Archive: May 2005

Selecting a Freight Broker

The truck capacity shortages shippers experienced last fall are sure to continue as the year goes on. But armed with a good freight broker, you can weather the storm. Many shippers turn to brokers when freight demand far outstrips carrier capacity. Shippers using a broker can access increased capacity without the hassle of managing new […]

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Building a Better Warehouse

Choosing the right site for locating a warehouse or distribution center (DC) is a key challenge for any business. Numerous factors—such as access to transportation, an available worker pool, community support, and environmental regulations—converge to make a certain location a prime spot for meeting one company’s transportation and distribution goals, while sounding a death knell […]

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The Service Supply Chain: Turning Potential into Profit

A growing number of CFOs and manufacturing executives have discovered the profit potential buried in their service business. The big challenge, however, is transforming that potential into profit. While after-sales service on average represents 24 percent of revenue, it generates a whopping 45 percent of profit, according to a recent AMR Research study. Why? As […]

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When Good Warehouses Go Bad

“Our revenues and earnings were negatively affected by the January implementation of our new Warehouse Management System. Revenues were down approximately six percent compared to the first quarter of 2004. During the latter half of January, and through the month of February, we experienced significant difficulty in shipping customer orders. As a result, sales for […]

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Picking a Winner

A frustrated beer distributor turns an Internet search for picking software into a magical find.

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Survival of the Retro-Fittest

Improving processes and upgrading material handling systems in your warehouses and distribution facilities is not only a solid recovery strategy but also good business.

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Setting Your Sites

Identifying and evaluating new sites is not about finding the cheapest place; it’s about locating where you can serve customers most effectively, manage inbound flows and inventory most efficiently, and keep costs competitive. Ready for some site seeing? Read on.

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Fred Walker: Logistics at the Speed of Life

In his first job after high school, at a Sears Roebuck catalog warehouse, Fred Walker spent his days on roller skates. “We used to skate into a huge elevator to get to the building’s various floors,” recalls Walker. “We picked items, took them back to our tables, and packed them for shipping.” The eight-story building […]

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