The Mac Shipped ’round the World!
So, I’m in San Francisco, and Apple HQ is just a ways down the peninsula. So, what happens when you order a laptop through their store? It ships from the factory in China to the Philipines, and then to Alaska. Well, Philipines seems a bit of a detour, and Alaska seems a bit more indirect, but then it is flown to Indiana where it is inspected by customs. From Indianapolis it is a straight shot to San Francisco.
On the one hand I am enchanted by the globe-trotting nature of the Macintosh computer. On the other hand, I wonder how much jet fuel is being wasted by flying products from hub to hub to hub to hub in this manner. Maybe fossil fuel is still too cheap.
Responses
Victor
Hi, wondering whether is it lots cheaper when you order through the net? Nowadys, many things are made in China. But, guess they should find a more cost effective way to ship the goods.
-berto
Although hub and spokes seem inefficient, gathering a whole planeload of goods and shipping them of a central location for distribution, is better than having multiple planes flying less than capacity to various points. Keep in mind these are 4 engine ocean crossing cargo planes and not your Southwest 737. I do agree that Indianapolis is an illogical place to have customs for goods imported from the Pacific. I wonder if the Indy facility is a carry-over from when most air cargo trade came from Europe rather than Asia. If so, then maybe someone should look into a Pacific coast sorting station. Then again, shippers already do alot to avoid congested West Coast entry points, which are logistical nightmares at best, with little or no hope for future expansion as long as land is worth more having condos than industry on it. Also if Asian import demand is from the U.S. East, South, and Midwest, Indy is a great place to ship things by train or truck (avoiding congested Chicago/St Louis tranport hubs), and the the airplane ride back to the West Coast is subsidized by the cost savings of Eastern ground transport. Just a few thoughts with no hard numbers to back them up.
Ben
Well, for what it’s worth, the great-circle route between Manila and Indianapolis actually does take you over central Alaska. See the Great Circle Mapper for the details.
ANC is one of the top handful of busiest airports in the world in terms of freight tonnage that goes through there, probably because it is close to the great circle route for most North America/Asia flights. I don’t know why FedEx wouldn’t have cleared US Customs there, though.
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