23-26/2016 Records and moments 
One major event is following hot on the heels of the last one these days. No, really, it’s true, now more so than at other times. As we’re headquartered in the Swiss city of Basel, I’ll begin with the official opening of Switzerland’s new Gotthard base tunnel through the Alps... more
21-22/2016 Maritime shipping sets new course
Maritime shipping is once again being buffeted by heavy turbulence. The weak global economy is creating severe problems for the sector, and measures instituted by large shipping lines to counter poor demand, such as establishing major new alliances (see also page 13) have... more
19-20/2016 Leave the light on
Save time and avoid standstills – these principles are amongst the most important precepts underlying efficiency, also in the logistics field. It is these ways of wasting time that result in avoidable emissions, idle technology and underutilised employees. Any attempt to... more
17-18/2016 Panama-papers vs canal
There is no dearth of appealing places to be on our beautiful planet. Besides your imagination’s own private oasis, as described by ITJ editor-in-chief Christian Doepgen on page 31 of this issue, I’m also thinking of a few real places that can easily be localised by your... more
15-16/2016 All in one
The major internet trading firm Amazon has been good for many surprises over the years. The US corporation frequently presents ideas to the public that may at first glance sound downright fantastic. Its drone project is a prime exhibit in this context. Whilst most people... more
13-14/2016 External impulses
All eyes have once again been on China since the global recession started. General levels of prosperity have increased for the country’s population, it’s true, and domestic demand has also risen steadily of late, but these factors can’t compensate for declining demand from... more
11-12/2016 Riding the tiger
Winston Churchill’s famous words – our policy is to wage war by land, sea and air – is a very commendable approach for the leader of a nation at war on his first day in office as his country’s prime minister. It can also be used by logisticians today, however. The industry’s... more
09-10/2016 Between heaven and hell
It’s rather rare for freighter aircraft to make the headlines of the daily newspapers, but a few days ago this was the case. In this example, however, the industry would probably have preferred no publicity at all to the bad publicity that it got. The story, you may have read... more
07-08/2016 Equal opportunities
In the end the announcement came as a surprise: the state-owned Chinese corporation ChemChina wants to take over the Swiss seed and agricultural chemicals company Syngenta for EUR 43 billion. ChemChina said that the move – the most expensive purchase abroad by a... more
05-06/2016 A measured future
The beginning of a new year usually also triggers a spate of gazing into the crystal ball, which in turn produces a plethora of predictions and hypotheses of how business will develop in 2016. Only one aspect thereof can be considered a fact so far, however: the optimists are... more