Inbound Logistics Summer Reading Guide 2011

How to Increase Your Warehouse Capacity: 191 Time-Tested Ways to Find Space

By Art Liebeskind

Avoid the costs of building or leasing additional storage by finding space in the warehouse you thought was too small. An engineer with more than 35 years of experience designing and implementing successful distribution facilities, Art Liebeskind provides practical tips for economically gaining space and reducing warehouse costs.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: Improving space utilization begins with defining the facility and stored materials, then maximizing the cube. It’s a simple approach that involves numerous factors and decisions, but once you evaluate each aspect of your warehouse, you’ll be surprised at how much available space you can find.

FOR DETAILS: www.idii.com

Mobility First: A New Vision for Transportation in a Globally Competitive 21st Century

By Sam Staley and Adrian Moore

The authors detail how to fix America’s gridlocked and deteriorating road and transit systems, offering solutions to modernize transit and expand road capacity, set goals for reducing congestion, increase performance standards and transparency, and change the way the nation funds its roads and highways.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: For decades, America has struggled to prioritize and finance large-scale infrastructure projects. Staley and Moore explain how private capital investment and value-priced toll roads can usher in a new era, unclogging our transportation networks and unleashing a system capable of handling our 21st-century economy.

FOR DETAILS: www.rowmanlittlefield.com

Essentials of Inventory Management

By Max Muller

Written for novice and veteran inventory managers alike, this practical book offers guidance on forecasting and replenishment strategies, explains the differences between retail and manufacturing inventories, and provides simple formulas for calculating quantities and schedules.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: Inventory management is about more than counting what you’ve got. It involves understanding business realities and making decisions that balance current demand with future needs – while keeping overhead and operating costs to a minimum.

FOR DETAILS: www.amacombooks.org

X-SCM: The New Science of X-treme Supply Chain Management

By Lisa H. Harrington, Sandor Boyson, Thomas Corsi

Inbound Logistics Contributing Editor Lisa H. Harrington and two colleagues from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business outline strategies for managing today’s complex and unpredictable supply chains, including new techniques for analyzing country-level investments, network configuration, and insourcing/outsourcing decisions.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: The latest generation of network design and optimization applications has created broader opportunities to view and streamline links between supply chain network nodes. New concepts in multi-channel demand signal capture – and in pooling and data warehousing customer signals coming into the enterprise from retail stores, Web sites, and call centers – can bring the enterprise closer to the customer. Emerging practices such as multi-channel supply management and virtualized cross-enterprise inventory pools are enabling rapid response to changes in demand, creating a level of "cyber-kanban" unimaginable a few years ago.

FOR DETAILS: www.routledge.com

Design, Analysis, and Optimization of Supply Chains: A System Dynamics Approach

By William R. Killingsworth

Killingsworth uses dynamic simulation models to examine the results of time delays, lack of information, and incorrect planning assumptions. His models demonstrate the benefits of establishing push-pull boundaries in supply chains to provide increased customer service levels with modest, if not reduced, inventory levels.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: A systems dynamic approach to supply chain optimization can help prevent lost sales due to inventory shortages, high costs due to large inventories, work stoppage due to key supplier loss, and supply problems that may be delaying new product introductions.

FOR DETAILS: www.businessexpertpress.com

Export/Import Procedures and Documentation

By Thomas E. Johnson and Donna L. Bade

In the ever-changing world of complex international rules, laws, and regulations, even seasoned export/import professionals may find themselves in unfamiliar situations. This comprehensive book supplies readers with a clear view of the entire process, explaining the ins and outs of shipping and insurance; currency exchange; dealing with banks; contracts; customs; and transportation.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: Packed with sample contracts, documents, and ready-to-use forms, Export/Import Procedures and Documentation contains up-to-date information on new security procedures, the movement to Internet-based documentation, recently enacted free trade agreements, and increased compliance measures under the Consumer Products Safety Commission.

FOR DETAILS: www.amacombooks.org

Too Big To Fall: America’s Failing Infrastructure and the Way Forward

By Barry B. LePatner

LePatner chronicles the problems that led to the August 2007 collapse of the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis: poor bridge design and maintenance, ignored expert recommendations for repair, and misallocated funding. He uses the collapse as a stepping stone to a larger discussion about the possibility of a nationwide infrastructure breakdown.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: The author argues that the government prioritizes funding for new projects over maintenance funding for aging infrastructure, and explains the importance of maintaining an effective infrastructure system for the sake of the country’s economic strength and national security.

FOR DETAILS: www.upne.com

Supply Chain Management: Strategy, Planning, and Operation

By Sunil Chopra and Peter Meindl

Chopra and Meindl outline the strategic importance of good supply chain design, planning, and operation, offering examples to illustrate concepts and develop a framework for supply chain strategy that incorporates facilities, inventory, transportation, information, sourcing, and pricing.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: Chapters focus on topics such as supply chain drivers and metrics; designing distribution networks; forecasting demand; sales and operations planning; safety inventories; sourcing decisions; and pricing and revenue management.

FOR DETAILS: www.pearson-books.com

Lean Supply Chain Management Essentials: A Framework for Materials Managers

By Bill Kerber and Brian J. Dreckshage

This book explains why the traditional materials planning environment, typically embodied by an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, is an ineffective support system for a company that wants to adopt Lean practices. By integrating the principles learned from Toyota’s journey with Lean principles, the authors provide the understanding required to approach applying Lean to your supply chain with a methodology that allows for experimentation, learning, and continuous improvement.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: By combining traditional materials management tools, such as sales and operations planning, with Lean manufacturing approaches, and applying them to different manufacturing environments, the authors clarify the logic behind using Lean components, and illustrate how they fit together as a system. The book includes a chart that matches Lean tools to the planning and control charts that have served as the model for ERP systems.

FOR DETAILS: www.taylorandfrancisgroup.com

Distribution Channels: Understanding and Managing Channels to Market

By Julian Dent

Dent explores the ways a business can optimize its routes to market through a thorough understanding of its go-to-market partners’ business models. This book defines the role and importance of the various partners involved in the distribution chain, including distributors, wholesalers, final tier channel players, and retailers; and provides advice on managing these relationships for optimum market exposure and successful product delivery.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: Taking into account both the tactical and strategic dimensions of channel economics, Distribution Channels provides the knowledge needed to improve your business model, whether you are responsible for the distribution channel of your company or are part of that channel.

FOR DETAILS: www.koganpage.com

Orchestrating Supply Chain Opportunities: Achieving Stretch Goals Effectively

By Ananth Iyer and Alex Zelikovsky

This book provides a framework for orchestrating supply chain opportunities based on three management concepts: flexibility, agility, and real options (FAR). Through best practice case studies ranging from nonprofit to retail, and encompassing demand surges, regulatory impacts, and natural disasters, the authors demonstrate that creating supply chain opportunities requires deliberate management choices.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: The ability to take advantage of unexpected occurrences and turbulent times lies in how well companies use the FAR concept – scaling to deal with volume shifts; accommodating product changes; and considering external operation factors, the most cost-effective response to variability, and the ability to execute.

FOR DETAILS: www.businessexpertpress.com

Safe By Accident? Take the Luck Out of Safety: Leadership Practices that Build a Sustainable Safety Culture

By Judy Agnew and Aubrey Daniels

From forklift operator training to hazardous materials handling procedures, safety concerns permeate the supply chain. This resource helps you avoid the seven safety practices that waste time and money, and focus your efforts on effective safety leadership.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: The biggest opportunities for safety-minded leaders lie in developing good relationships within the organization, maintaining a safe physical environment, and creating systems that encourage safe behavior.

FOR DETAILS: www.safebyaccident.com

Humanitarian Logistics: Meeting the Challenge of Preparing for and Responding to Disasters

By Martin Christopher and Peter Tatham

Interest in humanitarian logistics has increased in recent years because of events such as Hurricane Katrina, earthquakes in Haiti and Japan, and tornadoes in Missouri. The authors examine the key challenges of organizing and distributing resources to areas hit by natural disasters, including warehousing, procurement, and funding.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: With particular focus on pre-disaster preparation, rather than post-disaster assistance, Humanitarian Logistics provides current thinking as well as best practices for those who need to understand the many challenges and ways to respond effectively in this crucial area.

FOR DETAILS: www.koganpage.com

Logistics Management and Strategy: Competing Through the Supply Chain

By Alan Harrison and Remko van Hoek

Logistics and supply chain management continue to transform the competitive landscape and have become today’s key business issues. While explaining theoretical supply chain concepts with clarity, this volume provides a pragmatic and business-oriented focus through the use of concrete examples and case studies, offering a practical, integrated, and international approach to logistics management.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: Readers will gain an understanding of logistics’ contribution to competitiveness and value creation; how to leverage logistics operations within the context of the customer; the importance of supplier partnerships, interfaces, and the challenges of integration; and the impact of supply chain sustainability.

FOR DETAILS: www.pearson-books.com

Warehouse Management: A Complete Guide to Improving Efficiency and Minimizing Costs in the Modern Warehouse

By Gwynne Richards

This book provides a guide to best practices in warehouse operations, exploring how to increase warehouse productivity and reduce costs. It also covers the latest warehouse technology advances; recent health and safety legislation affecting warehouse operations; labor management; and warehouse design. Case studies demonstrate how to apply new technology, minimize spend, and create efficient, streamlined operations.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: Warehouses are an integral part of the modern supply chain, involved in the sourcing, production, and distribution of goods. Due to the complexities of warehouse operations, they can often be one of the most costly parts of the supply chain. Their efficient management is therefore critical in terms of minimizing cost and contributing to an effective and efficient supply chain.

FOR DETAILS: www.koganpage.com

A Supply Chain Management Guide to Business Continuity

By Betty A. Kildow, CBCP, FBCI

Through a combination of exercises, scenarios, strategies, and tactics, Kildow offers supply chain professionals insights and tools to develop and maintain a business continuity program that includes the entire supply chain – upstream, downstream, and internal.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: To ensure that a business keeps making money without compromising its values in the event of a catastrophe – or even in the face of routine disruptions, such as adopting new technology or losing veteran staffers – any continuity plan must address the key to the business’ productivity and profitability: its suppliers, contractors, and service providers.

FOR DETAILS: www.amacombooks.org

Glossary of Supply Chain Terminology

By Philip Obal

Compiled for supply chain, logistics, transportation, operations, and warehousing professionals, this comprehensive resource contains thousands of entries, from 1D bar codes to zone skipping.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: Whether you want to enhance your knowledge of a particular supply chain topic or find just the right words to explain a concept to a logistics novice, this volume represents a valuable addition to your reference library.

FOR DETAILS: www.idii.com

What’s on your bookshelf?

Now that we’ve shared our picks for some top logistics reads, we’d like to hear yours. What supply chain, transportation, global trade, or logistics management book has been an invaluable resource in your career? Which volume do you share with colleagues, or refer to when you need inspiration? Email your favorite title and why you recommend it. We’ll draw from the responses and send the winner one of the books from this guide.