The Trump tariffs have shaken the international trade industry for the worse. But there is more to the story of the current unimpressive global economy.&nbsp;Following decades of globalisation-led growth, the tide has turned. The World Trade Organization (WTO) reports global GDP growth down from 2.9 per cent in 2019 to 2.6 per cent in 2019 and 2020.<a href="https://api.whatsapp.com/message/N4CI7UNDFE2ZM1?autoload=1&amp;app_absent=0&amp;utm_source=web&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=general" target="_blank"><img src="https://cdn.cogoport.io/cms-prod/cogo_public/vault/original/Blog Banner WA 3.png" width="auto" style="width: auto; height: auto;"></a>The ongoing trade war between China and the USA, the two world’s largest national economies, clearly causes pain for exporters. Tariffs and other trade barriers push import costs up, and exporters struggle to find buyers as their products become uncompetitive. Retaliatory actions between the two economic giants have escalated tensions in the past couple of years and contributed to a worldwide slowing of trade.The USA is at its most protectionist in a century, imposing almost 25 per cent tariffs on most of what it imports from China.But reduced export activity is not all because of President Trump’s trade strategy. Other factors have also had an impact on export activity.&nbsp;<h3>It's Not All Tariffs</h3>The Chinese economy is increasingly driven by domestic consumption as its middle class continues to grow and becomes more affluent. China can meet more of its needs from within and become less dependent on imports. And, as Chinese growth has slowed to its lowest for almost 30 years according to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/07/15/741735791/chinas-economy-falters-slowest-growth-in-nearly-3-decades" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(74, 110, 224); background-color: transparent;">reports</a>, its demand for input materials and capital goods has reduced.&nbsp;<a href="https://cogoport.com/signup/en-IN/?utm_source=web&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=general" target="_blank"><img src="https://cdn.cogoport.io/cms-prod/cogo_public/vault/original/Blog-Banner-Portal-1.png" width="auto" style="width: auto; height: auto;"></a>Rising nationalism, often fuelled by concerns in developed markets over globalisation, tends to make some markets more insular. Uncertainty hurts trade, so the unknowns around the UK’s expected no-deal departure from the European Union are adding to the slow down.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Global trends can be amplified by local tensions too. For example, shipments to Hong Kong, a key Chinese destination, were <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/markets/hong-kong-unrest-is-worrying-india-s-jewellers-shipment-down-6-6-119090400867_1.html" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(74, 110, 224); background-color: transparent;">reported</a> to be down by an additional 6 per cent year-on-year in September 2019 because of the pro-democracy demonstrations in the city.&nbsp;Other trends have a bearing too. Globally, the threat of climate change has focused many people’s minds on the distance their food (and other products) travel. A ‘conscious consumption’ movement sometimes described as ‘locavore’ has emerged and gained traction. It boosts the local production of foodstuffs and reduces imports. Food exporters are hit by the sentiment of an increasingly progressive consumer population.&nbsp;<h3>Localisation and in-country investment offer an alternative</h3>As rising wages in China have forced multinational companies to look elsewhere for lower costs, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh and the Philippines have all been winners. And, as these countries experience growth, their citizens join the ranks of the consuming middle classes. Market entry specialists are thriving by offering a bouquet of services - market research and company registrations, tax planning and legal advisory - to foreign investors.Around the world specific forces are having an impact:<ul><li>In India, the Make in India program encourages companies to establish manufacturing in the country.In the European Union, France and Germany are actively encouraging Foreign Direct Investment with policies that make it easier for overseas companies to set up.</li><li>In Africa, Kenya is positioning itself as the strategic gateway to East Africa and hunting foreign investments.</li><li>Mexico is seeking to reduce its dependency on the USA as an export market. The government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador is inviting foreign investment into the country as a staging post to Latin America.</li></ul>Across the world, the terms of trade and investment are morphing.<a href="https://cogoport.com/signup/en-IN/?utm_source=web&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=general" target="_blank"><img src="https://cdn.cogoport.io/cms-prod/cogo_public/vault/original/Blog-Banner-Portal-3.png" width="auto" style="width: auto; height: auto;"></a>Establishing bases in target markets offers a range of benefits. Manufacturers are exempt from import tariffs and may attract tax and other incentives. In-market production brings manufacturers closer to their customers and reduces logistics and other administrative costs.&nbsp;<h3>New Markets Offer New Opportunities</h3>Of course, there are alternative strategic responses to protectionist policies.&nbsp;If they look carefully, exporters may find that there are other demand hotspots, which they’ve traditionally not explored. Rising incomes in so-called emerging markets mean there are millions of affluent consumers driving demand for a host of goods and services. And for new consumers for whom choice has been limited, imported goods—from fridges and fashion to whisky and wines—often hold great appeal as a symbol of their newly-minted status.&nbsp;Across Eurasia, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the largest infrastructure plan on the planet, is rapidly opening up new trade routes by sea and overland. Some are long-lost connections that formed part of the ancient silk route. Others are new networks that form a part of what author Peter Frankopan has dubbed The New Silk Roads.Exploring new markets may offer a hedge against current uncertainty without requiring a fundamental shift in the business model. Other approaches require a greater pivot.As a growth strategy, it requires a different type of business model from the traditional activities of import/export. But, for brave and ambitious exporters who find barriers to trade appearing where in the past none existed, local establishments could be the answer to their prayers.

Global Economy Meltdown - More Than Just Tariffs

Podcast with Lars Jensen: Global Shipping Insights & Future Trends

<h2>Our Focus</h2>Cogoport accelerates the creation of value in global supply chains, fundamentally transforming how users engage, leveraging transparency and efficiency, as witnessed by a rapidly growing number of platform users.<h2>Customer First, Always</h2>Our technology team continues to build a world-class customer experience, and in this post, I would like to introduce our latest team addition, Flemming Frost, a business veteran whose experience will support and complement our tech-savvy product- and operations teams.With more than 35 years of business experience from the transport and logistics industry, earned in senior positions during three decades at Maersk / Damco (Copenhagen, Shanghai and The Hague), and more recently at Tesla (Silicon Valley), Flemming is well positioned to make Cogoport more customer centric, listening to feedback, not only through customers’ behaviour on the platform, but also engaging face-to-face. This is critical to our continued innovation and ambition to be inclusive.Flemming highlights: “I am excited to join Cogoport and see great opportunities to further the mission in areas like:·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Creating a global community bringing the best opportunities to all Cogoport users·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Achieving sustainable efficiencies through deep integration·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Unlocking value by innovating and automating end-to-end processes·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Enabling data-driven market- and performance transparency.”<img src="https://prod-cogoport.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/8d51b2f9bb66b7c864b359771232abf6/download%20%282%29.jpeg" alt="download%20%282%29.jpeg"><h2>The Only Way is Up</h2>Cogoport is accelerating the global growth, and Flemming’s experience in managing, developing, and improving complex logistics operations and turning suppliers into partners will make a difference to all Cogoport users. As Flemming sums it up:“For all users, Cogoport a single, independent platform across transport providers, a one-stop shop where shippers have full visibility of available options and all their shipments, a platform on which they efficiently and quickly can book containers”, adding: “Carriers get real-time visibility of demand, a very low acquisition cost, especially for small and medium-sized customers, as well as a lower cost to operate such business. Combined, this enables carriers to optimize their positioning in each trade.”Reflecting back on his years in the industry, Flemming adds:“I wish I had this platform at my disposal for the past 35 years!”.Naturally, we won’t argue with him.<h2>Welcome on Board</h2>In short, I’m happy to announce that Flemming Frost is our new President of Supplier Relations &amp; International Growth. He will work to further develop our partnerships with carriers and other suppliers, and to further our mission to simplify freight.Go team!

Cogoport Welcomes Another Passionate Team Member!

Welcome On Board: Start Your Journey with Cogoport

As one of the fastest growing startups in digital freight, we are always looking for bright people. One of our recent hires is Saurabh, who joined the Cogoport team to help out the business development team. He wrote a blog post about working at Cogoport.<a href="https://api.whatsapp.com/message/N4CI7UNDFE2ZM1?autoload=1&amp;app_absent=0&amp;utm_source=web&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=general" target="_blank"><img src="https://cdn.cogoport.io/cms-prod/cogo_public/vault/original/Blog Banner WA 1.png" width="auto" style="width: auto; height: auto;"></a>And now over to Saurabh:Life at CogoportI have been a Cogoport intern for the past couple of weeks now, and so far, it is unlike any of my other internships or professional experiences. The learning curve is huge, but the opportunities for learning and growth are endless. I remember applying for internships and Cogoport stood out to me because it was a startup that had come up with its own unique idea and was trying to break the status quo in the enormous logistics industry. Also, I have always dreamed of having my own business and could not think of a better place to learn from. At Cogoport I am a business development intern and am tasked with bringing in new clients as my primary responsibility. My development and progress are overseen by Varun Mahendru, the Regional Business Head at Cogoport.All Together NowCogoport has a defined hierarchy, yet it does not show. The heads of various departments, employees, and interns all sit together in the office. If a stranger was to walk in then they may not be able to tell us apart. It helps promote the culture of learning and taking on responsibility. The heads lead by example, and everyone in the office has always taken initiative and followed suit.<img src="https://cdn.cogoport.io/cms-prod/cogo_public/vault/original/Blog-Banner-Portal-3.png" alt="" width="300px">New Skills for New BusinessI had always heard that start-ups are a lot more hands-on, and I’m excited to be able to experience it first-hand now. This really came to light when in my second week as an intern Drupad Goswami, who is Head of Sales at Cogoport, called in the evening informing me that we would be going to Morbi (an industrial town) to conduct a drive that would get more clients on board.Diving in at the Deep EndSo far, I had spent one day calling clients, and one day meeting them. Now, I was being thrown into the deep end and had to attract clients who could bring a lot of business to Cogoport. As I said, the opportunities to learn and grow were immense.With coaching from Drupad and Varun I had my pitch locked down after the first couple of meetings in Morbi. After conducting over 40 meetings over the course of two days, I’d managed to get 12 new clients on board. My numbers were pale in comparison to the more experienced members of the Cogoport team in Morbi, but for someone who had been a part of the company AND industry for slightly more than a week… I was proud of the result.We Have Lift-off!After returning to Ahmedabad I was feeling much more confident when reaching out to potential new clients. There was no more nervousness. I was sure in my knowledge of the platform and industry.Cogoport was able to help me in accomplishing all this in a matter of two weeks. I’m eagerly waiting to see what I can learn and (hopefully) accomplish over the next two and a half months!

Cogoport Intern: Day in the Life!

A Day in the Life of a Cogoport Intern: Experience & Learning

Online market has made our lives easier than ever before. Online platforms offer everything from electronics, apparel, food to services such as healthcare, beauty, domestic needs etc., at the ease of your doorstep. It has become common for people of all age groups and backgrounds to use mobile applications and websites to satisfy their daily needs and cravings.
<a href="https://api.whatsapp.com/message/N4CI7UNDFE2ZM1?autoload=1&amp;app_absent=0&amp;utm_source=web&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=general" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="width: auto; height: auto;" src="https://cdn.cogoport.io/cms-prod/cogo_public/vault/original/Blog Banner WA 3.png" alt="blogs_whatsapp_banner" width="auto"></a>
However, there is a sector which still remains unorganized and to a great extent, offline. The freight industry is huge and in most of the countries, the potential of this industry is still untapped. Making it an online marketplace could make the lives of vehicle owners and transporters easier by providing them a platform to connect with their potential customers and businesses directly to avail their services.
A slower rate of digital adoption by the Logistics industry brings in enormous risk even for the bigger players in the business. Over the next few years, the essential concern will be the race to build a dominant global platform that would determine the winners and losers in the truly digital freight industry.&nbsp;It would also mean letting smaller companies to have a global reach and to compete with the industry&rsquo;s established giants.
The following are the benefits that digital transformation of Logistics industry would bring about to the business as well as social and environmental aspects.
<ul>
<li>Digitally enabled information services puts data at the heart of the Logistics business with the help of initiatives like analytics and logistics control towers that helps in reducing the operating costs and in improving the efficiency of operations.</li>
<li>Digital adoption of freight industry will help in trade growth by creating digitally enhanced cross-border platforms. As a result, logistics companies can satisfy the growing need of customers for same day deliveries, and promotes the concept of city logistics which will give them an entry to mega-cities.</li>
</ul>
<img style="width: auto; height: auto;" src="https://cdn.cogoport.io/cms-prod/cogo_public/vault/original/Blog-Banner-Portal-2.png" alt="blog_banner" width="auto">
<ul>
<li>Technologies such as 3D printing and Crowdsourcing offer ways to create and practice newer means to process logistics. By harnessing concepts like autonomous trucks and drones, the delivery capabilities will increase and shipments will be efficiently processed and delivered.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Regenerative systems will foster more sustainable product life cycle, whereby reducing the environmental footprint by this industry, as the carbon dioxide emissions and air pollution will be under control.</li>
<li>If the enterprises take the initiative to analyze big data streams, they can derive new insights that can improve the operational efficiency and enables the launch of services like &lsquo;last-mile delivery&rsquo;. This requires companies to collect data along their value chain.</li>
<li>Digital transformation brings about shared capabilities such as shared warehouses, shared transport capabilities that will increase the asset utilization and saves a lot of time and energy.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Retailers get better insights about their customers through digital touch points. It also enhances the visibility of shipments that are both internally and externally sourced.</li>
</ul>
Industry stakeholders should take notice of the benefits and come together to prioritize digital transformation initiatives, given the potential for significantly higher value to be created for society and for the freight industry.

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Global Economy Meltdown - More Than Just Tariffs

Cogoport Welcomes Another Passionate Team Member!

Cogoport Intern: Day in the Life!

Freight Industry is Still Offline

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