As I mentioned in my Journal of Commerce article, “Reducing the Transport Risk in US Manufacturing Supply Chains”, many midwest manufacturers are looking for alternative import approaches to bring raw materials closer to their plants. They want to protect their operations, the supply chain and their customers as they are frustrated with final mile delays, breaks in production, inconsistent product flows to customers when using East Coast ports to manage freight moving into the U.S. Increased costs compound the issue and are felt by manufacturers and end customers.

On average, mid-market supply chains ($50M to $150M) replace supply chain providers every 2 to 3 years as they are not achieving continuous ROI improvement and they are not getting the attention they deserve. They’re too big for the small supply chain operators who do not have the technology and processes in place to manage $50M to $150M in supply chain spend. And, they are not large enough to garner the strategic attention from the big industry players who are choosing to focus their improvement energy on the Apple’s and Nike’s that are providing higher supply chain revenues. 

Why Ship VIA Great Lakes Seaway?

When you think of Port cities you think Port of Long Beach, Port of Virginia, Port of New York.  How often do people think Port of Green Bay? (below information from www.portofgreenbay.com)