APEC has been developing the action plans after working with business and government sectors last year to identify eight critical chokepoints in the supply chain, relating to regulatory impediments, customs inefficiencies and inadequate transport networks and infrastructure.

The action plans are part of efforts to achieve multi-modal connectivity by air, land and sea, and to facilitate a seamless flow of goods, services and people throughout the Asia Pacific. This is part of APEC’s priority to speed up regional economic integration.

Improving overall multi-modal performance would increase intra- and extra- regional trade by up to $500 billion annually, research by APEC’s Policy Support Unit shows. Although individual transport modes are important, making them work through an efficient logistics system is vital. 

“Seamless connectivity is very important to increasing economic growth and forging an interconnected region,” Elizabeth Chelliah, Chair of APEC’s Committee on Trade and Investment told the experts gathered in Sendai, Japan.

 “We will identify how to implement the ideas set out in the action plans and how to identify and measure the positive progress made in eradicating and eliminating these impediments to trade,” Chelliah said.

 Business and academics told the symposium, being held over two days, that disruptions to supply chain connections such as breakdowns in transport networks and unexpected changes in regulations and customs procedures lead to shipments of goods being slowed, stopped or turned around.

Paul Gray, vice president of logistics at MDS Nordion which makes medical isotopes and sterilization products, said the regulatory environment in which it operates was necessary and stringent given the radioactive nature of many of the products being shipped.  

Timing in delivery of these critical products was crucial. Hence, any disruption to the supply chain “not only adversely effects our business, but more importantly it can have a significant adverse effect on those patients who are waiting for the product for diagnosis or treatment of a life threatening disease.” 

The chair of APEC’s Business Advisory Council, Gempachiro Aihara, said ABAC would continue to cooperate with APEC on the issue “since a strong, smooth and improved supply chain in the flow of goods and services across borders in the region is definitely in the interests of business.”

As well as making it easier to trade across borders, improving connectivity will contribute to a more efficient supply chain, greater productivity and employment and increased personal mobility. This plays a role in achieving APEC’s new vision of balanced, inclusive, sustainable and knowledge-based growth.

Source: http://www.andina.com.pe/Ingles/Noticia.aspx?id=frQJdyXADs0=

Eleven major supermarket chains will attend the Exporalimentaria trade fair taking place between September 22nd and 24th.

These chains include Woolworth, Supermercados Ketal, Carrefour, Lablow, Supermercados del Sur, Unimarc, Wal-Mart, Almacenes Éxito, Supertiendas y Droguerías Olímpica, Supervalue, Federation of Migros Co-operatives.

Altogether about 700 food industry companies will participate in the second edition of this trade fair.

Exporters Union highlighted that several international companies already purchase from local companies.

For example, Goya, the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States, has reached deals with Gandules.

Colombia’s Almacenes Exitos imported some US$1.8 million from San Fernando, Austral Group and Delisse, El Comercio daily reported.

Source: http://www.andina.com.pe/Ingles/Noticia.aspx?id=bOj7/0tQ6K4=

The Incas worked gold into crowns, diadems, earrings, nose ornaments, ritual vessels and other religious and ornamental objects. Their emperors held themselves to be the sun’s human incarnation, so it is no surprise that they covered themselves in gold.

The Inca Gold exhibition at the Pinacothèque (28, place de la Madeleine; 33-1-42-68-02-01; pinacotheque.com) brings together 253 rare pieces that offer a glimpse into the origins and mysteries of the Inca empire.

On loan from Peruvian museums, they together conjure up the flamboyance and glory of the most remarkable of the pre-Colombian civilizations.

When the Incas established themselves in the Cuzco region of the Andes around the 13th or 14th century, they built on the remains of numerous preceding cultures.

The show includes fine gold and silver pieces from these pre-Incan societies, illustrating the continuity of traditions that came to their finest flowering in the century of Incan dominance that ended in 1533, when the Spanish conquistadors put to death the Inca leader Atahualpa.

But instead of a straight chronology, Marc Restellini, the museum’s artistic director, has arranged the exhibition thematically to give a new reading and understanding of the multifaceted complexity of Incan life — spiritual, funerary, economic, political and military.

The museum, which is owned by a group of private international investors, opened in 2007, and is set to expand early next year into a new gallery, about 3,230 square feet, nearby.

According to the New York Times’ In Transit blog, tickets for the show are 11.50 euros (about $14.60).

This exhibition has been carried out in conjunction with Artematica and the Fondazione Brescia Museum.

Exhibition in partnership with: Fnac, France Info, LCI, Média Transports, Paris Match.

Source: http://www.andina.com.pe/Ingles/Noticia.aspx?id=7ywPvuwxS/I=

Pilar Nores, President for Instituto Trabajo y Familia and First Lady of Peru, is being honored for dedicating herself to improving the lives of the poor in rural communities.

For 16 years, the BRAVO Business Awards have honored excellence and achievement in Latin America and the Caribbean, nominating a variety of leaders, in government, business, finance and technology sectors, as well as in environmental and humanitarian areas.

The BRAVO Awards Black-Tie Gala and Awards Ceremony, a signature event to honor the outstanding Leaders of the Year, will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Miami on October 29, 2010.

The awards ceremony will take place in conjunction with the Latin Trade Symposium. Organized in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank and the Americas Society/Council of the Americas, the symposium will focus on the building of a new Latin America, with an in-depth view at those leading effective business practices, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability strategies, that continue contributing to the region’s success.

In addition to Pilar Nores, the other nine winners include:

Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who will be recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his achievements in creating a model for Latin America by rebuilding a new Colombia and establishing a renewed sense of national pride.

Brazil’s Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, who has been named Innovative Leader of the Year for his skills and commitment having played a central role in Brazil’s evolution from a regional player to becoming an international power.

Luciano Coutinho, president of Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES), has been named Financier of the Year, for making BNDES the driving force behind the Brazilian economy, positioning it as one of the world’s leaders.

Luis Alberto Moreno, President, Inter-American Development Bank, will get a Distinguished Service Award for making the IDB a force for change in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Woods Staton, CEO, Arcos Dorados, has been named Dynamic CEO of the Year for creating the largest McDonald’s franchise in the world.

Ricardo Gutiérrez Muñoz, CEO, Mexichem, has been named CEO of the Year for guiding the company’s expansion, creating an integrated, global producer of specialty chemicals.

Ronald Pantin, CEO, Pacific Rubiales Energy, has been named Pioneering CEO of the Year. He has laid down solid roots in the Colombian oil sector through his leadership of a leading private oil company.

John E. Davies, VP & General Manager, Intel World Ahead Program, has been named Technology Leader of the Year for helping bridge the digital divide by providing access to Internet technologies in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Álvaro Ugalde, President, Nectandra Institute, has been named Environmentalist of the Year for his lifelong commitment to the environment’s preservation and creating a successful national park system in Costa Rica.

Source: http://www.andina.com.pe/Ingles/Noticia.aspx?id=mWKWWBL9AD4=

ACS, A Xerox Company, has signed a 14-year, $200 million contract to deliver and operate the system, which will allow bus riders to pay for fares with the wave of a smart card.

ACS’s contract also covers back-end management, cash collection and daily revenue reconciliation, device maintenance, customer care center services and in-station card sales, according to contactlessnews.com.

The system will feature ACS’ fleet management tools, including a Computer-Aided Dispatch/Automatic Vehicle Location (CAD/AVL) system that lets