Import volume at the nation's major retail container ports is expected to grow 4.8 percent in January over the same month last year, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. Estimates show 2013 up 2.8 percent over 2012.

Widespread delays to Christmas deliveries made headlines over the holiday season. But while carriers like UPS and even FedEx were quick to apologize, a new study suggests they may be shouldering a disproportionate amount of the blame. Kurt Salmon found that the majority of delays experienced in their analysis of holiday shipping and delivery dates were the fault of retailers, not carriers.

The future of mobile is here, or at least available to grocery shoppers as Safeway and Giant Eagle roll out Apple's iBeacon, the location-sensing technology that connects to shoppers iOS devices and sends product suggestions and messages while inside the store.

Ethan Hunt, supply chain consultant with Agilent Technologies, talks about the challenges his company faces in gaining full visibility of supply and demand, and in dealing with increasing supply-chain volatility.

Before the cloud - before the commercial internet - there were communications networks that linked manufacturers with their suppliers. How effective they were is another matter entirely.

Jennifer Bell, systems analyst with First Solar, talks about the challenges her company faces in gaining full visibility of supply and demand, and in dealing with increasing supply-chain volatility.

What's really going on in Chinese factories?