China has completed constructing one of its longest tunnels which will help it build a rail link with Pakistan. It has also announced plans for building the world's longest undersea tunnel, measuring 123 kilometers (km) to link two major cities.

2013 is likely to be a very difficult year for agribusiness logistics in Brazil, according to a report from Rabobank. Transport costs in the country have risen significantly due to three factors: new legislation impacting the working hours of truck drivers, a sharp increase in diesel prices and rising export volumes for major commodities.

IBM announced a new predictive analytics solution to help enterprises identify and root out problems that could lead to asset failure. These new business consulting services and software are aimed at helping decision makers predict and prevent damaging supply-chain disruptions.

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.