Logistics Aid Networks or ALAN play a critical role in the herculean effort to get these items into areas ravished by disaster. ALAN acts as the primary contact for donated products, equipment, and services such as warehousing, material handling, and transportation. The non-profit organization was founded in response to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Back then, there was not a system in place to communicate and distribute disaster donations to areas most impacted by devastation. “I saw most of the relief groups have things that they did not expect to arrive," says ALAN President, John Menzies. ALAN developed a system using an Aidmatrix platform that enables both state federal relief agencies to post supply chain needs. The portal matches NGO needs to ALAN sponsors and volunteers. An NGO or a non-governmental agency refers to any group with no representation of government. “As an organization we want to support a specific need by an NGO," says Menzies.

Currently, military and government agencies control most of the supplies that go in and out of Haiti.  Menzies describes Haiti's logistical status as a pull situation rather than a push. For Haiti, the real challenge right now is priority setting and getting supplies there. Overall, Menzies has been pleased with the progress in Haiti as donations continue to flow in through product matches. “We''ve helped our NGOs connect and helped some people on the ground by enabling relationships to get things done.”

Click here to view and track the logistical progress of these supplies delivered to Haiti

Tags: Haiti | logistics | operations | air freight | shipping

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The Peach State can expect the logistics business to keep on trucking, according to a new study. Independent research firm GrowthEconomics Inc. ranked Atlanta fifth among the largest logistics employers in the U.S., and outlined reasons for continued upward trending in Georgia this year. The state’s tremendous stretches of roadway, high-volume seaports and the world’s busiest airport are big factors for growth.

The 92-page report takes a look at Georgia’s 21,200 miles of highway that supports over one million trucks each week. Savannah''s container terminal shipped over 2,616 million tons of TEUs last year making it the third largest terminal in the nation. Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport handles approximately 53,700 metric tons of cargo and more than 60,000 metric tons of mail on airliners and cargo aircraft operated by 19 different companies.

Atlanta-based logistics firm SBC Fulfillment, which provides warehousing, packaging, logistics, and fulfillment services to businesses, is poised to take advantage of new opportunities in Georgia. President and CEO of SBC, Brian Schoenbachler says, “I think that people are just now starting to think of Georgia as a larger center of logistics.” Schoenbacheler hopes that Savannah’s major international shipping port continues to play a key role in the support and expansion of Georgia’s logistics market and industry.

The videos of the presentations from the 2009 Georgia Annual Logistics Summit held on April 16^th are now available for viewing online.  The direct link to the videos is:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid21135945001

Each presenter is recorded separately so you may view any or all of the presentations in the order that you choose.  To access copies of the presentation slides as well

As the full logistics report go to: http://logistics.georgiainnovation.org/documents/list and select the folder “2009 Georgia Logistics Summit.”

Tags: supply chain | georgia | air freight | export | import

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In a statement from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) last week, the effect of the global economic slowdown was clearly seen when they announced a 13.5% drop in international cargo movement in November. Air freight moves 35% of products internationally and a 13.5% drop is the largest since 2001.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced results for November showing a 4.6% drop in international passenger traffic and a 13.5% drop in international cargo. International capacity dropped by 1.0%. The November international passenger load factors stood at 72.7% which is a decline of approximately 3 percentage points over the same month last year.

“The 13.5% drop in international cargo is shocking. As air cargo handles 35% of the value of goods traded internationally, it clearly shows the rapid fall in global trade and the broadening impact of the economic slowdown. By comparison, this is largest drop since 2001, in the aftermath of September 11,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

Tags: air freight

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