The Box is back!

Jan Husdal — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:27:56 +0000

Finally, the BBC Box has returned home, as I was made aware of from a post on @risk the other day. I had near forgotten about this project. A year ago I made a post on the BBC project “The Box”, where BBC News is following a shipping container for a whole year to tell the story of globalisation. The Box is back where it started, and what a voyage it has been, since the voyage coincided with some of the most dramatic developments in the global economy including the first global recession in 60 years.

Trading simply stopped…almost

The BBC Box project was intended to tell the story of the global economy and international trade over the course of a year, but as global trade slumped to near nothing at the height of the turmoil , the Box followed:

From April until July it sat forlornly (if containers can be forlorn) in the Japanese port of Yokohama.

Piracy – the new supply chain risk?

A year ago, “piracy” was on everbody’s lips, sparked by news reports of highjacked tankers and press leases from shipping companies taking the long route NOT via the Suez Canal, which also lead a story on supply chain disruption on the BBC NEWS. Even “the box” was affected by this:

Along the way, literally, we were able to cover developments in international piracy, including its impact on insurance and the profitability of the Suez Canal through which the Box passed early in its journey.

All sorts of cargo

There is an interesting illustration on the BBC Box website, sowing some of the cargo that has been inside the box and how far it has traveled:

Supply Chain Disruptions – still?

The post on @risk mentions TI’s Chief Executive, John Manners Bell, who says that the downturn in global trade, and thus, in global shipping has lead to a drastic decrease in the shipping industry, with possible dire consequences:

Flexibility, availability and customer service have been dramatically reduced – issues that will likely become exacerbated during the upcoming holiday season. There is a considerable supply chain risk for retailers and gaps on the shelves are possible for popular lines.

So, it’s not over yet. Perhaps the pirates are gone, but so are the ships, too.

The BBC box

Jan Husdal — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 08:24:17 +0000

I usually watch the BBC World Business Report every morning and today I learned that BBC News is following a shipping container for a whole year to tell the story of globalisation. Actually, the container has been enroute since September last year, but today was the first time I heard of it. Not so much related maybe to Supply Chain Risk, but still an interesting gimmick, showing how interconnected global trade has become, and the difficulties and challenges a shipment has to face along the way

So far

The Box’s first voyage saw it carry a cargo of whisky from Scotland to China. During the next leg it carried products loaded by a major US retail chain, including a variety of health and personal care products, beauty supplies and gardening supplies for American consumers. It has travelled from China to Los Angeles on the west coast of the United States, and from there by rail to Pennsylvania. There the goods were distributed to a chain of homeware stores across the United States. The Box then left New York bound for Santos in Brazil, carrying a cargo of household goods.

Track it

The box’ website features a map where you can track the box’ whereabouts and view reports about its cargo and handling.

Back!

Update 2009/11/13: The box has finally arrived home again!

husdal.com: The Box is back!

Supply Chain Risk | Business Continuity | Transport Vulnerability » bbc.com/thebox