Mike King

In this episode of The Freight Buyers’ Club, produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group, host Mike King looks at the current global freight market, the US demand outlook, and examines why the container peak season failed to materialise.
Mike and his guests then deep dive into India’s growing attraction as a global manufacturing hub as OEMs diversify away from China. His guests explain that while India still faces many challenges, it has already succeeded in attracting top-end manufacturers including Tesla, Apple, Asus, Lenovo, and Dell.
India’s young population and sizeable land bank, alongside government investment in logistics infrastructure and programmes to boost manufacturing, will see its share of global manufacturing and exports rise in the future, trends that have major repercussions for global trade flows and freight demand in the years ahead.

In part 1 of this episode, host Mike King interviews one of the world’s leading economic and transport analysts: Paul Bingham, Director of Supply Chain Transportation Consulting, S&P Global Market Intelligence. They swing between freight markets and economic forecasts as they discuss Paul’s view that transport markets across modes are suffering from a pandemic ‘whipsaw effect’ which will result in consolidation and bankruptcies. Paul also believes that 2023 will be a “trough” for global growth and trade, and recovery will start in 2024, even as some key economies teeter on recession.
In part 2, Mike speaks to Alberto Villareal, Founder & MD of Nepanoa, about the options available to manufacturers and retailers looking to diversify sourcing risk, particularly if they’re looking at options in Mexico.
Guests: Alberto Villareal, Founder & MD, Nepanoa
Paul Bingham, Director of Supply Chain Transportation Consulting, S&P Global Market Intelligence
Episode in more detail
Part 1 – Paul Bingham, Director of Supply Chain Transportation Consulting, S&P Global Market Intelligence
Global economic and trade forecasts (1.35)
US economy, inflation and a freight recession (5.41)
Exporter outlook (8.14)
Trade and geopolitical risk (12.12)
China: decouple or de-risk? (15.22)
US domestic freight outlook (19.37)
Container lines in focus (22.39)
 
Part 2 Alberto Villareal, Founder & MD, Nepanoa
Global supply chain risk (30.41)
China+1 options in Asia (33.35)
Impact on Mexican exports and economy (35.37)
Key Mexico regions for FDI (40.19)
Mexican infrastructure (42.39)
Crime: the elephant in the room (47.25)
Labour costs (52.45)
 

In this episode host and producer Mike King explores the implications of the tentative west coast docker contract deal, the likely impact of lower water levels on the Panama Canal, retailer inventory stocks, whether there will be a shipping peak season in 2023, and just what container lines will do with the huge number of newbuilding vessels due for delivery over the next 18 months.
Guests
Jessica Dankert, Vice President Supply Chain, Retail Industry Leaders Association, (RILA)
Jan Tiedemann, Head Analyst, Alphaliner
 
Episode in more detail
‘Tentative’ agreement reached with US West Coast dockers (2.29)
Retailers rejoice (5.01)
Why west coast has lost some traffic for good (6.36)
Strike on US East Coast? (8.51)
More shipping disruptions looming (10.26)
Non-China sourcing options (12.30)
Crime holds back Mexican sourcing (15.33)
US retailer inventory levels (17.11)
The influence of the expanded Panama Canal locks on West to East drift in US logistics (20.51)
Liner strategy for low water levels in Panama (23.32)
The demise of the trans-Atlantic trade (29.06)
Where will lines deploy all the new ships?
How carriers are cutting out carbon (35.39)
Slow steaming to improve service levels (38.22)

In part 1 of this episode, produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group, host and producer Mike King speaks to Lee Klaskow, Senior Freight and Transportation Logistics Analyst, Bloomberg Intelligence. He hears that while the US is likely heading in to a recession, this does not automatically mean the death of peak season. They also discuss M&A activity, restocking and destocking, and what falling Panama Canal water levels mean for trade.
In Part 2, Mike has an exclusive interview with Commissioner Carl Bentzel, one of just five Commissioners on the increasingly powerful Federal Maritime Commission (FMC). They discuss the rapidly changing US approach to regulating international container trade, including the possible removal of anti-trust status from carriers, pending revisions to detention and demurrage rules by the FMC, and the creation of a global, transparent ocean supply chain data hub.
 
Guests
Lee Klaskow, Senior Freight and Transportation Logistics Analyst, Bloomberg Intelligence
Commissioner Carl Bentzel, Federal Maritime Commission
 
Episode in more detail
Part 1 – Freight market update with Lee Klaskow, Senior Freight and Transportation Logistics Analyst, Bloomberg Intelligence.
 
The Panama Canal’s falling water levels (2.09)
A US recession and a Q3 peak season? (4.30)
Rising costs, balance sheets and M&A (7.40)
Container line strategy (12.32)
Freight market forecasts (15.30)
 
Part 2 – How the beefed-up Federal Maritime Commission is reshaping global container shipping rules, with Commissioner Carl Bentzel, Federal Maritime Commission.
The FMC: shipping’s judge (20.45)
New powers (23.56)
Detention & Demurrage charges on trial ((28.43)
The Ocean Shipping Antitrust Enforcement Act (33.53)
Ocean carriers drop charges (37.48)
New FMC rules on shipping-carrier contracts? (40.59)
Maritime Transportation Data Initiative (47.00)

In Part 1 of this episode, host and editor Mike King speaks to two of the world’s most renowned air freight experts: Cathy Roberson, President, Logistics Trends & Insights LLC, and Brandon Fried, Executive Director, Airforwarders Association.
Among other topics, they discuss: what next for air freight; the challenges facing integrators’; security regime alignment; US infrastructure; and labour disruptions.
In part 2 of this podcast, produced with the support of the Dimerco Express Group, Mike And Edwin Lopez, Managing Editor of Industry Dive, discuss: Flexport’s purchase of Shopify Logistics; CPKC, the new super railroad which is offering pan-North America services; the bankruptcy of of Bed, Bath & Beyond; the Federal Maritime Commission’s new powers; and the latest detention and demurrage claims against container lines by shippers.
Mike and Edwin also hear more about the deal with Shopify from Parisa Sadrzadeh, Senior Vice President, SMB Product & Technology at Flexport, who has been charged with making the integration work.
 
Guests
Brandon Fried, Executive Director, Airforwarders Association
Parisa Sadrzadeh, SVP, SMB Product & Technology, Flexport
Cathy Roberson, President, Logistics Trends & Insights LLC
Edwin Lopez, Managing Editor, Industry Dive
 
Episode in more detail:
Part 1 – The Big Air Cargo Debate with Cathy Roberson and Brandon Fried
Where next for air freight? (2.50)
The outlook for air forwarders (10.50)
Challenges for UPS and FedEx (12.09)
Labour the big logistics disruptor (18.00)
Recruitment opportunities (21.22)
Pandemic lessons and US infrastructure (25.29)
Security regime alignment (28.37)
Air cargo in 2024 (30.33)
 
Part 2 – West coast docker negotiations; Flexport/Shopify analysis/ D&D/ Bed, Bath & Beyond [featuring Flexport’s Parisa Sadrzadeh and Edwin Lopez, Managing Editor, Industry Dive] (36.33)
Flexport deal for Shopify Logistics (39.00)
What the Shopify deal means for shippers (41.11)
Flexport to go global with e-commerce (44.00)
Flexport in competition with integrators and/or Amazon? (45.40)
West coast docker contract negotiations – implications (47.52)
Resolution in sight? (53.51)
CPKC formation (58.30)
Geopolitics and cargo flows (1.01.59)
Bed, Bath & Beyond bankruptcy (1.03.00)
Detention & Demurrage filings and FMC powers (1.06.20)
Pandemic lessons for the US (.109.57)