The ONE Apus, operated by Ocean Network Express (Japan), is a 14,000 TEU containership built in 2019. In November 2020, while en route to the port of Long Beach in California, encountered adverse weather in the middle of the Pacific, 1,600 nautical miles northwest of Hawaii. This route is part
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Participation level in global value chains (new)
Added a new page discussing a categorization of how countries participate in global value chains. This classification is coming from the 2020 World Development Report. The core issue is the difference between backward participation having outputs created by previous stages in the value chain and forward participation producing goods used
Continue readingParticipation Level in Global Value Chains
Source: World Bank (2020) World Development Report 2020: Trading for Development in the Age of Global Value Chains, Washington: World Bank. Supply chains and the supporting manufacturing and distribution tend to be sequential, implying a hierarchy of the involved locations. Countries can participate in global value chains in various ways
Cross-docking distribution center (update)
Since it is the holiday season, it is worth noting that the capability of large retail stores to be supplied relies on cross-docking distribution centers. Orders coming from several suppliers or distribution centers can be sorted so that each individual store receives customized orders. For e-commerce, the cross-docking principle (sortation
Continue readingTypes of freight facilities (update)
Updated a page describing the main freight facilities, which come into five main categories. Each facility is a combination of the functions of fabrication, storage, and distribution. Types of Freight Facilities | The Geography of Transport Systems (transportgeography.org)
Continue readingRetail logistics and e-commerce (update)
Updated a page discussing the main differences between conventional retail and e-commerce. Since e-commerce is distributional consumption, logistics plays a more important role than standard retail, which is accessibility-based consumption. Retail Logistics and E-commerce | The Geography of Transport Systems (transportgeography.org)
Continue readingTypes of manufacturing clusters (update)
Updated a page presenting the three major types of clusters supporting manufacturing activities. The propensity to cluster has characterized manufacturing from artisan guild towns of the Middle Ages to contemporary logistics zones. Types of Manufacturing Clusters | The Geography of Transport Systems (transportgeography.org)
Continue readingBasic location factors (update)
Updated a page discussing location factors and location theory. Three scales of locational analysis are considered: the socioeconomic environment (macro), accessibility (meso), and the site (micro). Basic Location Factors | The Geography of Transport Systems (transportgeography.org)
Continue readingThe dawn of containerization (new)
Added a new page showing global container port activity in 1970, which is pretty much the oldest year where statistics are available (1968 was the year that the TEU became a standard). At that time container shipping was strongly oriented around direct trade partners with the United States. The Dawn
Continue readingThe Dawn of Containerization: 1970
Source: Containerization International. The first containerized shipping services were established in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. There were no specific container size standards, with the most prevalent form being the 35-foot container. By 1968, a standard was reached, defining 20-foot and 40-foot containers as the