Port security has become a complicated issue in today's world. Terrorist attacks over the past decade have shown the importance of securing major ports. However, the logistics and costs involved in ensuring the safety of ports have certainly made port security a major problem.

Globalization has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on supply chains. Purchasers can now search further afield for goods and services to achieve better value, quality, price or reliability. But for all their benefits, truly global supply chains are not without issues. The trends for reduced inventory, just-in-time ordering and end-to-end automation mean that many companies are hugely reliant on their IT infrastructure and underlying communication services.

DHL has introduced a second road/rail multimodal routing option for its overland service connecting Asia and Europe. Customers based in Chengdu can now board DHL's once-a-week service, which departs every Friday from Chengdu to Europe along China's West Corridor rail line through Kazakhstan and via DHL's intermodal hub in Małaszewicze, Poland.

U.S. distributors and freight haulers have held down diesel consumption even as their business recovers from recession by making thousands of small changes to their operations. Improved driver training, restrictions on idling and careful route planning to reduce deadheads are all reducing consumption of expensive diesel while helping companies promote their green credentials.

South African companies, particularly bigger enterprises, are making significant progress in optimizing their supply chains; however, opportunities for further enhancement do exist even for the most advanced practitioners.

TNT Express has set out plans to make recurring savings of 220m EURO by 2015 with a series of measures, including consolidating services, optimizing its infrastructure and reducing indirect costs. The restructuring is expected to cost 150m EURO by the end of 2015.

ART Logistics, a leading project logistics company focused on Central Asia, Russia and the CIS, has launched a twice-monthly less-than-truckload service connecting Europe to Mongolia.