Supply Chain Research

The recent round of hearings by the USTR on proposed 25% duties covering $200 billion of Chinese exports have highlighted the risk of unintended consequences. For example the CEO of the Virginia Ports Authority, John Reinhart, has flagged the likely increase in investment costs to support containerized freight growth. That will impact export traffic costs as well as those for imports. U.S. imports of static cranes from China climbed 73% on a year earlier to reach 43% of the total $190 million of shipments. In any event the likely outcome is a shift to other overseas suppliers, shown by p...