U.S. port dynamics are as fluid as they've been in the past two decades. Shifting trade winds have unsettled old moorings. In turn, U.S. shippers and consignees are turning in new directions. The impending Panama Canal expansion has fed speculation about how a surge in transit will impact existing U.S. East Coast and West Coast trade balances. A nearshoring reality-borne from the promise of cheaper North American energy, rising Chinese inflation, and more competitive domestic manufacturing-has similarly forced producers and retailers to rethink their supply chains. Many are reconsidering where they source and manufacture product, and how they bring it to market-then aligning U.S. distribution networks accordingly.
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