Large cargo losses are having a significant impact on the marine insurance sector, says Nick Derrick, chairman of International Union of Marine Insurance's cargo committee. He spoke in Berlin, at IUMI's annual conference.

While large businesses have resumed international trade at levels seen before the financial crisis, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have not fared as well. For these firms - the backbone of economies everywhere - growth is impeded by the limited availability of bank loans to finance trade.

RangeMe, an online platform serving the consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector, has launched operations in the U.S.

In the "Benefits of Lean Accounting in a Lean Manufacturing Company," author Dan Anthony discusses the major differences between traditional and lean accounting, starting with a quote from Taiichi Ohno that says "costs do not exist to be calculated; costs exist to be reduced." This really gets to the core of the difference between traditional and lean accounting: traditional accounting focuses primarily on the cost of goods sold, whereas lean accounting focuses on the value stream from customers to suppliers.

LogistiFlow, provider of a system for allowing shippers to view quotes from selected carriers without having to contract with third-party logistics (3PL) providers, has introduced a cloud-based program for carrier selection.