
Shipping Costs Start to Crimp Globalization - theoneill
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/business/worldbusiness/03global.html?pagewanted=all
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mleonhard
What business opportunities will emerge due to increased shipping costs?

I suppose there will be a surge in on-demand media production. Book and
magazine producers will save shipping money by printing and binding the
materials near to their consumers. When shipping prices really start to go up,
electronic books and downloaded movies will be a big win.

The increase in shipping costs from on-demand factories in Asia will affect
the cost of laptops.

More importantly: There will be growth in the market for software to support
factories in the USA and Mexico.

There will also be a lot more to gain from inventory control techniques that
prevent shipping unwanted products. How about making software to help Fortune
5,000,000 companies cut down on shipping unwanted inventory?

How about an electronic market for extra space in trucks?

How about software and services that help truckers get the best gas mileage?
Since engines operate more efficiently with cooler and drier air, weather
information could help truckers to schedule their trips through cooler air.
Real-time wind speeds and directions can help them avoid headwinds. A real-
time database of gas prices at particular stations can help truckers shave off
a few cents per gallon. Traffic info can help trucks avoid idling in traffic
jams. A database of road inclination can help truckers take the level road
instead of wasting gas going up hills. An online database of fuel efficiency
for various routes and times could help them take advantage of unknown
factors. A service could provide all of this functionality to small businesses
that operate shipping fleets.

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ajkirwin
"Book and magazine producers will save shipping money by printing and binding
the materials near to their consumers."

Or hopefully, they'll transition to digital formats a lot faster and skip over
this step.

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maurycy
Hopefully not. I enjoy printed magazines.

