Experts warn that the impact of the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge after it collapsed on Tuesday will reverberate throughout the manufacturing sector. But while the impact of the collapse locally is likely to be felt for some time, with layoffs possible among local port workers, the effect nationally and on the economy is expected to be short-lived.

Distributors are investing in technology to become more agile and manage shifting business conditions, including AI and cybersecurity tools, cloud-based ERP systems, financial dashboards and communication tools, writes Jeremy Centner, pre-sales solution architect director at Sikich. "Updating old legacy technologies and moving forward with new cloud-based solutions can help distributors do more with existing resources to support business now and scale into the future," Centner writes.

US consumer confidence declined slightly during March, with The Conference Board's index dipping to 104.7, down from 104.8 a month earlier, amid growing concerns over short-term economic prospects and fears of a potential recession. However, the current conditions gauge rose to 151.0 from 147.6. "Consumers' assessment of the present situation improved in March, but they also became more pessimistic about the future," said Conference Board chief economist Dana Peterson.

Experts predict the Port of Baltimore will remain closed for months following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge bridge and logistics professionals are trying to adapt by rerouting trucks away from the area or to nearby tunnels and redirecting cargo ships to New York, Norfolk and nearby Eastern Seabord ports for imports and exports, which will likely cause product shortages, delays and transportation rate hikes, say experts. The Port of Baltimore ranked 10th last year for container imports and is the busiest port for autos, light trucks and heavy farm and construction, according to reports.

Numerous state transportation departments across the US are urging truckers to consider parking vehicles around the April 8 solar eclipse that is expected to attract millions of viewers along the path from Texas to Maine and cause traffic delays, while Indiana is banning super loads that require police escorts. Experts say that gridlock is a potential problem for truckers but note that they'll likely remain on the roads to keep goods moving.

By the end of the month, marketers globally will gain new LinkedIn campaign analysis by adding UTM parameters to URLs associated with an account, campaign and/or creative name. The parameters can only be used once for each campaign and aren't reliant on third-party cookies or IP addresses.

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