Monday, August 4, 2008

Shipping Costs Start to Crimp Globalization

posted by Dustin

This trend could be promising for every issue from domestic job creation to supply chain auditing.

August 3, 2008
Shipping Costs Start to Crimp Globalization

By LARRY ROHTER NYT
When Tesla Motors, a pioneer in electric-powered cars, set out to make a luxury roadster for the American market, it had the global supply chain in mind. Tesla planned to manufacture 1,000-pound battery packs in Thailand, ship them to Britain for installation, then bring the mostly assembled cars back to the United States.

But when it began production this spring, the company decided to make the batteries and assemble the cars near its home base in California, cutting more than 5,000 miles from the shipping bill for each vehicle.

continued here...

No comments: