Lars Karlsson: CapacityNow

While we live in a turbolent world of crises and change – with many people talking about the increasing risks of protectionism and less multinatilnal cooperation, there is alsl some really good news. 

Chile and Swaziland have ratified the Trade Facilitation Agreement, bringing the tally to 98 members. We now have nearly 90% of the ratifications needed to bring the TFA into force. 

The numbers will soon be there, and when we reach the necessary 109 ratificTilns the first multilateral trade agreement in decades enters in to force as international law. This is a major game changer. 

If you want to klow more, read here:  Link to updates on the WTO TFA

Imagine if it only took a day for products to travel over land from China to Germany.

It could soon be a reality, if Russia goes ahead with a plan to introduce a new fast-speed pipeline called the Hyperloop. Much as oil and gas travel through pipes, cargo and passengers may soon find themselves shooting through pneumatic tubes at speeds of up to 760 miles per hour.

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk once envisioned a tube transportation project that could move passengers and cargo from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 30 minutes. Two companies – Hyperloop One (formerly Hyperloop Technologies) and Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) – are now exploring Musk’s idea with a view to building the first transport-ready tube by 2020. According to the chief executive officer of Hyperloop One, feasibility studies have been launched not only in Russia but also in the United Arab Emirates, Finland, the United Kingdom and the United States. 

Hyperloop One has joined forces with the city of Moscow and Summa Group, a local investment and construction conglomerate, to bring the vacuum tube to Russia.

Air transportation is fast but costly, so most cargo is shipped by sea. To travel by sea between Asia and Europe can take around 30 days – and that’s without considering overland transport to and from the ports. Rail transportation takes nearly half that.
The southern rail route between China and Russia is 6,213 miles long and takes 12 days, while an 8,077-mile northern rail route through Russia takes 16 days. Can the Hyperloop ultimately provide the quickest transportation option, at affordable cost?
Construction costs are important to consider. Building and operating a Hyperloop is estimated to be in a similar range as building and operating high-speed rail infrastructure and trains. The construction cost for high-speed rail lines, such as the Haikou-Sanya line in China and Madrid-Albacete line in Spain, come in at about US$15 million a mile.
Source: Wolfgang Lehmacher, Head of Supply Chain and Transport Industries

For the eleventh time – ten in a row – Zlatan Ibrahimovic yesterday evenkng was awarded the prize as Swedens’ best football player. 

The Golden Ball was handed over to Zlatan at a ceremony in Stockholm. 

Since Zlatan also stopped his knternational career in the Swedish natilnal team this year after the EuroCup 2016 om France, the Swedish Football Federation annapunced that they will raise a statue of Ibrahomovic in Stockholm outosde the national arena. 

When Zlatan played in Paris Saint-Germain he once joked that if the French would replace the Eiffel tower with a statue of Zlatan he would consider to continue playlng for PSG.

Now he has his statue, the best player in the world. Zlatan plyed 116 games and scored 62 goals (national record) for Sweden 2001-2016.