IHSA Shippers Association

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Will 2022 be a Repeat of 2021?

Shippers importing containers from Asia to the US have been faced with record high rate levels and severe congestion leading to supply chain disruptions for the last 18 months. Back in September, industry experts predicted the market would soften after Chinese New Year 2022. Unfortunately, those predictions are not coming true. It now appears evident that the first two…

Supply Chain Concerns Will Dominate 2022

Shippers were hoping 2022 would bring some much needed relief to the U.S. supply chain. Unfortunately, early economic indicators are showing the current supply chain difficulties will last well into 2022. Some industry analysts are predicting that 2022 could actually be worse than 2021 for some importers. Record consumer demand in the Asia to U.S. market continues to be the…

Rates Expected to Remain at Inflated Levels in 2022

It is conceivable that spot ocean rates will slowly decline through December 31, 2021. While this is welcome news for shippers, the decline is likely to be short lived. In order to sustain reduction in rates, there needs to be major changes in the Asia to U.S. market. The recent reduction in rates is being attributed to temporary production issues in Asia. Blackouts due to…

US Supply Chain Participants Feel Defeated

One word best describes the US supply chain: BROKEN. There is the sense among supply chain experts that it’s too late for any meaningful solutions to be implemented that will positively impact getting goods delivered to store shelves for the upcoming holiday season. If such solutions existed, they would have already been implemented. Six months ago, it was thought that…

Shippers Scrambling to Meet Holiday Season Demand

The US supply chain delays have reached critical mass. The delays have reached a point where some shippers haven given up hope that their product will be available for the holiday season. This will be especially devastating to small shippers that rely heavily on holiday sales to survive. Three months ago, the big obstacle was finding space on container ships. While space is…

Port Congestion Going from Bad to Worse

Carriers will be increasing capacity from Asia to US West Coast ports by 22 percent. The influx of the additional capacity will last through the end of the year. US East Coast ports will also see an increase in capacity through the end of the year by 14 percent. Carriers had hoped these additional measures would help shippers meet the surging demand which is expected to last…

IHA Joins Coalition Backing Federal Bill Aimed at Curbing Unfair Ocean Shipping Practices, Charges

The International Housewares Association has joined a coalition of industry organizations in support of a new federal bill aimed at enacting sweeping changes to the law to curb unfair practices and charges by ocean carriers that have contributed to skyrocketing freight costs and extended delays for U.S.-bound containers. The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 is set to be…

Supply Chain Woes Continue

The shipping environment is wreaking havoc on US importers trying to get products into their supply chains prior to the upcoming holiday season. To make matters worse, there is no end in sight to the shipping turmoil facing shippers. Logistic experts are predicting the current turmoil will last at a minimum through February 2022. Shippers have been left wondering how Asia to…

All Facets of US Supply Chain in Turmoil

Finding container space is not the only problem facing US importers. Once a container arrives at the marine terminal to be off loaded, the shipper can expect a stack of new problems. Port congestion, chassis availability, truck power, and rail capacity are just a few of the issues preventing cargo from moving freely to US distribution centers. Port congestion has…