That's how much Maersk Line CEO Soren Skou says his company spends on IT costs each year, calling in a recent inteview with the Wall Street Journal for consolidation in the struggling container shipping industry so that these sorts of fixed costs can be spread over more containers. "It is big money," Skou said relative to the IT costs. "In consolidation, the cost would be shared. It is the same with operating individual headquarters and the cost of containers. If we drive cost down we will be able to live with low freight rates." Interstingly, Skou said Maersk Line itself, the industry's largest carrier, was not especially interested in any mergers - meaning, it would seem, tha Skou is encouraging his competitors to merge, perhaps to reduce effective competition.

That is about how many factory workers retail chain American Apparel still has in the Southern, CA area, as one of the very few apparel retailers to still operate in Made in USA mode. But that model is in big jeopardy, as the company, which has struggled financially for several years, finally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week. In its filing, American Apparel said it intends to continue to make its goods in the Los Angeles area, but many Wall Street types criticize that strategy as being unworkable. "There is too much emphasis being placed in having things made in America," Lloyd Greif, chief executive of investment banking firm Greif & Co. told the Los Angeles Times. The company needs to move offshore, he said, "If they want to survive." The retailer will also suffer under the planned increase in the LA minimum wage to $15 per hour over several years - more than its sewers generally make today.