A World Trade Center brings together businesses and government agencies involved in foreign trade. It is a one-stop trade information hub where an international business person is offered the full range of services such as market research, WTCA OnLine, trade shows & exhibit space, business services, trade education, group trade missions and WTC clubs.
There are three ways to search the Find a World Trade Center database:
Find out about upcoming events at World Trade Centers around the globe!
WTCA's Calendar of Events is loaded with seminars, conferences, trade fairs, exhibitions and other events for the international business community.
Use any or all of the criteria below to find events that interest you.
We believe that the most important element in finding business partners is quality information. With WTCA OnLine's Business Matchmaker, you may create a profile of business interests and receive relevant matches of products and services from WTCA OnLine's databases delivered to your email account, thus giving you a convenient means to target new clients.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Wireless Technology and Trucks
For truckers, wireless options are limitless. Everything from data relay from the cab to dispatch, truck maintenance information, toll collection and weigh in motion, fuels savings and even entertainment downloads at truck stops can take place wirelessly.
Which means the options can be enormous and befuddling. “The adoption of dispatch and mobile communications technologies has become standard, which has enabled carriers to collect and use real-time data from operations,” says Dave Harris vice president of sales for Integrated Decision Support Corp. in Richardson, Texas, a manufacturer of decision support software for the truckload industry. But he shrewdly adds, it’s how you use the data that counts.
For many truckers, though, the act of gathering the data remains an issue, accompanied by the challenges of sorting fact from fiction when it comes to vendor offerings. Should a fleet manager put drivers on handheld computers, also known as “ruggedized PDA” or go with smart cell phones? Is remote vehicle diagnosis ready for prime time? What are new wireless options for fuel monitoring?
This round up of wireless technology options provides fleet and operations managers a quick glimpse of the many developments taking place in the field—some available for use today and others to prepare for in the next few years.
Wireless devices
The handheld computer, also known as a “ruggedized PDA,” has come of age. Fleets can get handhelds that scan documents, capture customers’ signatures, take photographs and synchronize with onboard computers to relay engine information wirelessly back to the terminal.
They also can contain personal management capabilities like scheduling, an address book and calendar. Some devices offer local and remote security features so the device can be turned off remotely. Newer devices now have embedded global positioning systems for tracking the driver and assets, to name just some of the functions being loaded on devices that are shrinking to pocket size in some cases.
The price of handhelds has been declining, according to industry analysts, but these devices can range from $1,000-$3,000 per unit depending on the functions added. The so-called consumer wireless devices—smart phones, PDAs and tablets—range in the hundreds of dollars per unit. They share functions with handhelds, but are hardly identical. In general, say the experts, the handheld or ruggedized PDA is developed with the trucking environment in mind, meaning it’s designed to take a beating.
Jeff Sibio, Director of Transportation and Logistics for Intermec, based in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, says they test their handhelds to exceed military standards, which requires drop testing the device 26 times to various surfaces at specified heights. To meet Intermec’s standards, the device cannot break. Consumer devices, he adds, don’t have “the seal against moisture or dust and just can’t stand up in an industrial setting. Plus, the average turn cycle on consumer electronics is about three months, so you can’t replace them exactly (if they break) where a computer like ours is guaranteed from five to eight years with tech support if needed.”
Gerald McNerney, senior director for transportation, distribution and logistics solutions for Motorola, agrees that customers want hardware “that will last for the life of the purchase, which is five to seven years.” As for consumer electronics, he says those products move so quickly they become out of date long before they break down.
Both McNerney and Sibio warn fleets not to be fooled by the apparent low cost of consumer electronics hardware because those costs can escalate with add-ons like scanners and don’t include network operating costs. Of course, there are network costs for handhelds, but Sibio says Intermec provides options for fleets to negotiate with cellular carriers the way they would with a cell phone or PDA.
Which means the options can be enormous and befuddling. “The adoption of dispatch and mobile communications technologies has become standard, which has enabled carriers to collect and use real-time data from operations,” says Dave Harris vice president of sales for Integrated Decision Support Corp. in Richardson, Texas, a manufacturer of decision support software for the truckload industry. But he shrewdly adds, it’s how you use the data that counts.
For many truckers, though, the act of gathering the data remains an issue, accompanied by the challenges of sorting fact from fiction when it comes to vendor offerings. Should a fleet manager put drivers on handheld computers, also known as “ruggedized PDA” or go with smart cell phones? Is remote vehicle diagnosis ready for prime time? What are new wireless options for fuel monitoring?
This round up of wireless technology options provides fleet and operations managers a quick glimpse of the many developments taking place in the field—some available for use today and others to prepare for in the next few years.
Wireless devices
The handheld computer, also known as a “ruggedized PDA,” has come of age. Fleets can get handhelds that scan documents, capture customers’ signatures, take photographs and synchronize with onboard computers to relay engine information wirelessly back to the terminal.
They also can contain personal management capabilities like scheduling, an address book and calendar. Some devices offer local and remote security features so the device can be turned off remotely. Newer devices now have embedded global positioning systems for tracking the driver and assets, to name just some of the functions being loaded on devices that are shrinking to pocket size in some cases.
The price of handhelds has been declining, according to industry analysts, but these devices can range from $1,000-$3,000 per unit depending on the functions added. The so-called consumer wireless devices—smart phones, PDAs and tablets—range in the hundreds of dollars per unit. They share functions with handhelds, but are hardly identical. In general, say the experts, the handheld or ruggedized PDA is developed with the trucking environment in mind, meaning it’s designed to take a beating.
Jeff Sibio, Director of Transportation and Logistics for Intermec, based in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, says they test their handhelds to exceed military standards, which requires drop testing the device 26 times to various surfaces at specified heights. To meet Intermec’s standards, the device cannot break. Consumer devices, he adds, don’t have “the seal against moisture or dust and just can’t stand up in an industrial setting. Plus, the average turn cycle on consumer electronics is about three months, so you can’t replace them exactly (if they break) where a computer like ours is guaranteed from five to eight years with tech support if needed.”
Gerald McNerney, senior director for transportation, distribution and logistics solutions for Motorola, agrees that customers want hardware “that will last for the life of the purchase, which is five to seven years.” As for consumer electronics, he says those products move so quickly they become out of date long before they break down.
Both McNerney and Sibio warn fleets not to be fooled by the apparent low cost of consumer electronics hardware because those costs can escalate with add-ons like scanners and don’t include network operating costs. Of course, there are network costs for handhelds, but Sibio says Intermec provides options for fleets to negotiate with cellular carriers the way they would with a cell phone or PDA.
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization (WTO), (OMC - Spanish: Organización Mundial del Comercio, French: Organisation Mondiale du Commerce), is an international organization designed to supervise and liberalize international trade. The WTO came into being on January 1, 1995, and is the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which was created in 1947, and continued to operate for almost five decades as a de facto international organization.
The World Trade Organization deals with the rules of trade between nations at a near-global level; it is responsible for negotiating and implementing new trade agreements, and is in charge of policing member countries' adherence to all the WTO agreements, signed by the bulk of the world's trading nations and ratified in their parliaments.[3] Most of the WTO's current work comes from the 1986-94 negotiations called the Uruguay Round, and earlier negotiations under the GATT. The organization is currently the host to new negotiations, under the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) launched in 2001.[4]
The WTO is governed by a Ministerial Conference, which meets every two years; a General Council, which implements the conference's policy decisions and is responsible for day-to-day administration; and a director-general, who is appointed by the Ministerial Conference. The WTO's headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland.
The World Trade Organization deals with the rules of trade between nations at a near-global level; it is responsible for negotiating and implementing new trade agreements, and is in charge of policing member countries' adherence to all the WTO agreements, signed by the bulk of the world's trading nations and ratified in their parliaments.[3] Most of the WTO's current work comes from the 1986-94 negotiations called the Uruguay Round, and earlier negotiations under the GATT. The organization is currently the host to new negotiations, under the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) launched in 2001.[4]
The WTO is governed by a Ministerial Conference, which meets every two years; a General Council, which implements the conference's policy decisions and is responsible for day-to-day administration; and a director-general, who is appointed by the Ministerial Conference. The WTO's headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland.
Border Security Trumping Trade
The effects of any event causing the shutdown of one of our nation’s primary trading arteries with Canada are almost beyond comprehension. “Take Detroit as an example, with over 6,000 trucks incoming to the U.S. crossing the Ambassador Bridge on a daily basis,” states Ronald Smith, chief of the Detroit field office for Customs and Border Protection (CBP), responsible for the ports of Detroit, Port Huron, and Sault Ste. Marie. “A shutdown would mean closing automotive plants and suppliers in both the U.S. and Canada. It would cause a rippling effect to our economy that would quickly become a tsunami. The vitality of our economies depends on the security we need to have deployed so legitimate trade can continue.”
The U.S. and Canada enjoy a trading partnership unlike any other two border countries, with the largest bilateral flow of goods and services in the world. Trade between the two countries averaged a whopping $1.2 billion per day in 2004, well over $428 billion that year. Canada moves about 87 percent of its exports to the US, as the US market is 10 times the size of Canada’s. The Ambassador Bridge, connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, is the No. 1 commercial crossing in the world.
So, few security concerns are more vital than keeping these arteries free flowing. But, what really is the current health of our border security measures? Ask James G. Liddy of Liddy International to rate security at our northern border crossings and he can give only a ‘fair’ rating because so many initiatives are at an elementary level.
Although the issue of security has a lot more attention these days, Liddy stresses not enough prescriptive remedies are focused on critical operational transportation nodes within our bridges, tunnels, and border crossings. “We have to keep in mind that these critical nodes are what terrorists want to target in order to attack our economy.” On the other hand, economic considerations underscore the importance of not burdening these trade channels with unnecessary bureaucratic impediments.
So, where do you make the trade-offs? How are we maintaining the balance in preserving the critical infrastructure supporting this healthy trade partnership? To find out, we examined a few of the busiest commercial border crossings along the northern border: Detroit, Buffalo, and Blaine (Washington).
The U.S. and Canada enjoy a trading partnership unlike any other two border countries, with the largest bilateral flow of goods and services in the world. Trade between the two countries averaged a whopping $1.2 billion per day in 2004, well over $428 billion that year. Canada moves about 87 percent of its exports to the US, as the US market is 10 times the size of Canada’s. The Ambassador Bridge, connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, is the No. 1 commercial crossing in the world.
So, few security concerns are more vital than keeping these arteries free flowing. But, what really is the current health of our border security measures? Ask James G. Liddy of Liddy International to rate security at our northern border crossings and he can give only a ‘fair’ rating because so many initiatives are at an elementary level.
Although the issue of security has a lot more attention these days, Liddy stresses not enough prescriptive remedies are focused on critical operational transportation nodes within our bridges, tunnels, and border crossings. “We have to keep in mind that these critical nodes are what terrorists want to target in order to attack our economy.” On the other hand, economic considerations underscore the importance of not burdening these trade channels with unnecessary bureaucratic impediments.
So, where do you make the trade-offs? How are we maintaining the balance in preserving the critical infrastructure supporting this healthy trade partnership? To find out, we examined a few of the busiest commercial border crossings along the northern border: Detroit, Buffalo, and Blaine (Washington).
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Freedom Tower
Developer Silverstein Properties is making steady progress on the Freedom Tower. Located at the northwest corner of the World Trade Center, installation of steel columns continues as the concrete slab is being poured to form the tower's base.
The tower will be built according to a revised design released by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation in June 2005. The new design retains essential elements of the original -- soaring 1,776 feet into the sky, its illuminated mast evoking the Statue of Liberty's torch -- but features a smaller, cubic base set back further from West Street to protect the building against any future terrorist attempts.
Rising from its square base -- which will be constructed of impermeable concrete and steel -- the redesigned Freedom Tower will taper into eight tall isosceles triangles, forming a perfect octagon at its center. An observation deck will be located 1,362 feet above ground and there will be a square glass parapet at 1,368 feet, the heights of the original Twin Towers. From these, an illuminated spire containing a television antenna will rise to a final height of 1,776 feet.
Other key elements of the original design will be retained, including 2.6 million square feet of office space, tenant amenity spaces, world-class restaurants, below-grade retail, and access to the PATH, subway, and World Financial Center.
New Age Trade
Take a virtual tour of the International New Age Trade Show by visiting our Sights and Sounds of INATS. Here you will find aisle photos, depicting a typical Fair day, as well as merchandise photos and music clips that will be available at the up coming Show.
The International New Age Trade Show® is the premier market in the United States designed specifically to meet the needs of retailers featuring New Age and related products. Products represented include: Books, New Age and World Music, Audio and Video Tapes as well as Aromatherapy Bath and Body Preparations, Apparel, Candles, Crystals, Tarots and Divination & Healing Tools, Health and Wellness, Herbal Remedies, Incense, Metaphysical Supplies, Inspirational Art, Jewelry, Native Traditions and Greeting Cards.
The International New Age Trade Show® is the premier market in the United States designed specifically to meet the needs of retailers featuring New Age and related products. Products represented include: Books, New Age and World Music, Audio and Video Tapes as well as Aromatherapy Bath and Body Preparations, Apparel, Candles, Crystals, Tarots and Divination & Healing Tools, Health and Wellness, Herbal Remedies, Incense, Metaphysical Supplies, Inspirational Art, Jewelry, Native Traditions and Greeting Cards.
New Trade Theory
New Trade Theory (NTT) is the economic critique of international free trade from the perspective of increasing returns to scale and the network effect. Some economists have asked whether it might be effective for a nation to shelter infant industries until they had grown to sufficient size to compete internationally.
New Trade theorists challenge the assumption of diminishing returns to scale, and some argue that using protectionist measures to build up a huge industrial base in certain industries will then allow those sectors to dominate the world market (via a Network effect).
They wondered whether free trade would have prevented the development of the Japanese auto industries in the 1950s, when quotas and regulations prevented import competition. Japanese companies were encouraged to import foreign production technology but were required to produce 90 percent of parts domestically within five years. It is said that the short-term hardship of Japanese consumers (who were unable to buy the superior vehicles produced by the world market) was more than compensated for by the long-term benefits to producers, who gained time to out-compete their international rivals1.
Less quantitative forms of this "infant industry" argument against totally free trade have been advanced by trade theorists since at least 1848 (see: History of free trade.)
New Trade theorists challenge the assumption of diminishing returns to scale, and some argue that using protectionist measures to build up a huge industrial base in certain industries will then allow those sectors to dominate the world market (via a Network effect).
They wondered whether free trade would have prevented the development of the Japanese auto industries in the 1950s, when quotas and regulations prevented import competition. Japanese companies were encouraged to import foreign production technology but were required to produce 90 percent of parts domestically within five years. It is said that the short-term hardship of Japanese consumers (who were unable to buy the superior vehicles produced by the world market) was more than compensated for by the long-term benefits to producers, who gained time to out-compete their international rivals1.
Less quantitative forms of this "infant industry" argument against totally free trade have been advanced by trade theorists since at least 1848 (see: History of free trade.)
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