A Note from The Captain’s Chair: 2023
After a historic two year run for the entire chemical and logistics industries, the temperature cooled in July of 2022. It was an unsustainable pace that had to end and we braced for a tough second half of the year. Fortunately, it was not as bad as we expected! The pace slowed and some inventories […]
Economic Stressors Leading to Chemical Industry Overstock
Inflation and rising cost of living has forced consumers to cut back on spending, leading to severe overstock in inventories. Because of this, the global chemical industry has been cutting operating costs. The energy crisis, which has contributed greatly to the complications surrounding the cost of living, has created a demand shock which has left […]
Texas Plants Shut Down Ahead of Freeze
Plants in Texas shut down operations recently in preparation for a cold front that caused temperatures to reach below freezing. Cold weather disruptions, that seemingly started within the last year, are detrimental to Gulf Coast plants as many of them are not equipped to handle long periods of freezing temperatures. Extremely frigid temperatures can […]
How OSRA 22 Plans to Reform Maritime Practices
The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (OSRA 22) was introduced this past June in attempts to address major concerns regarding unfair ocean freight practices. This is the first major revision of US maritime regulatory statuses since 1998. The OSRA 22 responds to complaints from US importers, exporters, and other interests who have experienced disruptions […]
Brenntag and Univar Hint at Merger Plans
In November of 2022, chemical industry giant Brenntag said it planned to double its annual spending on mergers and acquisitions, specifically noting the goal of consolidating the industry and improving technical capabilities. Now, Brenntag is reportedly in talks with Univar, the world’s third-largest chemical distributor, regarding a merger. This deal would combine two of the […]
