The U.S. Census Bureau released its Merchandise Trade data numbers on April 11th for February 2011. The Merchandise Trade balance improved by 16% from January to February of this year. Imports to the U.S. increased 16.76% from February 2010 to February 2011 and exports increased 17.17% in the same time period.

Below is an in-depth breakdown of the U.S. Census Merchandise Trade data. This month we have highlighted 3 interesting items that we found while looking at February's data; here are the highlights:

1. Decreased imports from China
2. Surge in exports to Mid East and North Africa
3. Computer imports dip

Click here for Zepol's U.S. Census Merchandise Trade Data Update for February 2011

In honor of Earth Day and Arbor Day, we often hear stories and ideas of how we can minimize our impact on the environment. We have learned to reduce, reuse, and recycle, but this weekend I came across a story on CNN about reusing an item that we at Zepol talk about everyday – shipping containers.

Podponics is a company that recycles containers and uses them to create ideal growing environments for vegetables. They have developed a solution that turns a 40-foot container into the equivalent of one and a half acres of land to grow six varieties of lettuce. Unlike conventional farmland, a “pod” from Podponics can be placed almost anywhere, potentially changing the supply chain for urban restaurants and supermarkets.

Aside from importing and exporting, now we can add growing environments to the list of shipping container uses. In the past, I have seen photos of containers used in home and commercial construction projects, and obviously containers make perfect storage units. I wonder what they will come up with next!

Zepol is excited and honored to be named in Inbound Logistics’ Top 100 Logistics IT Providers List for the second year running! This prestigious award recognizes Zepol’s forward-thinking product development as well as our solution-oriented business approach. “Zepol’s continuous product enhancements combined with one of the highest levels of customer service in the industry has created a very loyal customer base,” stated Paul Rasmussen, President and CEO of Zepol Corporation. “Logistics providers find our services invaluable in making well informed day-to-day decisions.” The Zepol team is thrilled to receive this award for the second consecutive year. Click the logo below to view the complete list of Top 100 Logistics IT Providers.

Methodology:
Every April, Inbound Logistics editors recognize 100 logistics IT companies that support and enable logistics excellence. Drawn from a pool of nearly 300 companies, using questionnaires, personal interviews, and other research, Inbound Logistics selects the Top 100 Logistics IT Providers who are leading the way in 2011.

About Inbound Logistics:
Inbound Logistics is the pioneering publication of demand-driven logistics practices, also known as supply chain management. IL’s educational mission is to guide businesses to efficiently manage logistics, reduce and speed inventory, and neutralize transportation cost increases by aligning supply to demand and adjusting enterprise functions to support that paradigm shift.   

Since the BP oil spill in 2010, we have seen a great change in the seafood trade industry in the Gulf Coast. Not only have the lives of fisherman changed dramatically, but it has also affected the overall importation of seafood for the entire United States. Fishermen are experiencing a loss of ocean life in the area surrounding the oil spill and thus, many are losing business, and many are even losing their jobs. This means that we have to import our seafood from other countries since we can no longer rely on the wealth of the seafood industry in the Gulf Coast. It is a tragedy that has reached many people. According to an article from BBC, one company tells the tale of losing their business after 90 years in the seafood industry. In the chart below we can see that total imports in February 2011 have increased 22% over last year.

In the past few months the value of imports has started to even off a little bit more. We saw the highest value of imports in December 2010 in the past year with an import value of $207,836,290, and now in February 2011 it is only $189,346,101. With the clean up in progress we will hopefully see a turnaround in the coming months.