Archive: Apr 2005

Negotiating With Railroads

How can you get the best bang for your buck when negotiating with railroads to ship your products? Following a systematic approach and developing a list of priorities helps ensure good rail service at a good price, according to Todd Hoyt, director of business development, supply chain services, BNSF Logistics. 1. Prepare a history. Before […]

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Automate, Optimize, Audit for Smart Supply Chains

While politicians argue about the domestic effects of outsourcing manufacturing operations, logistics professionals know the practice only increases our responsibilities. The frenetic pace of global trade, coupled with the impact of outsourced manufacturing around the world, has transformed delivery of products into a complex engineering task that is quickly creating new jobs. Academia is already […]

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Time to Deliver the Donuts

Installing creme-of-the-crop technology helps a Dunkin’ Donuts regional distribution center brew up transportation and delivery efficiencies.

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Stick to the Core When Playing IT Pong

Do any of you old-timers recall the first Atari video game, Pong? It was the only video game in the world back then. You just hit a video puck back and forth, forth and back, no matter how long you played it. One reader told us that evaluating the myriad logistics IT choices sometimes feels […]

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Transportation Transformed!

How seven companies of all shapes, industries, and sizes, transformed their transportation and logistics operations through the use of technology.

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Managing Inside and Outside the Box

Increasingly, businesses rely on technology to improve efficiency, accelerate flows, reduce costs, and create more effective communication among all channel partners involved in distribution. From integrated WMS and TMS solutions to web-based systems, technology has helped turned the four walls inside-out.

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When the Customer is King

Customer relationship management (CRM) helps companies maximize the value of every customer interaction and drive superior corporate performance. And the value of CRM grows considerably when it is tightly integrated with supply chain functionality. A “customer is king” approach is replacing the factory-based push supply chains of the 20th century.

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Ken Bailey: Logistics Fun-damentals

“Selling fun” is the main priority at Leisure Bay Industries, says Ken Bailey, the company’s vice president of operations. Since 1998, Bailey has been in charge of moving the furniture of fun—above-ground pools, portable spas, billiard tables, tanning beds, gas grills, and patio furniture—from Leisure Bay’s Orlando, Fla., distribution center into retail outlets. Those include […]

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Plugging Cargo Liability Leaks

Q: I own a fleet of tank containers. A customer recently used one of my tanks for a shipment of concentrated juice. During transit, the tank developed a leak and a significant amount of concentrate was lost. The customer filed a claim against me, but my insurance company—which covers my cargo liability—says I may not […]

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Collaborate for All-Star SCE Implementation

Building relationships among partners in a Supply Chain Execution (SCE) software implementation is like getting an all-star team to work together. Each player can be great, but it is the combined teamwork that makes the difference when the game begins. To achieve success, roles and objectives have to be clearly defined, and teams must work […]

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