At a time of year when transportation and freight are already pressed, the possibility of a major rail strike threatens to further disrupt the US economy. In September, a tentative agreement was made between rail companies and unions, temporarily preventing a strike. Now it appears that a strike may be imminent next month. Contract negotiations... Read more »
Last month, ChemCeed Operations & Compliance Manager, Alyssa Michaels, and Vice President, Rolly Enderes attended their alma mater, McDonell High School’s Junior Achievement Career Day. Over 150 students attended the event, called “JA in a Day,” which gave them the opportunity to see and explore different industries for future careers. Along with a career... Read more »
For months, the news cycles and industry blogs have been filled with stories involving worldwide supply chain issues. Now it seems that for the first time in a while, we are seeing some progress being made and it’s coming from a predictably progressive source: California. With just two California ports handling roughly 40% of... Read more »
Heading into winter amid a supply-chain crisis comes with some new considerations, and buyers should be concerned about more than just whether or not there will be gifts under the tree this year. With more than 100 ships waiting to offload at LA ports, it’s important to remember that those container ships carry more than... Read more »
By this point in the year 2021, the bottlenecked and congested ports, backed up rail lines, and pinched trucking capacities are nothing new, and most of us have adapted and gotten used to longer lead times, delays, and skyrocketing costs. After emerging into the post-pandemic world, there was hope that these logistical nightmares would begin... Read more »
I think most will agree that right now is a very difficult time to be a purchaser of chemical raw materials. It was a perfect storm of unfortunate events that put us in this situation, and the reasons why each individual product is in tight supply vary in complexity. For most, it was the aftermath... Read more »
Last week a 1,300-foot container ship became wedged in the Suez Canal in Egypt, causing massive disruption to the already squeezed global ocean shipping industry. More than 10% of world trade is said to pass through this canal, as it greatly shortens the route between continents. The blockage is estimated to have cost $10 billion... Read more »
Much of the U.S. was hit by a winter storm and sub-zero temperatures, causing widespread power outages in Texas and other parts of the South, bringing freight movement across the country to a near stand-still, and causing multiple petrochemical manufacturers to declare force majeure. The timing of this storm could not be worse, as manufacturing... Read more »
The petrochemical market is reacting to volatility and widespread price increases for the past few consecutive months, leaving many buyers wondering what the reasons are behind it. Companies are especially feeling this added pain just as manufacturing makes its attempt at recovery in the post-pandemic world. Simply stated, there are two primary factors driving these... Read more »
As companies return to work from the holidays, major delays at U.S. ports around the country continue to cause supply chain headaches. This persistent port and rail ramp congestion and container chassis shortages were a problem heading into the new year, and there seems to be no end in sight. The excessive detention and demurrage... Read more »
