RSI’s Transportation Insights

Channeling Shippers

  

  

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Supply and demand can be argued to be the backbone of the world's economies.  And where there's a need – there's also a need to deliver.  Since it's been a while since a lot of us have been tested on economics 101, here's a brief tutelage on the subject courtesy of investopedia.com:

Demand refers to how much (quantity) of a product or service is desired by buyers. The quantity demanded is the amount of a product people are willing to buy at a certain price; the relationship between price and quantity demanded is known as the demand relationship. Supply represents how much the market can offer. The quantity supplied refers to the amount of a certain good producers are willing to supply when receiving a certain price. The correlation between price and how much of a good or service is supplied to the market is known as the supply relationship. Price, therefore, is a reflection of supply and demand.

Transporting the Foundation of International Economies 

As mentioned earlier in the post – where there's a demand for supplies – there's a need to deliver those very supplies, tangible or not.  Supplies are transported in a variety of ways.  The Open Road is of course the concrete-laden channel for commercial vehicles to transport hundreds of millions of dollars worth of goods and services year in and year out. Planes and trains shoulder a large amount of commercial transport responsibilities as well.  And there there are ships....

Ships and the National Strategy for Supply Chain Strategy

Ships are such an important channel of delivering the worlds' supplies to those countries, organizations, and people in demand, that President Obama spoke to this transportation channel's very importance in his announcement of the “National Strategy for Supply Chain Security.” 

Straight from the White House

According to logisticsmgmt.com, “the White House highlights the fact that “International trade has been and continues to be a powerful engine of United States and global economic growth.  In recent years, communications technology advances and trade barrier and production cost reductions have contributed to global capital market expansion and new economic opportunity.  The global supply chain system that supports this trade is essential to the United States’ economy and security and is a critical global asset.

The White House said that the U.S Departments of State and Homeland Security will endeavor on a six month engagement period with the international community and industry stakeholders to solicit feedback and specific recommendations for how to implement the strategy in a cost effective and collaborative manner, with a focus on things like refining the nation’s understanding of global supply chain threats and risks over land, air, and sea, among others.”
(source: http://www.logisticsmgmt.com/article/white_house_is_focused_on_supply_chain_security.) 
 
Straight STRAIGHT from the White House

The White House released the following fact sheet following President Obama's speech on National Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security.
 
- National Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security, 2012
 
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/01/25/fact-sheet-national-strategy-global-supply-chain-security