"Climate Controlled" Storage Space in Demand

As we're getting ready to start our 16th year in business,  we realize that we have continued to grow and service our customers by  offering the services that they need.

One of the services that we have been offering the past couple of years in our Temperature/Humidity Controlled Space,  it has been in such demand that we just expanded the space available by another 18,000 square feet.

This space is designed for "Industrial Material",  "Machinery" and "Equipment".   Our onsite heavy lift capacity can easily handle Motor Control Units,  Compressor,  Transformers and more.

Next time you're in South East Houston,  please drop in for a tour.

Global Economic Cooperation and Recovery

Dixie Cullen 

hosts a visit and facility tour from the

U. S. Department of State

International Visitor - Leadership Program

A Multi Regional Project

Global Economic

Cooperation and Recovery

The U. S. Department of State, International Visitor - Leadership Program, targeted Dixie Cullen Interest for a facility tour of their operation here in South East Houston. This program brought representatives in to discuss how old industrial facilities can be revitalized and put into operation employing more people.

This group is made up of representatives from 7 different countries and is part of a Multi Regional Project for Global Economic Cooperation and Recovery.

Countries included Israel, Brazil, Srilanka, Tunisia, Nigeria, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and Turkey.

It was a wonderful opportunity to showcase  Dixie Cullen Interests and the services we offer the international community.

So Far, Japan Earthquake has minimal impact on Trade at Port of Houston

The Port Of Houston Magazine
March/April

The massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan had a minimal impact on the Port of Houston.

Japan is not a major trading partner in the Port of Houston or the Port of Houston Authority,  accounting for 0.7 percent of all imports and 1.9 percent of all exports to the Port of Houston in 2010.  Japan accounted for 1.2 percent of loaded container imports and 0.7  percent of loaded container exports for Port Authority container terminals.

Supply chain's in Japan and beyond have been disrupted by the disaster, including auto parts supply chains linked with the United States,  so some  U.S. businesses have been affected.  Cars and auto parts make up the majority  of the 6.4 percent of imports from Japan into the U.S. annually.  About 4.7 percent of all U.S. exports go to Japan.

The largest amount of containerized cargo that comes to the United States from Japan goes through the west coast and is railed to destinations in the U.S., noted Ricky Kunz, Port of Houston Authority Vice President Origination.   That includes most auto parts bound for the Toyota plant in San Antonio.

Some impact is expected to be seen in movements of steel because of Japanese plants shutting down.

Texas Economy hits highest point in Two Years!

Report: Texas economy hits highest point in two years


Published: April 14, 2011

The Texas economy is performing better now than anytime in the last two years, Comerica Bank reported this week.

View full article

Galveston to be Containerized?

This article caught our attention,  as our warehouse is only about 45 minutes from the Port of Galveston, and this could be of interest to many of our customers.
Breakbulk Staff   Tue, 02/22/2011 - 15:35
Breakbulk Online - News Story

Breakbulk port may accept new investors, add boxes to mix

The Port of Galveston, Texas, could be adding containers to its mix of breakbulk, project, bulk and cruise business if a proposed partnership between Hutchison Port Holdings and The Carlyle Group comes to fruition.

The possibility was announced earlier this month when the port’s governing Wharves Board asked port staff to negotiate an agreement for a 75-year master lease with the partnership.

Hutchison wants to bring containers to Galveston, which has been concentrating on breakbulk, ro-ro and project cargo, including high volumes of wind turbine components. The port has gone after container business in the past but the attempt sagged in the face of nearby Houston’s massive operations. The port auctioned off its rusting container cranes several years ago and dedicated the contianer terminal to ro-ro and other breakbulk cargoes.

The new agreement is likely to add containers to the present mix rather than be a major shift, according to Capt. John G. Peterlin III, senior director of marketing and administration for the Port of Galveston.

As outlined, the Hutchison deal would include a new 100-acre container terminal on the west end of Galveston Island, a 20-acre terminal for ro-ro cargo such as farm and industrial vehicles on the east end, and possibly a second container terminal on nearby Pelican.

Galveston’s Wharves Board of Trustees last April hired the Bank of Montreal to look for private investors for the port. Of 80 firms solicited, only the Hutchison-Carlyle joint venture, formed expressly to bid on the Galveston project, was found acceptable by BMO. Hutchison Port Holdings operates more than 50 ports worldwide and handles between 10 and 15 percent of the global container market. The Carlyle Group is a private equity firm based in Washington, D.C.

If an agreement is reached the Port would recieve an approximately US$60 million debt pay off, a share of revenue and profits from cruise and freight business, cash for capital improvements over a 10-year period, and other cash payments. A master lease proposal could be brought before the Wharves Board by this summer, according to local news outlets.

.

Texas Port Watch: A Year in Review

In 2010 nearly 15,000 ships called on Texas ports – an increase of 11.4% over 2009. 68% of those vessels steamed into Galveston Bay bound for the ports of Galveston, Texas City or Houston. The port of Houston received the lion’s share of those vessels accounting for 47% of the State’s entire volume of deep water arrivals. All told, 2010 was a welcome respite from the doldrums of 2009.

The port of Galveston saw the most impressive gains of the year with a 52% increase and ended the year with a 13% increase over the month of November. Energy appeared to be a dominant feature in the rebound as the energy-centric ports of Texas City and Sabine registered nearly identical annual increases of 22%. Albeit Texas City posted identical month-to-month numbers while Sabine saw 13% more vessel arrivals in December as compared to November.

The Port of Houston experienced a modest gain of 2% over November’s vessel arrival count and finished the year with an annual gain of nearly 8%. There were some interesting month-to-month figures as the year came to end. Specifically, the private docks which comprise the vast majority of the vessel arrival numbers – approximately 70% - were down 1% for the month. Conversely, the public dock vessel numbers were up 11% with general cargo leading the pack. In fact, this category was up 20% in December for the entire port.

Another December trend was that the majority of the storage facilities along the Houston Ship Channel were down – a not unusual event given end-of-year-tax considerations associated with bulk tank farm inventories. Nonetheless, for the year, most of the terminals that handle crude and chemicals saw ship arrival gains in the range of 9 to nearly 30%. This should not come as a surprise as December’s tank vessel arrivals was just 2 shy of August’s high of 317 – a 3.5% increase from November.

Judging by preliminary reports for January vessel movements, it is likely the upward trend will continue into the Spring as crude prices remain strong and natural gas prices continue to firm. Hopefully, trade activity for Texas ports will reflect a modest return to those heady trade days prior to the onset of the Great Recession.

-Tom Marian, Buffalo Marine Service

Obtaining Carrier Safety reports

Now that  CSA is "official" and in full implementation,  you maybe asking yourself how to check on your carriers for their safety ratings.

Go to http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms/  and enter the motor carrier's MC# or US DOT#. This will take you into the SMS results for the particular motor carrier and you can click on the individual BASIC to see what individual data created the score.

Animals need help too!

Yes,  animals need our help too!

If you have been to our facility you know that we have several "dogs" onsite,  who think they're just part of the Dixie Cullen TEAM, and they are.  Which is why when we received the "call for help" from the Rescue Bank came we were up for the task.

Our warehouse facility received truckloads of dog and cat food that were donated, that needed to be received and distributed to numerous organizations who foster, adopt and rescue pets.   We helped to load out the much needed food to the various organizations that the Rescue Bank supports. 

IMPORTANT DATE: December 5, 2010

CSA 2010 – When does it Begin?

On December 5, 2010, the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA) will replace the Safe STAT system and will switch compliance monitoring to the Comprehensive Safety Analysis, 2010 (CSA 2010) system

Break Bulk Conference 2010 Houston

ITMA, The Transportation Club of Houston, The Association for Global Logistics & Transportation, Organization of Women In Transportation, and Houston Maritime Arbitrators Association answered questions and promoted their clubs at the 21st Annual Breakbulk Americas Conference at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on October 11th-15th.  More than 3,800 attendees and nearly 220 exhibits broke previous years' attendance records in both categories. 

Opportunity Houston

Distribution and Logistics

One of the reasons that we chose to locate our business in the Greater Houston area was location.  Close to the Port of Houston,  and 1/2 way between east and west coasts.

Our location has been a major asset to our growth, and we find that we're not the only Company thinking that way.  The Greater Houston Partnership,  produces a quarterly magazine about "Opportunity Houston".    This particular issue deals with Distribution and Logistics  here in the Greater Houston Area.

This magazine also quotes some wonderful  statistics:  

16 Major Highways serve the Houston Area

1,212 is the Number of non-local trucking firms that serve  Houston

220 Million tons of cargo moved in 2009, as more than 7,700 ships called at the Port of Houston

For more GREAT Information and TIDBITS read the entire Magazine

http://www.houston.org/

 

Journal of Commerce reports Houston Steel, Container Volumes Increase

Houston Steel, Container Volumes Increase

Joseph Bonney
Fri, 10/01/2010 - 14:30
The Journal of Commerce Online - News Story


Alternating trend reflects up and down overall economy

Steel and container volumes rose last month at the Port of Houston. The change followed what port CEO Alec G. Dreyer described as a "good month, bad month" pattern reflecting the overall economy.

Steel volume during August totaled 285,000 tons, a fourfold increase from a year earlier. Port CEO Alex G. Dreyer said export steel volume of 60,467 tons was the highest since March 2008. He said overall steel volume during September is expected to total 320,000 to 325,000 tons.

Container traffic in August totaled 152,077 20-foot-equivalent units, up 8.2 percent from a year earlier. Imports rose 6.2 percent to 71,702 TEUs while exports increased 9.2 percent to 80,375 TEUs. Volume through August totaled 1.2 million TEUs, an increase of 2.3 percent.

The port commission signed a two-year, $340,000 contract with Ben Line Agencies Limited Singapore to help the port promote its trade with Asia. Houston handles two-thirds of the container traffic through Gulf ports and is trying to attract Asian services through the Panama Canal, which is adding larger locks to accommodate 12,000-TEU ships.

Letters of Credit Boot Camp

Letters of Credit Boot Camp

Basic Training for Clean and Profitable Letters of Credit

Wednesday October 20th

8 am to 3 pm

University of Houston ~ Small Business Development Center

2302 Fannin, Ste 200,  Houston TX

Speakers

Madeline Sprague, VP Global Trade Services

JP Morgan Chase

Jolie Cosman, CEO

LetterofCreditCollection.com

• 
  
  Hear about best practices to create clean L/C's
• 
  
  Learn about INCOTERMS
• 
  
  UCP 600, ISPB:  Learn How to Use Them to YOUR advantage
• 
  
  Review case studies of good and bad L/C/s
• 
  
  and more

Cost:  OWIT Members  $75.00

Non-members  $90.00

Includes continental Breakfast and Lunch

RSVP  http://www.owit-hou.org/

To find out more about American Business Womens Association

http://www.abwa.org/ 

Cargo Insurance Claims

Given the number of loads that we receive in and out of our warehouse facality,  paying attention to the small details, photo journaling each load, notating damages,  immediately notifying our customers when such damage is found,  and yes it does occur.   But what happens once you our customer receive the information from us.  Or what happens when it's shipped direct to your facility.   Each step that you take is very important to the recovery of your losses.

Below is a link to a wonderful article on Basic Steps to follow when a claim occurs.

Following some basic steps when a cargo claim occurs will vastly improve the outcome of this process. See my recent article on pg. 39 in...


Click here for entire article
 

Houston Business Journal

Announces . . . . .

Dixie Cullen Interests Inc.

Congratulations,

Your firm [Dixie Cullen] has made the

2010 Houston Fast 100!

Your outstanding achievement as a growing Houston business has earned you a place on the Houston Business Journal's Houston Fast 100 list.

It will be announced where in the Houston Fast 100 we have placed to those attending the Houston Fast 100 awards ceremony on Friday, September 24, 2010, 11:00 am - 1:30 pm, Westin Galleria Hotel, 5060 W. Alabama in the Galleria Ballroom.  

JULY 2010 HAVE YOU HEARD?

Houston Creates More Jobs than any other U.S. City in Last Five Years

The Houston region has been named the nation’s No. 1 job creator over the last five years in a recent ranking from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. From June, 2005 to June, 2010, our region added 129,800 jobs. Over this same period, 84 major markets sustained employment losses while Houston was one of only 16 major markets to boast a gain in employment.

The first half of this year alone, the region has confirmed by its rankings and third-party validations that it is one of America’s areas of choice to live, work and play.

Additional rankings for the Houston region. visit http://www.houston.org/

Cari Broderson
Greater Houston Partnership

Logistics Professionals Should Prepare for FMCSA Final Ruling

July 23, 2010  --  Roanoke Trade

The Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a final rule (49 CFR Parts 365 and 387) which is effective March 21, 2011. It will affect cargo insurance requirements for most for-hire motor common carriers of property and freight forwarders.

The new rule, applicable to the above mentioned parties, eliminates the requirement to (1) maintain cargo insurance in prescribed minimum amounts and (2) file evidence of insurance with the FMCSA. There will be no change for household goods motor carriers and household goods freight forwarders, who will continue to be subject to the cargo insurance requirement.

What Does this Mean to Logistics Managers?

There are about 166,700 for-hire motor carriers and 1,600 freight forwarders registered with FMCSA today. Given the upcoming change, it is going to be more important than ever to have proof of insurance for each for-hire common carrier or freight forwarder with which your company works. Logistics managers will no longer be able to rely on the FMCSA to ensure that their truckers maintain at least minimum levels of insurance.

How to Prepare

Take proactive measures to help manage your financial exposure when contracting with for-hire motor common carriers of property and freight forwarders:

Require a certificate of insurance evidencing worker's compensation, general liability, automobile liability, and motor truck cargo liability insurance from all truckers.

Ensure that you are named as a certificate holder.

Ensure coverage is placed with an insurance company with an A.M. Best's Financial Strength Rating of "A-" or better.

Set up a reminder in your calendar to request updated certificates of insurance on an annual basis. Request this information at least 30 days before the carrier's insurance expires.

When using freight or property brokers, require proof of contingent cargo insurance. This provides an additional level of cargo coverage should the trucker's insurance fail to respond.

Instruct your operations team not to use carriers unless updated and satisfactory insurance is on file.

Motor truck cargo liability limits should be no less than the value of the cargo that you tender to them.

Visit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's website www.safersys.org to review trucker safety ratings, insurance details, and accident information.

Seek the advice of your Roanoke Trade representative to understand the limitations, exclusions, and other restrictions of motor truck cargo insurance.

Avoid unnecessary transportation risks in the supply chain. Contact Roanoke Trade today and we'll assist you with proactive measures to reduce financial exposure for you and your clients.

Sincerely,
Roanoke Trade Services, Inc.
Affiliate of Watkins Underwriters at Lloyd's and a Member of Munich Re
email: marketing@roanoketrade.com 
phone: 1-800-ROANOKE

web: http://www.roanoketrade.com/
Houston:   Theresa Garcia   Email:theresa.garcia@roanoketrade.com

Incoterms 2010

www.ICCIncoterms2010.org

Incoterms 2010 rules will come into force on January 1, 2011 and this will be the eighth Incoterms revision since their inception in 1936, and will be released in September.   These revisions happen about every 10 years and this particular revision has taken over 2 1/2 years.

Visit the above website to find out more information and upcoming class schedules throughout the United States to bring you up todate on many of the changes.

TRANSPORT TOPICS Special Report: CSA 2010 (Free PDF)


The government's new truck safety regime known as CSA 2010 is upon us. While the data for full implementation has slipped a bit lately, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration still intends to ramp up the program nationally this fall. Like any major regulatory initiative, there is confusion and misinformation on this important program. The CSA 2010 Special Report is an effort to help spell out in detail what CSA 2010 will and won't do, and provide industry executives and managers with information they need to know to prepare for its full implementation.

The CSA 2010 Special Report (originally published as a Supplement to the April, 26 issue of Transport Topics) is an effort to help spell out in detail what CSA 2010 will and won't do, and provide industry executives with information they need to know to prepare for its full implementation.

Please feel free to distribute to your colleagues and others interested in the topic.

To open the CSA 2010 PDF, click here.


Transport Topics, 
950 N Glebe Road

Arlington, VA 22203

(703) 838-1770