This is a guest post by Timothy Clark.

When you think about a country’s top export, what comes to your mind? It probably creates and connects mental images of Italy and pasta, Belgium and chocolates, China and silk, Brazil and coffee beans, or Ireland and ale. But did you know that there’s a long list, and a rather staggering one, of some other products you’d probably never suspect to be global merchandise?

Today, we take a look at some of the world’s most bizarre exports – surprising products that countries send abroad. On this list, you can expect to find goods like wolf urine, bovine semen, binoculars, camel steaks, and cocoons – you know, basic life necessities.

Australia’s Alternative to Pork and Beef

Move over, beef. Australia brings camel steak to dinner tables across the world. Camel meat is promoted as not only a healthier, low cholesterol alternative to beef but also one that is environmentally friendly. Concerning the latter, camels are considered a pest in Australia. More than a million of them were left to roam Australia’s vast interior. The animals are breeding at a rate so high that it doubles the Australian population every nine years and negatively impacts the environment. This led to the marksmen culling hundreds of thousands of them.

But one country’s trash is another country’s treasure. The news of camel culls reached the Middle East and African countries. This then influenced their demand for lean camel meat and fat-rich milk. Many of these countries consider camel meat a delicacy, so the growth opportunities were enormous. Thus, the region’s meat exporters called on the government to invest money formerly directed for culling in subsidizing freight shipping costs.

What Do Binoculars and Bovine Semen Have in Common?

Sounds like one of those fun brain teasers, doesn’t it? I promise you – it’s not. These items score the Great White North millions of dollars in exports. Canada is a well-known exporter of crude oil, gold, cars, automotive parts and accessories, sawn wood, etc. Yet there are some other, a bit quirkier, product items that leave the country and land for other nations.

For instance, binoculars may be regarded as archaic items. Still, Bahrain readily splashes out an amazing $2.9 million on these annually. What is more, Canada and the US dominate the international bull sperm market. Iran is one of the many countries that are hankering to get their hands on these countries’ bull DNA. The country spends an incredible $976,000 per year. Why, you might ask? American cows have some of the best milk production rates across the globe. Namely, they produce more than 21,000 pounds of milk per cow in the year 2012 alone.

Indonesia Hops to it with Frog Legs

Another of the world’s strangest exports is frog legs for consumption as food. Indonesia is the largest exporter of the stuff. And let me tell you, the French do love their frog legs. Statistics say that they are ready to pay for the 4,000 tons a year. So, the limbs of somewhere between eighty and two hundred million frogs per year are caught in Indonesian forests, are then shipped via air freight to Europe to eventually end up on French plates. Conservationists fear, however, that the insatiable demand for frogs’ legs could seriously impair local frog populations in Asia. For this reason, they are calling for the EU to limit frog imports. But this has not stopped France from being the leading frogs’ legs importer.

Silkworm Cocoons

Silkworm cocoons are a huge moneymaker for Turkey. The tiny cocoons of the silkworm are used for beauty treatments as well as producing silk and jewelry.

And Turkey is the largest supplier, exporting an estimated $532 thousand worth of these tiny cocoons in 2017, mainly to China, the biggest exporter of raw silk.

Wolf Urine, Anyone?

Many researchers expressed the past decade’s deer population increase in Japan is out of control, wreaking havoc with transport systems and farmland. By 2013, the number of accidents caused by this ungulate had more than doubled in the northernmost of Japan’s four main islands, Hokkaido. As a result, Japan’s transport officials decided to take drastic action.

The wolf urine turned out to be a powerful communicator to some animals, including ungulates. If the scent of an apex predator at the top of the Northern Hemisphere food chain is around, these animals want to be as far away as possible. It marks its territory. For this reason, the US began exporting the urine to Japan. The country then used it to spray near the island’s highways and transportation routes. Talking about the world’s most bizarre exports, right?

June 13^th Is Hawksbills’ Day

The hawksbill sea turtles are truly remarkable creatures. But their population has declined more than 80% during the last century, chiefly due to the international trade in their stunning shell for ornamental purposes. The carapace (shell) of the hawksbills is used for arts and crafts, primarily for the making of combs, brushes, jewelry, and inlay in decorative pieces of furniture and others. The species was on the verge of extinction. Today, however, there is a ban on the tortoiseshell trade.

Take New Zealand, for instance. In former times, it was one of the biggest importers of tortoiseshells. Nowadays, travelers who own any tortoise or sea turtle shell jewelry and ornaments or business companies looking to export these items will need a special permit to bring them inside the country’s borders. Also, if you’re looking to relocate to this country trouble-free, there are two things you will need to do: find a good international moving company [though Universal Cargo focuses on helping businesses import or export goods, even bizarre ones] and familiarize yourself with your new country’s laws.

Kazakhstan Exports Radioactive Chemicals

The final place on our list of the world’s most bizarre exports belongs to Kazakhstan.  Kazakhstan is the world’s largest exporter of Radioactive Chemicals, and they’re right next to petroleum and refined copper. According to the OEC, Kazakhstan exported an estimated $1.71B worth of these potent materials overseas. This made them one of the most exported products in Kazakhstan that same year. Some of the main destinations include China ($504M), Russia ($427M), Canada ($272M), South Korea ($160M), and France ($157M).

This was a guest post by Timothy Clark.

Author Bio

Timothy Clark has been working as a freelance writer from 2007 to 2015, when he finally got into travel journalism. This was his dream job as he not only got to travel around the globe, but was also paid to do it. Years of learning about the world, meeting beautiful people, exploring different cultures and histories, and trying different cuisines got him interested in the shipping industry as one of the oldest industries in the world.

The post The World’s Most Bizarre Exports appeared first on Universal Cargo.

“This is a crisis: unless the Shipping Act and other tools available to our government are applied promptly, agriculture industries will continue to suffer great financial losses; these carrier practices will render US agriculture noncompetitive for years to come,” they write in their letter.

The associations, federations, and commissions that put their names to the letter aren’t wrong either. Despite a gamut of questionable actions by carriers during the course of the pandemic from using their alliances to drop capacity below market demand to charging no-roll premiums, which I argued were paramount to holding shippers’ cargo for ransom, what carriers are doing to U.S. agricultural exporters seems to be the most damaging.

Back in November, I opened a blog post questioning the legality of what carriers are doing to U.S. agricultural exporters with the frank statement, “U.S. agricultural exporters are getting screwed.” It was because of that post the letter agricultural exporters wrote to the president first came to my attention. After reading the post, reporter William Schulz sent the letter to me and requested I comment, specifically asking if the exporters raised a valid concern.

“I believe exporters are raising a very valid concern,” I replied before briefly laying out the situation of what’s happening to agricultural exporters and why I think their concerns are valid.

Overview of What Carriers Are Doing to Shippers Through Pandemic

Here’s how I laid out the situation for Mr. Shulz:

“For years, I’ve been warning that the carrier alliances, which regulators around the world like the FMC have allowed, shrink competition in the ocean freight industry and would eventually result in shippers paying higher rates. We really saw that come to fruition in 2020 when carriers manipulated capacity, dropping it below demand, and pushing freight rates way up. That may not be as completely nefarious as it sounds, as I don’t think anyone expected demand to soar as high as it did with lockdowns and government stimulus moving so much spending to goods. It’s still hard to believe carriers did not go beyond what was reasonable, especially when they started pushing no-roll premiums on shippers when carriers’ reliability reached terrible lows despite the record high rates they were charging.

“On top of that, the incredible amount of blanked sailings carriers did in the first half of 2020 began a shipping container shortage, particularly in Asia, by not properly reallocating containers. That was exacerbated by the very high demand for international shipping that was seen all through the second half of the year and beyond. That’s all bad for U.S. shippers, including agricultural exporters, but here’s where U.S. agricultural exporters really have a complaint: carriers withholding shipping containers and services from them. It seems pretty clear that carriers prioritized getting shipping containers back to Asia, where they were making more money on eastbound transpacific routes, delivering goods from China to the U.S. especially, over getting containers to U.S. exporters. Rather than shipping containers full of U.S. agricultural goods to Asia, they shipped empty containers back to Asia, seriously damaging U.S. agricultural exporters’ ability to ship their goods.”

Full Letter to the President

Here’s the full letter the agricultural exporters wrote to the president, including the list of all 71 groups behind it:

February 24, 2021
President Joseph R. Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Biden,

As is being widely reported, one of the great commercial challenges of the on-going pandemic has been actions of ocean container carriers, including declining to carry our export cargo, severely injuring US agriculture, food and forestry product exporters, preventing us from delivering affordably and dependably to international markets. This is a crisis: unless the Shipping Act and other tools available to our government are applied promptly, agriculture industries will continue to suffer great financial losses; these carrier practices will render US agriculture noncompetitive for years to come.

According to their own public reports, the ocean carriers are enjoying their most profitable period in decades by controlling capacity and charging unprecedented freight rates, imposing draconian fees on our exporters and importers, and frequently refusing to carry U.S. agricultural exports.

These refusals and charges by the ocean carriers dramatically increase costs to our exporters, making foreign sales inefficient and uneconomical, rendering farmers and processors (for the first time), unreliable suppliers to the global supply chain. The international ocean container carriers which carry over 99% of our foreign commerce, are headquartered overseas – perhaps unaware of the injury their actions are causing to the US economy, as they profit from the pandemic.

The situation is so egregious that the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) last year issued a Rule setting forth guidelines as to what would be reasonable carrier practices – however, none have been implemented by the carriers, deepening the crisis. While the FMC is undertaking further efforts to gain compliance, the damage being done to our agriculture and forest products industries is severe, increasing, and with lost foreign markets, may be irreversible.

The Shipping Act provides the FMC with the authority to prohibit unreasonable, unjust practices, and “to promote the growth and development of US exports through competitive and efficient ocean transportation…’. Given the urgency of this situation in commerce, we ask that these tools and any others available to our government be immediately applied to stem the current ocean carrier practices that are so damaging our agriculture exports.

Sincerely,

1. Agriculture Transportation Coalition
2. African-American Farmers of California
3. Agricultural & Food Transporters Conference of ATA (American Trucking Association)
4. Almond Alliance of California
5. American Farm Bureau Federation
6. American Feed Industry Association
7. American Forest & Paper Association
8. American Potato Trade Alliance
9. American Pulse Association
10. California Seed Trade Association
11. California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association
12. California Farm Bureau Federation
13. California Fresh Fruit Association
14. California Prune Board
15. California Rice Commission
16. California Walnut Commission
17. Cascade Shippers Association
18. Colorado Corn Growers Association
19. Consumer Brands Association
20. Corn Refiners Association
21. Dairy Farmers of America
22. DairyAmerica Inc.
23. Harbor Trucking Association
24. Hardwood Federation
25. Idaho Potato Commission
26. Intermodal Motor Carriers Conference of ATA
27. International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses
28. International Dairy Foods Association
29. Leather and Hide Council of America
30. Meat Import Council of America
31. National Association of Egg Farmers
32. National Chicken Council
33. National Cotton Council
34. National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
35. National Fisheries Institute
36. National Hay Association
37. National Milk Producers Federation
38. National Onion Association
39. National Pork Producers Council
40. National Turkey Federation
41. Nisei Farmers League
42. North American Meat Institute
43. North American Renderers Assiciation
44. North Dakota Grain Growers Association
45. Oregon Potato Commission
46. Oregon Seed Association
47. Pacific Coast Council of Customs Brokers & Freight Forwarders Association
48. Pacific Northwest Asia Shippers Association
49. Pet Food Institute
50. Potato Growers of Michigan, Inc.
51. Potato Growers of Washington, Inc.
52. Produce Marketing Association
53. Specialty Crop Trade Council
54. Specialty Soya & Grains Alliance
55. U.S. Apple Association
56. U.S. Dairy Export Council
57. U.S. Meat Export Federation
58. U.S. Pea and Lentil Trade Association
59. United Fresh Produce Association
60. United States Cattlemen’s Association
61. US Forage Export Council
62. USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council
63. USA Poultry & Egg Export Council
64. USA Rice
65. Washington Farm Beaureau
66. Washington State Hay Growers Association
67. Washington State Potato Commission
68. Western Agricultural Processors Association
69. Western Growers Association
70. Wine and Spirits Shippers Association
71. Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association

CC:  Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack

        Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation, Peter Buttigieg

        Chair, Council of Economic Advisors, Cecilia Rouse

        Chair, Federal Maritime Commission Michael Khouri

The post US Ag Exporters Urge President Biden Take Action Against Ocean Freight Carriers’ Practices appeared first on Universal Cargo.

Luckily, there are some positive international shipping stories in the middle of this COVID-19 pandemic. And I’m not just talking about projections of surges when we get past this crisis stage.

Here are two such good news stories.

MSC Offers New Storage Service that Could Help Shippers & Reduce Congestion at Ports

INNOVATION, MSC SANTHYA < KRVE 34 & MSC GAYANÉ — Flickr image by kees torn

Let’s give MSC a positive spotlight as its coming off the negative one after being the first major carrier to run afoul of the new IMO 2020.

With a service they call “Suspension of Transit” (SOT), MSC is opening space in some of its terminals around the world for shippers to store containers of goods during this pandemic.

Gavin van Marle reports in a Loadstar article:

As consumer demand in Europe and North America drops off a cliff, fears have grown among logistics operators of an impending container congestion crisis at import destinations as shipments arranged before widespread social lockdowns have continued towards their destinations.

Sorry, sometimes you have to go through the bad news to give the context for the good news. Here’s where van Marle gets to the good news:

In response, MSC has introduced a suspension of transit (SOT) programme to help shippers and their freight service providers prevent container exports out of Asia building up at ports, by offering terminal yard storage capacity.

The line has secured capacity at some of its terminals at six ports – Bremerhaven in Germany, Busan in South Korea, King Abdullah Port in Saudi Arabia, Lome in Togo, Rodman PSA Panama International in Panama and Tekirdag Asyaport in Turkey.

Its customers can store laden containers there until port operations at import terminals are able to resume processing them.

Obviously, U.S. shippers would likely want to see U.S. ports where MSC owns terminals on the above list of ports where MSC is offering this service. But there are U.S. shippers who move goods all over the world, who could be directly affected by this.

MSC creating this service may also lead to the company expanding SOT to their U.S. terminals as well as other carriers, terminal operators, and companies with yard space at the ports to offer similar services.

The big thing is that there’s potential with this service and others like it if others follow suit to prevent or reduce congestion at ports and save shippers money in demurrage and detention fees, warehousing costs, and trucking costs during this pandemic. And maybe, it could lead to similar services moving forward after this crisis passes.

It should be specifically noted that this is a new service from MSC, not an act of charity; the storage is not being given away free. But that’s okay. Businesses seeing a need or problem and coming up with a creative solution is beneficial for both the business and those facing the problem. If you prefer charity to read about charity, keep reading through the second story and you won’t be disappointed. But first, here’s how MSC says the new service will help shippers on their website:

The MSC SOT programme provides potential cost savings for customers faced with high warehousing storage costs at destination, demurrage, per-diem and other charges. It will also free up space at origin factories and warehouses and avoid excess inventory at site, bringing cargo closer to destination markets and alleviating the risk of congestion or closure at ports of discharge.

The lead time will be reduced once operations resume at destination ports, and the programme will also add storage for beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) and non-vessel owning common carriers (NVOCCs), who would otherwise reach their full capacity.

Elon Musk Shipping Free Ventilators Around the World

Picture of Elon Musk by Steve Jurvetson

We’re all in this fight against coronavirus together, doing our part as we social distance and stay home or go out and operate essential businesses. Doing those things are very important in the fight against COVID-19. Many look for additional ways they can help in the fight. Simple things like calling or video chatting with people to lift the spirits of those who are struggling with isolation can be powerful and inspiring. Giving a couple rolls of toilet paper to a neighbor who’s had trouble finding any could be an inspiring thing to do. Businesses and businesspeople are sometimes in the position to inspire us on a larger scale.

It’s inspiring to see businesses step up and produce the things hospitals around the world desperately need during this pandemic. Ford and GE producing ventilators, the My Pillow guy producing masks…

One I read about yesterday that was a feel-good, international-shipping-related story was  Tesla CEO and billionaire Elon Musk shipping ventilators to hospitals around the world for free. The story is in an article on a site called Futurism.com:

[Musk] has announced renewed efforts to supply hospitals around the country — and internationally — with life-saving equipment amid the coronavirus outbreak.

“We have extra FDA-approved ventilators,” he tweeted. “Will ship to hospitals worldwide within Tesla delivery regions. Device and shipping cost are free.”

He did, however, have one caveat: the ventilators need to be put to use immediately: “Only requirement is that the vents are needed immediately for patients, not stored in a warehouse.”

The article goes on to talk about Musk having imported 1,255 ventilators from China that he donated to Los Angeles area hospitals last week.

Ventilators are a big source of focus during the coronavirus pandemic. Since COVID-19 can really hurt people’s respiratory system, hindering their ability to breathe, these machines are very important for helping people who get seriously ill from this disease. The federal government is getting ventilators out to hospitals, but President Trump has also been encouraging states, local governments, and hospitals to get them directly from suppliers where possible as well. It’s good to see a businessman like Musk step up and get respirators for hospitals as well, and not just here in the U.S. but around the world.

The post 2 Good News International Shipping Stories in Midst of COVID-19 appeared first on Universal Cargo.

Entering the apparel market with a global manufacturing partner should be done carefully, as some countries get low ratings among worker rights organizations. China leads in exports for textiles and clothing, but has been heavily criticized for worker rights violations. It’s more advantageous to first look at countries with the best clothing manufacturers before committing to a global partnership. 

Reasons for Importing from China

China is the top clothing manufacturing nation in the world with over $190 billion worth of textile and clothing exports, according to 2016 data from the World Bank. The United States, by comparison, sold $16 billion in apparel exports that year. A top priority when selecting an apparel manufacturing partner should be one that already does significant global business from a country with a strong infrastructure for exports. China exports more apparel than the next four countries combined. 

For several decades, China has played an important role in U.S. business supply chains by providing low-cost products for consumers and millions of jobs for Americans. Together, the U.S. and China as the two biggest economies account for 40 percent of total global production. However, the U.S. trade war with China, in which tariffs can negatively impact U.S. discount retailers such as Walmart, Big Lots, and Dollar Tree, has caused volatility in the U.S. stock market.

Why China Is Becoming a Difficult Choice

Despite leading the world in clothing exports, China’s market share is declining. President Trump’s trade war with China has contributed to this decline, as tariffs have discouraged consumers to pay higher prices on goods made in China. In recent years, the fashion industry has sought to diversify among global partners as they do less business with China. Despite a 10 to 25 percent tariff placed on goods from China, the U.S. economy grew by 3.2 percent in the first quarter of 2019. Economists, nevertheless, say higher tariffs will cause economic strain on consumers and American companies that depend on other nations for manufacturing.

From 2009 through 2015, China saw rising worker protests and strikes, as reported by CNN and documented by the Hong Kong-based film We The Workers. Strikes and protests grew from under 200 to over 2,500 during the period.

Another reason for having reservations about partnering with a China-based manufacturer is that the country regularly gets poor ratings for worker rights violations. American consumers and business owners are becoming increasingly concerned about social responsibility among corporations. This responsibility includes focusing on diversity, human rights, worker rights, environmental protection, and energy efficiency. Despite its dominance in manufacturing solar panels, China factories tend to be powered by traditional fossil fuel plants.

Alternatives to China

Several European countries have positive track records on both worker rights and the environment, making them attractive places to find an apparel manufacturer. Studies show that Europe has the best environmental record on the planet when it comes to manufacturing. Key European nations to investigate, all in the top ten apparel exporting nations, include Italy, Germany, and Turkey, which is also part of Asia. Top rated nations for worker rights include Iceland, Norway, and the Netherlands. The top environmental nations, according to Yale, are Switzerland, France, and Denmark.

Newcomers to the Apparel Industry

Getting into the apparel design industry is much easier than last century thanks to digital technology and working with freelance graphic design specialists. Once the idea stage, which includes a drawing or description of a design, has been established, the next stage is to create a product sample.

Sewport CEO Boris Hodakel said in a recent interview with Boots, Shoes, & Fashion, “You can do this either with a small sampling studio or get it done with a manufacturer before bulk production.” Sewport works with companies and entrepreneurs to take a product from the idea stage to putting it on the market.

Conclusion 

At one time China was favored by American fashion designers for teaming up with manufacturing partners to make apparel products. But a U.S. trade war with China and other developing nations has made this option more difficult.

Ultimately, more and more companies are looking toward corporate social responsibility as part of their marketing and visionary goals. Importing from China can work for high profit margin products, but choosing a European alternative would be better for a U.S. company’s reputation.

This was a guest post by Boris Hodakel.

Author Bio

Boris Hodakel is the founder and CEO of Sewport – an online marketplace connecting brands and manufacturers, former founder of various clothing manufacturing services. He is passionate about e-commerce, marketing and production digitisation. Connect with Boris on LinkedIn.

The post Importing Apparel from China – Is It the Best Choice? appeared first on Universal Cargo.

Even though your brand and your supply chain seem like two completely unrelated aspects of your business, they are in fact two inextricable parts of the same whole. When paired, they create a phenomenon the marketing world calls the branded supply chain.

It might sound like a complex concept at first glance, but the idea behind it is quite simple. The way you manage your supply chain will have a significant impact on your brand, while the way you brand your business will have an impact on your supply chain.

Ultimately, the idea is to maximize both through this symbiotic concept.

Here’s what you need to know.

Inspire Customer Loyalty

Customer loyalty is the driving force behind long-term success in today’s competitive business world. Stats say that landing a new customer can cost up to five times more than retaining an existing one. Precisely because of that, building a customer-centric marketing strategy should be your priority. Your goal is to encourage customer loyalty with each and every one of your business processes, including branding, marketing, and supply chain management.

Building an innovative, transparent, and cutting-edge branding campaign doesn’t just mean telling a story to your customers. On the contrary, you need to ensure that your supply chain delivers on these promises.

Listen to your customers in order to learn more about their needs, problems, and frustrations.

• Encourage your customers to leave reviews and comments on social networks.
• Use social media monitoring tools to set the keywords related to your supply chain and track their mentions on social.
• Send online surveys via email or SMS.
• Schedule in-person meetings and phone calls with your major customers.

Be it positive or negative, your customers’ comments and reviews will help you understand what the most common issues related to your supply chain are. Most importantly, they let you get to know your target audience and build stronger relationships with them.

Intel’s ‘Just Say Yes’ campaign proves that. They noticed that most of their customers are dissatisfied with the speed and quality of their processes. As the maintenance of their supply chain is critical for their survival in the IT sphere, they combined the data from data analytics with customer feedback to give their supply chain a notable boost. They addressed the following aspects of their supply chain:

• Providing faster order to delivery
• Shortening lead times
• Minimizing errors in demand forecasting
• Reducing inventory levels
• Responding to customers faster

Your goal is to build a highly user-centric supply chain that gives a customer exactly what they want when they want it. Without bringing true value to your customers, all investments in branding and marketing strategies would be in vain.

Increase the Transparency of Your Branded Supply Chain

Speaking of brand values, one of the most important ones is transparency. While it might be a buzzword frequently thrown around in business meetings and via run-of-the-mill marketing campaigns, it’s important to know that transparency does carry a lot of weight in the eyes of the consumer. For example, did you know that 9 out of 10 customers will ditch a business that lacks transparency?

You simply need to earn the status of a transparent brand instead of trying to persuade the public that you are deserving of the moniker. Just like Buffer emphasizes, transparency is something you choose to live by. And, implementing it with your supply chain may be a great starting point for you:

• Align transparency with marketing to make your brand more relatable.

Your customers will want to know where your materials come from and where your products are made. Chopard, a Swiss manufacturer of luxury jewelry, announced their commitment to the Fairmined schemes. Namely, their goal is to prove that their jewelry is made of gold that is responsibly mined and provide the story of its origin. This will have emotional benefits and have a positive impact on each purchase.

• Demonstrate your brand’s social responsibility.

Your customers want to know that your brand does not exploit workers, especially if you’re in the fashion industry. Just remember Zara not paying their factory workers in Turkey. Precisely because of that, popular and affordable brands like H&M brand themselves as an ethical option for price-conscious shoppers.

• Appeal to modern customers by emphasizing you’re serving the environmental cause.

Before buying your products, people will want to know that you’re not damaging the environment. They want to know that you are righteous and that all of your processes serve the environmental cause. With that in mind, be sure to stand for environmentalism in your branding as well as your supply chain strategy.

This is exactly what the Campbell Soup Company does. They’ve launched a waste reduction campaign that helped them save $4.5 million by minifying packaging sizes. Moreover, what helps them stand out from their competitors is also the fact that their plants are powered by waste from their products.

• Encourage customer-stamped transparency.

Your consumers trust online reviews more than your branded content. That’s why you should publish user-generated content, customer reviews (both positive and negative), and customer testimonials to gain people’s trust.

Ensuring the Long-Term Growth of Your Brand

When branding your supply chain, you need to keep in mind your business growth. Your goal is to create a solid brand strategy early on – branding strategy that will future-proof your business in the competitive market by emphasizing its unique culture and values.

By branding your supply chain, your goal is to become a ‘mission brand’ over time. In a sea of uniformity and companies devoid of soul or substance, you need to stand tall as the brand everyone will know and love. To that end, you need to be relatable, approachable, honest, and engaging. Once you have combined brand values with supply chain management, you will become a household name, and a brand everyone turns to first.

One such example is an organic baby food company, Ella’s Kitchen.  They’ve clearly defined their brand mission, highlighting that their priority is improving children’s lives through developing healthy relationships with food. Following the above mentioned rules of transparency in branding, all products are certified by UK Organic Farmers and Growers. They also publish regular social and environmental impact reports, where they emphasize that their main goal is making 100% of their product packaging recyclable and eliminating palm oil from the supply chain.

Remember, as the number of supply chain businesses in your niche grows, customers will choose ones they trust. They will decide to buy from brands that are making the right decisions for them. Just like with the Ella’s Kitchen example, this should be your main goal when branding your supply chain.

Final Thoughts

The brand and the supply chain are not two unrelated entities. Rather, they are two parts of the same whole that ensure the long-term growth of a company. By creating a branded supply chain, you will deliver on your brand promises and future-proof your business for years to come.

Is there anything you would like to add? We’re listening.

This was a guest post by Keith Coppersmith.

Author Bio

Keith Coppersmith is a business and marketing expert who has experienced both the rise and fall of many businesses. As a regular contributor at BizzmarkBlog, he enjoys writing and providing insight of the marketing industry based on both practice and theory.

The post 3 Tips for Creating a Branded Supply Chain to Boost Your Business appeared first on Universal Cargo.

What I must do might be a crime

It is not nasty giblets untucking

Or even a bout of feather plucking

But one who looks quite likely gags

‘Tis good this day readership lags

For who would give to this a view

If I could, I’d avoid it too

But there’s an email from my boss

Whom I’d rather not make cross

And while he ends it with a smiley

His short sentence is quite wily

“Can’t wait for my Turkey blog =)”

Translation: Write, you lazy dog

Yes, that’s the font of Raymond whipping

Me to combine Turkey with shipping

Turkey the country or Turkey the bird?

Both, though that may sound absurd

It’s no prank despite your misgiving

I do this every single Thanksgiving

Endure Thanksgiving torture, wonder how I can?

I have practice as a Detroit Lions fan

So these posts are now my annual norm

Though each year’s blog may change in form

The last two years ’twas a Turkey quiz

Click and see if you’re a Turkey whiz

Those clearly beat straight Turkey facts

Which dominated Turkey blogs years past

Okay, that wasn’t a perfect rhyme

I’ll get it right in the next line

Though now you may want to abort

Before you read the word “export”

Too late, you read it, here we go

Machinery is Turkey’s top cargo

Now you know, despite comma splices,

Turkey’s top export ain’t Turkey spices

Yes, I know it makes no sense

Riding on this Turkey fence

Of talking poultry then a nation

Risking reader alienation

How did this tradition even start?

It started cuz I wasn’t smart

In picking days for the blog posting

And when I type this I’m not boasting

Tuesdays and Thursdays without fail

Okay, I missed a few—don’t email

I write a post for UC’s blog

Readers wait, I’m sure, agog

It must have been in dazed malaise

When I picked those two days

For I forgot that every year

Thanksgiving’s on Thursday, dear oh dear

I’d take it off, but that first year, see

I wasn’t thinking very clearly

Just to make my L.A. rent

I set an awful precedent

And wrote a blog, sure no one would read

(For a Turkey shipping blog there is no need)

But it somehow caught my boss’s eye

And became his favorite—I don’t know why

So now it’s a tradition like no other

That my family won’t read, not even my mother

Years later, the first Turkey blog is lost

But each year, my holiday, it does accost

My family begs me, “Let the Turkey blog die

“Tell Ray you’re done in an email reply”

They beg cuz I made them take the Turkey blog quiz

Er, I mean, cuz they want to spend time with me, that is

But now it turns out I’m not so sore

As I have been on Thanksgiving the years before

At the completion of this chore

Why does my spirit now suddenly soar?

Because I’m completing the Turkey blog the night before

From all of us here at Universal Cargo, have a Happy Turkey Day!

The post A Turkey Day Poem for Universal Cargo’s Annual Turkey Blog appeared first on Universal Cargo.

While today’s blog is a bit of a break from our usual international shipping material, it does provide insight into the family of the freight forwarders you’ve trusted your cargo with for over 30 years.

The following is an interview I conducted with Micah Burke about the tournaments he runs, but it also contains the down-low on Devin Burke’s photography skills, whether or not our CEO can swing a golf club, what it’s like to be a professional golfer, and more.

ME: Tell me about the ProAm event. This is the 2nd annual one you just had, right?

MICAH: Not really the exact event I ran last year. Last year was my first event that I ever ran. Definitely a lot of kinks I needed to work out. Last year was good. It just wasn’t good enough where I could get a repeat event. So I made some changes just to get people excited about the event again. I changed the format of it. I changed the structure of it too. But still kept the integrity of it where I wanted to have one professional, one amateur pair up as a team and play together.

There are not a lot of events like that out there. I wanted to brand my event as that event where you get that one-on-one experience. So what it does for me, it makes my event uniquely competitive in a sense where most programs are for three amateurs, one pro, and it just kind of takes that competitive edge out of it because everybody in the group is on the same team. But when you have teams of two playing against each other…

So my event, this one, I try to make really competitive by making it match play, where, say, me and you are a team… We play against a bunch of other teams that are one pro and one am. And every nine holes you switch to a different team that you play. So over the span of three days, you play five nine-hole matches and you’re playing against five different teams. So as opposed to playing a tournament with the same people every time every round, you’re playing different people, and you’re trying to beat them. So it’s different in that sense, and also I try to bring in a lot of young, talented professionals to play in my events on the girl and guy’s side just to try to give it that more youthful energy. And make it fun and competitive at the same time. That’s the balance I try to have in my events. That combination tries to get people to come back.

ME: What’s the overall goal of your events?

MICAH: It’s kind of two part. The main part, I started this company to create events that help pros that were in my same situation. I played professional for seven years. I found it very difficult to play in events that helped me raise money. I thought it’d be really cool if I create an event where you could invite someone that maybe has always been supportive or maybe that was interested in supporting my career.

Instead of me asking them for money, it’s asking them to play in a tournament with me. So that’s what this event is. That one-on-one experience also doubles as an opportunity for you as a professional to invite someone that could potentially help you out with a career.

And then what I do in the actual event to double down on that cause is to take all the money from the amateurs—the pros play for free—so I take all of the money from the amateurs and I create an event that has money and prizes and stuff that’s all free for the professional. So for a change, you get to play an event that is not expensive—it’s no cost to them—and they can win stuff to help them with their career because playing out there on the road, it’s up to a thousand bucks per tournament. And you put in your lodging, you put in your car rental, you put in your food. You know, it’s fifteen hundred dollars a tournament. It’s really hard to afford that week in, week out. So I’m trying to set up tournaments that, you know, are cheaper.

I’ve had a couple instances where a couple pros have played with someone and through that experience, that relationship growing through my event, they were able to get a bigger check down the road. One guy last year, he got like a $20,000 check to play the summer. And I try to put this event right before the summer because I know that’s where there’s all the bulk of tournaments for pros. So one kid got a big chunk of money to be able to play the rest of the summer. Another one happened here this year.

I also incorporate the First Tee of Pheonix, which is a junior golf program. It’s the local chapter here in Phoenix. I try to raise money for them in a variety of different ways throughout the tournament. So I was able to raise a couple grand for them.

ME: How was Universal Cargo Involved?

MICAH: The way UC was a part of it, they sponsored my awards party. So they provided the dinner buffet, a couple drinks here and there, the setup of it, and then I donated five hundred of their contribution to the First Tee.

I titled them as the awards party sponsor. Just, like, I put signage up. But their contribution helps out not only getting money to the First Tee, providing the dinner, but also providing money into the purse that all the pros play for. It’s just they feel the overall cause of the event too.

Every sponsorship I get, I take half of that, a portion of that, and put it toward the First Tee too. This is such a new thing for me that I haven’t really tapped into the sponsorship world yet. Still working with my parents’ company and then one other company right now but hoping to grow and keep going and raise more money for local charity and do more positive things for pros in the area.

ME: Sounds like it’s a win-win kind of event. It’s good for the pros and good for anyone who wants to get in and play with the pros.

MICAH: Exactly. It’s definitely a mix kind of thing. I’m looking for amateurs who want that competitiveness. A lot of amateurs that don’t know how to play golf are a little insecure about their game or are maybe a little intimidated by playing with the pro and competing. But there’s a ton of golfers out there that have invested all this time—I’m talking about amateurs—that are going into retired life, and there’s a lot of them that want a taste of that.

The way it works is, you know, there’s a lot of pros in Arizona. A ton of pros. It’s kind of one of the hubs. That and Florida is one of the golf hubs in the US because of the winter its so incredible there. I know that there’s a lot of amateurs out there who know pros. My tournament only really works if there’s that relationship already there where the amateur knows a pro and they know they’re chasing their dream as a professional. You get a lot of support verbally, just not a lot of action behind that. So that’s what this tournament is. That’s what I’m trying to create. It’s going to take a little bit of time for me to work out the kinks of making it actually  really clean, clean event. But the essence of it is just that. That relationship and growing that relationship through my tournament. The pro showing them how good they are, how they compete. And the am getting to see that first hand. And, you know, hopefully they can learn something from them.

I think it’s a pretty rare thing that you get to see someone in their element competing. And that’s how we all work, especially in golf, is you just learn by being kind of in it, in the mix of it. It’s really hard to be on the driving range and learn how to play golf. But if you actually see someone doing it, I think it’s actually a pretty unique learning experience too.

Q: How did you get into golf to begin with?

MICAH: I went with my dad a couple times on the driving range. It was right before high school. Like right when my dad started going. This was right around when Tiger Woods was going off and doing his thing. So everybody was kind of going on the driving range. So my dad and my brother went together—My brother was actually pretty good. Picked it up pretty easily. But naturally, me being the younger brother, I just wanted to beat him. So I started playing too and tagging along.

And then I went to high school. So I had a little bit of history hitting balls, and then they started a golf team right as I went to high school. And then they said you get out of school at 1:30 if you play on the golf team, so I signed up for that. And then the rest is kind of history. I just picked it up really quick in high school.

ME: So I think I picked up in there you saying that Devin, your dad, is not very good at golf.

MICAH: <Laughing.> Oh, he’s awful. He’s awful! He doesn’t get better. He just stays really bad. I try to help him but I think his grandpa taught him back when he was a kid. He engraved some, like, I don’t know, some bad stuff going on there. It just doesn’t seem like he can make the changes. He’s just a high 2o, 30 handicapper.

ME: So he should stick to international shipping is what you’re saying.

MICAH: Yes. He should stay away from golf. I don’t think his body can hold up either. His knees are bad. It’s pretty funny watching him. He has a good time, but… He actually played in my tournament last year. He didn’t play in this one. He actually took another role. He was a photographer for the event.

ME: Yeah, I saw that. He took some pictures. Looks like he did a pretty good job with that.

MICAH: Oh my God, he did great. It was tough last year because I hired a professional, but it was just awful. Like the guy was just kind of a dork and he just didn’t really understand golf. But my dad’s had some experience photographing me in tournaments, and he really likes that. You know, the action shots—which are really hard to take—and he took a lot of really good ones. That was cool.

ME: So I guess the call of international shipping never made it to you, huh?

MICAH: You know, I never… I’m not going to rule it out, you know. There seems to be still… Both my mom and dad are working pretty good as a team doing that. My brother’s in there. It’s just I had to try this.

I knew if I were to transition my life to international shipping that that’s something I’d have to commit to long-term. So before I did that… Golf, it was just such a powerful force in my life from high school and going into college and going into it professionally. I feel like it just gave me so much.

So I had this idea to pursue it. I still want to see it through to see if it works. I really feel like there’s a need for it. Golf doesn’t have to be that much of an elitist sport. If you create events like this, and you create a tradition like this, and you create a culture with these tournaments, you give golfers a chance that may have never had a chance. And who knows?

Who knows what kind of golfers can come out of that if I’m able just to start it and get some people around me that believe in the same thing as me. You know, it’s fun. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s been fun starting this. You know, and someday I may circle back and be a part of my parents’ business, but I love golf too much to leave it cold turkey.

ME: So who won the tournament this year?

MICAH: It was these two guys. One guy plays professionals on the mini tours in Arizona and I think in the Midwest during the summer. Really good player. I’ve actually known him for a while. That was the pro.

The amateur is an ex-pro who recently went to amateur after he started his own business. He has this golf product. He invented this really cool golf invention. So that’s his business. He doesn’t play anymore. But it’s actually kind of cool how they won.

So the way the whole tournament worked out is I ran a three day tournament and at the end, six teams came out as advancing to the shoot-out. And the shoot-out is a sudden death playoff. So I made this tournament so I could have this climax of a moment where all these six teams are all playing together and at the end of these three holes only one team remains.

And when these six teams played, everybody else that didn’t make it stayed and watched. Now I have a crowd of 30 people, 40 people watching these six teams as they battle it out for three holes and one remains. So it was really cool and I’m still going through the videos that my dad took of the shoot-out, but that’s going to be really cool. And it was really fun. Everybody was just watching and it was really intense but really fun. That was really cool. So that was the team that won. They won in the end. Kind of a little nail-biter. I gave them these big wrestling belts as trophies. So they were cool. I started to put all that stuff on my website.

ME: What was the purse?

MICAH: The winner got three grand. Winning team got three grand. On top of that, the pro in that group gets paid Q School. This is something I put in all my events because key school is the biggest event of the year for a professional. It happens usually in the fall of every year. It’s about forty-five hundred bucks. So it’s really expensive, God knows why, I have no idea. It’s forty-five hundred bucks and a lot of times pros don’t have the money to pay that because they didn’t do as well as they thought in the summer and they ran out of money.

That’s the prize I always want to give out because it goes with the purpose of my event. And that’s to empower these young up-and-coming tour professionals. So the guy won it, so now he can play in the summer knowing no matter how he plays, he’s got that Q School lined up for the end of the year. And he’s just preparing for that.

Q School is the way to get to the next level the fastest. It’s kind of like the NBA Draft, but you’re not getting drafted, you have to play your way through. So it’s like your big moment to get to the next level. Yeah, nobody picking, you gotta earn it.

ME: So the way it basically works for a pro golfer is you pay your way into tournaments, trying to make it into the paying ranks at the end of it, right?

MICAH: Each single tournament, yeah, there’s, like, I’ll give you an example. I played in the Canadian Tour. 156 players, and of those 156 players, 55 make the cut. So 100 people are not making any money. Of that 55, first place would get about twenty grand; the last place would get about three hundred bucks. So you gotta make it in there, and then for you to make your money back on the week, you gotta take probably, like, 15th.

So that’s kind of how the money breakdown is for a tournament. And that’s how it goes. According to my friend, who likes to use the Bitcasino.io no deposit bonus – it’s like gambling. You put your money in, you hopefully, your game stacks up and you’re able to make a profit.

And then the Q School’s different. The Q School is Qualifying School. So let’s say 10,ooo people are entering this Q School, only 50 guys at the very end through a series of tournaments, Qualifying Tournaments, only about 60 people actually get to the next level. So you gotta really play well all the way through. It’s different stages that you play. There’s 1st stage, 2nd stage, 3rd stage, final stage, and you gotta play all the way through to the very end.

ME: Before we end, we should do a little bit about growing up with Devin as your dad. How many puns do you know?

MICAH: <Through laughter> He knows them all for me. He’s got so many, it’s great. I don’t know how he fits them all in there. I told him for Halloween, he should be the Pun-isher, and all he does is speak in puns.

Thank you to Micah for sharing your time.

To learn more about Micah’s Perfect ProAm events, check out his website:

https://www.perfectproams.com/

The post Shipping Can Wait: Interview with Micah Burke appeared first on Universal Cargo.

Yes, it’s become a Universal Cargo tradition that every year when Thanksgiving rolls around, I post a blog that brings together turkey and international shipping. Why? Because we post blogs on Thursdays and Thanksgiving always falls on a Thursday.

Oh, why did the days on which we post blogs have to be Tuesdays and Thursdays?!

I actually thought I got rid of this blog a few years ago. I think I actually skipped the Universal Cargo Thanksgiving Turkey Blog altogether in 2014. However, in 2015, one of my bosses, whom I will not name (ahem, Raymond Rau), emailed me with, “We getting some Turkey Blog this year? My favorite seasonal blog topic! haha.”

Since my anxiety is far too high for me to take the email purely as sarcasm—which it had to be, right? Right?!—the Turkey Blog was reborn out of the ashes. Wait, that’s a phoenix. Turkey… Out of the oven? You know what, scratch that last part.

Last year, there was a new twist to the blog. A quiz! My family actually sat around trying to answer the questions about the bird traditionally eaten on this day and shipping factoids about the country that shares its name (when they are normally never interested in the international shipping blogs I write). Since that was actually entertaining, this year I’m bringing back the quiz with a combination of new and previously used questions.

So with no more adieu (as if anyone actually read all of this adieu anyway), here it is—dedicated to you, Ray (possibly the only person reading this?)—Universal Cargo’s Turkey Blog Turkey Quiz:

1. Even though the turkey population was hunted to around 30,000 birds in the 1900s, the current turkey population is what?

a) 100,000 birds

b) 3 million birds

c) 7 million birds

d) over 10 millions birds

The answer is c) according to Smithsonian.

2. Which founding father preferred the turkey to the bald eagle?

a) Benjamin Franklin

b) George Washington

c) John Quincy Adams

d) Alexander Hamilton

The answer is a). Benjamin Franklin wrote to his daughter about how the turkey is more courageous and respectable than the bald eagle, which we covered thoroughly in a previous Turkey Day blog. The other founding fathers didn’t leave such strong evidence concerning their feelings about the two birds other than the fact that the bald eagle was chosen as the national bird and the turkey was not.

3. The U.S. ranks where in Turkey’s trading partners in terms of export sales?

a) 1st

b) 2nd

c) 4th

d) 5th

The answer is d) according to World’s Top Exports.

4. How many subspecies of turkeys are there?

a) 2

b) 4

c) 6

d) 16

There are 6 according to Smithsonian, making the answer c), with Pilgrims hunting and eating the eastern wild turkey, M. gallopavo silvestris.

5. Which of the following CANNOT be used to conclude a turkey’s sex?

a) beard

b) tail feathers

c) droppings

d) talons

The answer is a). Many turkeys have special feathers, which look like a tuft of coarse hair, that are referred to as a beard. More often than not, guessing a bearded turkey to be male would be correct. However, the beard is not enough to conclude the sex of the bird. While it is more common for male turkeys to have beards, many female turkeys also have these special feathers.  According to reference.com:

“If one sees a beard on a turkey, it indicates that the turkey is probably a male — about 10 to 20 percent of female turkeys also grow beards. Regardless of whether the turkey is male or female, the beard can be up to 18 inches long with an average length of nine inches.”

It should be noted that beards on lady turkeys do not seem to be a turn off for male turkeys.

b) is incorrect because as is common with many birds, male turkeys have more brightly colored feathers than their female counterparts. On top of this, only male turkeys fan their tails according to reference.com.

“A turkey’s gender can be determined from its droppings–males produce spiral-shaped poop and females’ poop is shaped like the letter J,” says Smithsonian, making c) incorrect. That’s an appetizing thought before Thanksgiving dinner.

d) is incorrect because, like the men in any Western you can watch John Wayne or Clint Eastwood in, male turkeys have spurs. According to animals.mom.me, “As male turkeys become sexually mature at about 6 months of age, they begin developing long talons, one on the back of each leg. Known as spurs, these talons grow throughout the turkeys’ lives. Only male turkeys grow the spurs…”

6. How many U.S. dollars worth of product did Turkey ship around the globe in 2016?

a) $952.4 million

b) $6.3 billion

c) $142.6 billion

d) $752.6 billion

The answer is c) according to World’s Top Exports.

7. What is the Galloping Gobbler?

a) A mythic turkey that eats poorly behaved children on Thanksgiving Day.

b) A Thanksgiving Day football MVP award.

c) An annual Thanksgiving Day horse race.

d) Something I just made up for this quiz

The answer is b). FOX started giving out this annual award in 2002 to a Thanksgiving player of the game after traditional Thanksgiving Day games the company broadcasts.

8. The size of a male turkey’s ___________ factors in to whether a female turkey chooses him as a mate.

a) spurs

b) beard

c) giblets

d) snood

Don’t let that female turkey fool you. Size matters. The answer is d).

The Journal of Avian Biology published the results of studies that found the size of a male’s snood has a significant effect on his love life and competition with other gobblers:

… a male’s relative snood length, a character previously shown to be used by females in mate choice, is also predictive of the outcome of male-male competition. Complementary trials using artificial males confirmed that live males assess the snood length of potential competitors independent of other male characteristics.

What is a snood? Wikipedia describes it well:

In anatomical terms, the snood is an erectile, fleshy protuberance on the forehead of turkeys. Most of the time when the turkey is in a relaxed state, the snood is pale and 2-3 cm long. However, when the male begins strutting (the courtship display), the snood engorges with blood, becomes redder and elongates several centimeters, hanging well below the beak.

9. What is Turkey’s #1 Export (as of 2016)?

a) vehicles

b) gems & precious metals

c) clothing

d) machinery (including computers)

According to World’s Top Exports, the answer is a) vehicles. Gems & precious metals (Is that really just one export?) is #3. Clothing comes in at 7, and machinery (including computers) is #2.

10. How fast can a turkey run?

a) 5 miles per hour

b) 10 miles per hour

c) 15 miles per hour

d) 25 miles per hour

e) turkeys can’t run

Perhaps I cheated by putting an extra choice on this one, but since I’m creating the Turkey Blog Quiz, I can’t cheat. So deal with it. This wasn’t a trick question. Turkeys can run. The answer is d) according to Smithsonian.

Humans are still faster (though definitely not all). Google says humans’ top speed is 28 miles per hour, which I believe is the speed Usain Bolt was clocked at.

Okay, that’s enough. I hope you enjoyed this year’s Turkey Blog. Don’t get so distracted by turkey that you forget to be thankful for all the important things in your life like family, home… football.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The post Turkey Trivia—Universal Cargo’s Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Blog appeared first on Universal Cargo.

On Tuesday the 28th of March, 2017, British Prime Minister Theresa May signed article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, triggering the UK’s formal exit from the European Union after Britain’s landmark vote to leave the EU.

The get out clause, penned in 2009 to give member states the opportunity to exit the union if they wished, is a mere five paragraphs long yet could fundamentally alter the UK’s access to the single market.

On its signing, Brussels officials informed the government they would have to exit by the 29th of March 2019, regardless of whether trade deals had been reached.

The rather acrimonious parting, which has been referred to as a ‘divorce’ by the press, affected the value of the pound and has shaken the international business sector.

The Impact for International Shipping

This turbulent state of politics has created uncertainty for international businesses, including the shipping companies that work with them to deliver goods and services all over the world. While the status quo for haulers currently remains unchanged, after the 29th March 2019 when the UK takes back its border control, there is likely to be increased red tape.

After that date, British goods entering EU countries will be subject to import declaration. This means that businesses will have to declare any goods on arrival in the country to customs and pay import tax and import VAT.

One way for individuals or companies to pay these fees is to use a carrier and have them act as a ‘middle man’ and pay these fees as part of their overall charge to the customer. Costs of international shipping might then become more expensive for the British business unless competitive trade deals between the UK and other countries are reached within the next two years.

If Theresa May remains in power, she has stated that Britain will not remain in the single market and so will have to reach its own preferential trade agreements with individual countries and try to get the best deal possible.

Increase in Inspections

Another possibility after exit from the EU is the increased likelihood of physical inspections of goods traveling between countries. This may affect delivery times for the consumer, affect profits for the haulage or shipping company and incur costs ranging from just over £50 to 1.5k, heightening the need for good insurance.

Additional paperwork might also be required. Norway, for example, is not an EU member state but has preferential trade agreements in place to reduce its import and export costs. Turkey too, chose to remain outside the European Union and so it has its own trade agreements on terms that are agreeable to Turkey.

It is Mrs May’s hope that a custom’s union arrangement could be made with the EU in which European countries don’t impose tariffs on each other and there is one standard tariff for countries outside Europe. However, such a deal has not yet been reached and if a deal can’t be reached, then the UK will exit the EU without one. This is not as disastrous as it sounds – it just means the UK would follow World Trade Organization rules, but these have more red tape than the free movement that is currently allowed for goods.

Call for Co-Operation

The UK Chamber of Shipping Chief Executive Guy Platten warned that getting a free trade agreement may be difficult, and he was concerned that the UK may have harsh terms placed on them as a ‘punishment’ for leaving the EU – trading restrictions that would put other countries off leaving the EU themselves.

However, the Road Haulage Association, speaking on behalf of long distance truck drivers, urged for co-operation between the UK, EU authorities and those in international goods transportation to work together and find a way to protect UK borders while allowing free trade.

As the shipping industry adds approximately 12 billion euros every year to the UK economy and provides hundreds of thousands of jobs to UK citizens, it is not reasonable or likely to suggest that UK and EU trade deals would cease. Considering the revenue and employment that the shipping sector has brought, a new way of doing business will simply have to be found to ensure continuing prosperity for all.

The post What Does Article 50 Mean for International Trade? appeared first on Universal Cargo.

You might call today Thanksgiving, but many call it Turkey Day. To celebrate people all over the United States following tradition and stuffing their faces with turkey today, Universal Cargo keeps the Turkey Day Blog tradition, which is much less celebrated (except by Ray), alive.

But how can I post another turkey blog and make it different than the ones posted in years past? I got it! How about a Turkey Quiz! How much do you really know about the bird you, or at least many people you know, will be eating today?

Okay, let’s face it. There’s a good chance you’re not reading this on Thanksgiving Day because who reads international shipping blogs on holidays? If you do, don’t worry. I don’t judge. Take the quiz below to test your turkey knowledge or challenge your friends, family, or coworkers.

Since this is an international shipping blog, I’ve also thrown in a couple questions about shipping to and from the country of Turkey. Don’t worry, it’s all multiple choice. Just like the SAT. What could be better?

Are you ready? Begin!

1. Which of the following cannot be used to conclude a turkey’s sex?

a) beard

b) tail feathers

c) droppings

d) talons

The answer is a). Many turkeys have special feathers, which look like a tuft of coarse hair, that are referred to as a beard. More often than not, guessing a bearded turkey to be male would be correct. However, the beard is not enough to conclude the sex of the bird. While it is more common for male turkeys to have beards, many female turkeys also have these special feathers.  According to reference.com:

“If one sees a beard on a turkey, it indicates that the turkey is probably a male — about 10 to 20 percent of female turkeys also grow beards. Regardless of whether the turkey is male or female, the beard can be up to 18 inches long with an average length of nine inches.”

It should be noted that beards on lady turkeys do not seem to be a turn off for male turkeys.

b) is incorrect because as is common with many birds, male turkeys have more brightly colored feathers than their female counterparts. On top of this, only male turkeys fan their tails according to reference.com.

“A turkey’s gender can be determined from its droppings–males produce spiral-shaped poop and females’ poop is shaped like the letter J,” says Smithsonian, making c) incorrect. That’s an appetizing thought before Thanksgiving dinner.

d) is incorrect because, like the men in any Western you can watch John Wayne or Clint Eastwood in, male turkeys have spurs. According to animals.mom.me, “As male turkeys become sexually mature at about 6 months of age, they begin developing long talons, one on the back of each leg. Known as spurs, these talons grow throughout the turkeys’ lives. Only male turkeys grow the spurs…”

2. Which founding father preferred the turkey to the bald eagle?

a) George Washington

b) John Quincy Adams

c) Benjamin Franklin

d) Alexander Hamilton

The answer is c). Benjamin Franklin wrote to his daughter about how the turkey is more courageous and respectable than the bald eagle, which we covered thoroughly in a previous Turkey Day blog. The other founding fathers didn’t leave such strong evidence concerning their feelings about the two birds other than the fact that the bald eagle was chosen as the national bird and the turkey was not.

3. At $6,395,842,000 in value of goods last year (2015), where does the USA rank in terms of countries Turkey exported to?

a) 1st

b) 2nd

c) 5th

d) 10th 

The answer is c). This data is according to the Turkish Statistical Institute.

4. Why is the turkey called a turkey?

a) Turkey is the transliteration of a Native American (Wampanoag language) name for the bird.

b) Benjamin Franklin gave the bird its name because at a “turning point” between the Pilgrims and Native Americans it played a “key” role.

c) It was named after the country Turkey.

d) European settlers thought the syllables “tuuurr” and “key” best described the sound the male turkey’s feathers made when dragged across the ground to attract a mate.

The answer is c). According to the Huffington Post:

The bird “turkey” actually is named after the country Turkey. Who’d have thunk it? Reportedly, Europeans mistakenly thought the turkeys they saw in America were Guineafowl, also known as turkey fowl in Europe because, get this, they had been imported from the country Turkey to Central Europe. Then again they also thought America was Asia.

5. How many calories are in a turkey’s tail?

a) Up to 50 calories.

b) Up to 200 calories.

c) Up to 1,500 calories.

d) There are no calories in a turkey’s tail.

The answer is b). Again we go to the Huffington Post:

Turkeys have a tail that is considered a delicacy in many countries. The turkey tail is very fatty and a single turkey tail can have up to 200 calories (almost all from fat) depending on size!

Now you can ask the awkward question to a Thanksgiving meal guest if he is a leg man, breast man, or tail man.

6. Last year (2015), what was the top U.S. export to Turkey?

a) oil

b) cotton

c) electronics

d) air craft/space craft

The answer is d). World’s Richest Countries shares the following data about goods exported from the United States to Turkey in 2015:

Top 10 Turkish Imports from the US

America’s exports to Turkey amounted to

$11.1 billion or 5.6% of its overall imports.

  1. Aircraft, spacecraft: $1.7 billion

  2. Machinery: $1.2 billion

  3. Iron and steel: $1 billion

  4. Medical, technical equipment: $729.5 million

  5. Oil: $689.1 million

  6. Pharmaceuticals: $556.9 million

  7. Cotton: $532.3 million

  8. Electronic equipment: $478.3 million

  9. Plastics: $432.8 million

10. Organic chemicals: $415.4 million

7. How many pounds of turkey does the average American eat every year?

a) 5-10

b) 10-12

c) 14-15

d) 16-18

You’d need a good memory to pull this answer from our 2013 Turkey Blog, but the average American eats between 16 and 18 pounds of turkey every year according to WHSV.

8. The size of a male turkey’s ___________ factors in to whether a female turkey chooses him as a mate.

a) spurs

b) beard

c) giblets

d) snood

Don’t let that female turkey fool you. Size matters. The answer is d).

The Journal of Avian Biology published the results of studies that found the size of a male’s snood has a significant effect on his love life and competition with other gobblers:

… a male’s relative snood length, a character previously shown to be used by females in mate choice, is also predictive of the outcome of male-male competition. Complementary trials using artificial males confirmed that live males assess the snood length of potential competitors independent of other male characteristics.

What is a snood? Wikipedia describes it well:

In anatomical terms, the snood is an erectile, fleshy protuberance on the forehead of turkeys. Most of the time when the turkey is in a relaxed state, the snood is pale and 2-3 cm long. However, when the male begins strutting (the courtship display), the snood engorges with blood, becomes redder and elongates several centimeters, hanging well below the beak.

With that as a final image, go eat some turkey, watch some football, and be with people you love! And if you want to ship to or from Turkey or anywhere else in the world, contact Universal Cargo for a free freight rate quote.

Happy Thanksgiving! May the Detroit Lions win today.

The post Do You Know Your Turkeys? Take the Turkey Quiz! appeared first on Universal Cargo.

Then Universal Cargo’s General Manager Raymond Rau, who happens to be one of my bosses, asked:

“We getting some Turkey Blog this year? My favorite seasonal blog topic! haha”

Yes, I’m pretty sure that was sarcasm, but it’s also hard to read tone of voice in an email so I figured I better be safe and placate him.

Plus, when I went back and looked, the performance of those previous Turkey Blogs, as Ray likes to call them, wasn’t as bad as I thought. (They just didn’t get views during the Thanksgiving weekend itself.)

So, in lead up to Thanksgiving… and back by popular demand… or just an email from my boss… with no further adieu… but maybe one more ellipsis… here’s Universal Cargo’s Happy Thanksgiving Turkey Blog!

Here are 3 tremendous turkey tidbits that most people don’t know followed by 3 factoids about Turkey (the country) shipping that are forced into being related:

#1 – Turkeys Are Related to the T-Rex & Velociraptor

According to livescience.com, that wishbone, which we insult the turkey by snapping in half after we’ve scraped the bird’s carcass clean of meat, dates back 150 million years to the tyrannosaurus rex and the velociraptor. The suggestion of this is that turkeys evolved from fierce dinosaurs!

Of course, evolution enthusiasts will tell you that all life evolved from the same single cell organism. If so, wouldn’t that mean I’m related to the T-rex and velociraptor too? I don’t think I have a wishbone, so I wouldn’t be as closely related as the turkey.

This does give me an idea for a holiday movie. It’s Thanksgiving, but this year ferocious turkeys are hunting and eating humans! I’m sure there’s probably a B-movie version of this already out there. And the turkeys are probably zombies in it.

#1b – Turkey is Related to the Roman Empire

As we all know, thanks to They Might Be Giants, “Istanbul was Constantinople. Now it’s Istanbul, not Constantinople. Been a long time gone, Constantinople.”

When Istanbul was Constantinople, back in the medieval ages, it was the capital of the Roman Empire. The city was also called Byzantium, and historians refer to the Eastern Roman Empire of this time as the Byzantine Empire.

But whatever you call it, Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul, the city is and has been a huge hub for international trade through importing and exporting goods.

#2 – Turkeys Are More Courageous and Respectable Than Bald Eagles

Forget the Bald Eagle. The turkey is far more courageous and respectable, at least according to Benjamin Franklin. Franklin would tell you the bald eagle is lazy, unjust, and cowardly while the turkey is much more respectable.

A turkey is certainly a more respectable meal, but a more respectable bird? Well, Franklin explained in a letter to his daughter. Smithsonian published the excerpt below:

“For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him.

With all this injustice, he is never in good case but like those among men who live by sharping & robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the district. He is therefore by no means a proper emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America who have driven all the King birds from our country…

“I am on this account not displeased that the Figure is not known as a Bald Eagle, but looks more like a Turkey. For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America… He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on.”

Yes, but let me ask Benjamin Franklin one question. Which bird, the bald eagle or turkey, would you rather steal from Nikola Tesla?

#2b – Turkey/U.S. Trade Is More Respectable Than Many Think

After export.gov comments on “deep and broad political and military relations” between the U.S. and Turkey, it reports, “U.S.-Turkish trade peaked at nearly $20 billion in 2011, with a modest retreat to just under $19 billion in 2013.”

The United States Census Bureau fills in the trade numbers for the last couple years with trade climbing back up to just over $19 billion in 2014. Through September, trade has reached over $13.3 billion in 2015 between the U.S. and Turkey.

This could be a good time for U.S. businesses to consider doing business in Turkey.

Export.gov highlights Turkey’s strong and sustainable economic growth, pointing out that “GDP per capita has more than tripled over the past decade” as “Turkey is working hard towards its goal of becoming a Top Ten economy by 2023.”

On top of that, it adds that Turkey has a high demand for U.S. exports and a friendly climate for U.S. companies.

I did tell you these Turkey shipping facts had only forced connections to the turkey tidbits, right?

#3 – Size Matters

How big is your snood? The ladies want to know. Yes, we’re still talking about turkeys.

What is a snood? Wikipedia describes it well:

In anatomical terms, the snood is an erectile, fleshy protuberance on the forehead of turkeys. Most of the time when the turkey is in a relaxed state, the snood is pale and 2-3 cm long. However, when the male begins strutting (the courtship display), the snood engorges with blood, becomes redder and elongates several centimeters, hanging well below the beak. 

The Journal of Avian Biology published the results of studies that found the size of a male’s snood has a significant effect on his love life and competition with other gobblers:

… a male’s relative snood length, a character previously shown to be used by females in mate choice, is also predictive of the outcome of male-male competition. Complementary trials using artificial males confirmed that live males assess the snood length of potential competitors independent of other male characteristics.

In other words, it’s good to have a big snood. You think those male turkeys are self-conscious as they’re checking out the size of other turkeys’ snoods?

Hens have always preferred their mates to have big snoods, which leaves many gobblers trying to convince lady turkeys that its not the size of the snood that counts, but the wobble in the gobble.

#3b – Location Matters

Having much to do with the above statement about Istanbul/Constantinople/Byzantium being a major hub for importing and exporting goods, is the city’s location. It is perfectly placed to take advantage of major land and sea trading routes.

The same could be said about the country of Turkey in general.

Turkey is “the most eastern country in the West and the most western country in the East.”

Geographically speaking, Turkey is in a very advantageous position when it comes to world trade. Its location makes trade with the U.S. and other countries in the Americas accessible and advantageous, as well as with African, European, and Middle Eastern countries.

In fact, Turkey almost acts as a bridge between the Middle East and Europe, as it is one of the hardest countries to label geographically. Is it a Middle Eastern country? Is it a European country? It’s a country in a good spot to do a lot of international shipping is what it is!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a happy Turkey Day that Turkey doesn’t celebrate! Be thankful. Eat lots of turkey. Unless you’re vegetarian. If you are, consider taking the day off. Watch the Lions play football. May they actually win. And if you want to ship stuff to or from Turkey, give Universal Cargo a call.

Source: UC Blog

The post 3 Tremendous Turkey Tidbits & Semi Related Turkey Shipping Factoids! appeared first on Universal Cargo.

Who says international shipping has to be boring?

For many, international shipping is a fascinating subject; however, for many, many, many more, it is not. Yet, over the last several years, Universal Cargo has published popular blogs on the subject. Many read these blogs because they are shippers and need information about international shipping or want to keep up on international shipping news.

However, there are many international shipping blogs we’ve posted that would be entertaining for anyone. Today’s blog compiles a list of the top 10 entertaining international shipping blogs from Universal Cargo.

Let’s begin the countdown from 10 all the way down to the most entertaining international shipping blog.

#8 Fun Turkey Facts

This one has fun right in the title so it must be entertaining, right?

As a little entertaining blog on Thanksgiving a number of years back, Universal Cargo published this blog full of facts about turkeys, Thanksgiving, and international shipping stats that are related.

While the blog was entertaining enough, who really reads international shipping blogs on Thanksgiving? Since today is not the holiday full of the three F’s–food, family, and football (did you think another F should have been in there)–now would be a good time to check out this entertaining little blog.

Here’s the link:

Fun Turkey Facts Nothing To Do With Importing or Exporting to Turkey

While this blog originally had nothing to do with importing and exporting from and to Turkey the country, Universal Cargo did do an updated version on a following Thanksgiving including that kind of information.

You can check out that blog too:

Fun Thanksgiving Turkey Facts WITH Turkey Import & Export Data

#7 Universal Bizargo

At #7 on the list, we present to you a series of blogs on the strange. Sometimes weird things happen in international shipping. In Universal Cargo’s Universal Bizargo series, we share those weird stories with you.

My personal favorite Universal Bizargo story is the one about a drunken guy who somehow managed to get locked inside a shipping container. But all of these stories are pretty entertaining and deserve to make this list.

Here are the links to these odd tales for you to read the ones that seem the most interesting and entertaining to you:

Universal Bizargo: American Shipping Human Body Parts from Bangkok

Universal Bizargo: Jag Stolen Nearly 50 Years Ago Found on Cargo Ship

Universal Bizargo: Mystery of the Vanishing Ship & Phantom Pirates

Universal Bizargo: Man Tries to Ship Weapons to Lebanon in Car Parts

Universal Bizargo: Hungover Man Wakes in Sealed Shipping Container

#6 What the Freight?!

A number of years back, we did a little comic strip at Universal Cargo called What the Freight?! It had something of an Office Space brand of humor, following the misadventures of Harry Ocean as he worked in the international shipping industry.

The comic strip was short-lived, but the name lives on in Universal Cargo’s newsletters.

The following blog links contain some of this obscure little strip:

What the Freight!?! Cargo Shipment Details Matter

What the Freight!?! Gold Not Money?

#5 The Eggie Files

Speaking of short-lived, office-based, international shipping comedies, Universal Cargo created a webseries years ago called The Eggie Files.

Only two episodes of the series were made, but the series had some wacky characters and potential.

Landing solidly in the middle of this list is a blog that contained the second episode of the show when it was released back in 2011.

Here’s the link:

UCM Presents – The Eggie Files – Episode 2 “Suspect Package”

#4 Cute Kitten Stowaway

I don’t know what it is, but there’s just something that draws people to kittens. Maybe it’s those big cat eyes on cute little bundles of fur that does it. Still, kitty videos are among the most popular videos on all of the internet.

If this blog contained a video of a kitten, it probably would have vaulted up to #1.

Still, as it is, when a cute, little kitten stowed away inside a shipping container and made it all the way to the United States from China, the story captured the imagination and hearts of many readers.

So here’s the link to a story about a kitten that beat out most international shipping blogs in entertainment ranking:

Cute Kitten Stowaway Clings to Life in Ocean Freight Container

#3 Top Movie Scenes Featuring Ports & Shipping Containers

Almost everyone loves movies. And countdown lists (like this one) are pretty popular in and of themselves. Here’s a blog that contains both.

The Iron Man movies have been a smash hit at the box offices. Watching Iron Man 3’s explosive climax that was shot at the Port of Wilmington and featured tons of cargo containers gave us the idea to do a countdown of the top movie scenes featuring ports and shipping containers.

This blog does a great countdown, full of videos that feature ports and cargo containers in feature films and is very entertaining. Here’s the link:

Iron Man 3 & Top 9 Movie Scenes Featuring Ports & Shipping Containers (w/ videos)

#2 Super Shipping

If you’ve never seen our popular Super Shippingwebseries, you’re missing out. This comedy cartoon about superheroes who quit the hero business to go into international shipping has gained well over 175,000 views on YouTube.

The production value is not as high as that of The Eggie Files, but its number of episodes and its popularity dwarf our first attempt at a webseries.

This blog is not entertaining so much for its writing, but for the fact that it contains all 7 episodes that have been released of this series.

Here’s the link:

#1 Urban Dictionary and International Shipping Terms

Helping this blog to edge out the competition is that its entertainment value is based on the blog itself and not video content that it’s sharing.

The Urban Dictionary is an endless source of entertainment. Comparing the Urban Dictionary’s definitions of shipping terms to their industry definitions is hilarious.

This blog was so much fun, we had to do a second installation. Don’t be surprised to see more editions of International Shipping Definitions Vs. Urban Dictionary Definitions in the future.

Here are the links to the blog series that wins the title of Most Entertaining International Shipping Blog:

The post Top 10 Most Entertaining International Shipping Blogs appeared first on Universal Cargo.

2.5 billion dollars a day.

That huge dollar amount is what long-term work stoppages at the ports cost the U.S. economy according to a study commissioned by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the National Retail Federation (NRF).

Robyn M. Boerstling, Director of Transportation and Infrastructure Policy for NAM, said the study researched what work stoppages for 5, 10, and 20 day periods would cost the country when sharing the $2.5 billion figure on Manufacturing Talk Radio.

I’ve seen other estimates in the 1-2 billion dollar a day range. It appears that the longer the ports are closed, the larger the daily costs grow.

Over this last weekend, February 7th-8th, West Coast ports were shutdown as the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) locked out the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) after offering an “all-in” contract to the union that the PMA complains has been orchestrating slowdowns for months.

Two days is not exactly a “long-term” work shortage but after months of slowdowns, walk-offs, and congestion, it wouldn’t be surprising if the cost to the economy of this mini-lockout is close to $5 billion.

U.S. Exporters Are Permanently Losing Customers

Consider almonds. Peter Friedmann, Executive Director of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition and “Our Man in DC” shared a story, on Manufacturing Talk Radio, about California almonds that exemplifies the long-term effects port disruptions have.

California produces great almonds—the best in the world in terms of fat content said Friedmann. Candy makers in Japan depended on those almonds, importing large quantities of them from California for their candy production.

But then the West Coast ports were shutdown in 2002 because of stalled contract negotiations between the PMA and ILWU and California almond exporters were unable to get their almonds to their Japanese customers.

Those candy producers in Japan did not stop making candy with almonds; they started importing almonds from Turkey.

“12 years later, many of those Japanese candy makers are still using the Turkish almonds and they have not come back to the United States and they never will,” said Friedmann. “That’s lost U.S. exports, lost employment here in the United States, lost cargo through the port–in that case Oakland–and lost jobs for the longshoremen.”

The same thing is happening to many U.S. exporters now. Shippers can’t get their products to foreign customers because of congestion, slowdowns, walk-offs, and lockouts. The result is foreign customers are lost as U.S. exports are made unreliable by battles between the PMA and ILWU.

Once foreign customers are lost, the odds are not good that the U.S. manufacturers and shippers will get them back. It’s a permanent loss. One that affects companies, jobs, livelihood—the U.S. economy!

Shippers’ Options During Unreliability of West Coast Ports

AIR FREIGHT:

Larger U.S. shippers are able to keep foreign customers by exporting via air freight instead of ocean freight. For many, the increased shipping cost means operating at a loss while riding out the negotiations between the PMA and ILWU that have been going on for nine months.

For smaller shippers, this is not an affordable option and they may be (some already have been) forced to shut their doors.

REROUTING CARGO:

Other options for U.S. exporters is to send their ocean freight cargo out via different routes through different ports. This also presents an increase in costs that not all exporters can afford (importers also are using this same strategy if they can manage it).

This can mean transporting West Coast products all the way to East Coast ports in order to ship them out on longer routes to Asian markets.

Rerouting from West Coast to East Coast can only work on a limited scale as East Coast ports cannot absorb all the cargo shipped through West Coast ports.

Rerouting cargo through other ports does not always mean U.S. ports. Canadian and Mexican ports are getting a portion of cargo traffic that normally goes through West Coast ports. This option makes the most fiscal sense for many U.S. shippers but is also lost money and jobs for the U.S. economy.

Unreliability at West Coast ports means that many shippers who find more reliable shipping options will not come back.

No one is winning in this battle, PMA and ILWU. There’s more permanent damage being done by your war than mentioned above. That includes damage to your ports, PMA, and to your jobs, ILWU. But that’s a blog for another day…

Shippers, Universal Cargo Management is here to help you keep your imports and exports moving, even in these difficult times.

Source: Economy

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