Boosting Loading Dock Safety and Productivity
The loading dock is a critical component of the Material Transfer Zone (MTZ), whic. reaches from the drive approach into the shipping/receiving/staging area. The MTZ covers a broad range of concerns including: dock positioning and design, trailer design, load configuration, dock equipment systems, and the interaction between material handling vehicles and product shipments. A smooth-flowing […]
Read MoreWringing Benefits from New Hazmat Regulations
With the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Hazmat Threat Assessment Program firmly in place, motor freight carriers and drivers face a new reality. While the program itself grew from provisions in the federal Patriot Act, and requires states to impose tighter oversight of security risks, the ultimate responsibility for fulfilling its demands falls squarely on carriers […]
Read MoreExpect the Unexpected: 5 Steps for Retail Supply Chain Preparedness
Unpredictable consumers, demand for low prices, and an ever-quickening pace make the retail/consumer package goods supply chain difficult on a good day. Large-scale interruptions—such as the recent dock workers’ strike and overactive hurricane season—further exacerbate an already challenging landscape. While many interruptions are unavoidable, manufacturers and retailers can—and should—take steps to create more agile supply […]
Read MoreFollowing the Retail Trail
Where consumer demand goes, retailers follow. They’ve progressed in tune and in time with customer needs—from the general stores of the Old West, to turn-of-the-century catalogers, to urban centers and department stores, to suburban shopping malls, and now to web retailing. As the fight for customers grows increasingly more competitive, retailers seek any logistics advantage […]
Read MoreEast Side Story: Ocean’s New Direction
The triple-whammy of high container growth, tight capacity, and rising fuel costs crashing in on ocean transport to West Coast ports has shippers flooding the East Coast in search of a more effective solution. Though they face challenges of their own, East Coast ports and carriers are making a strong push to tap into Asian-origin cargo volume.
Read MoreLogistics at the C-Level. Are We There Yet?
Logistics and supply chain management continue to grow in stature within the corporate world. But merely gaining visibility in the boardroom doesn’t make logistics and supply chain equal players at the senior executive table.
Read MoreMaking Career Building Connections
Katy Keane had not been in the logistics industry very long when she found herself knee deep in what she calls an “ERP remediation” at food manufacturer Borden Foods. The company had just gone live with a full Enterprise Resource Planning system and service levels were tanking. “We couldn’t ship products and customers were threatening […]
Read MoreYolande Burnham: Grains, Trains and Supply Chains
Years ago, Yolande Burnham managed shipments of durham wheat, corn, and other grains. Today, rail lines that haul those commodities depend on Burnham’s employer—Union Switch & Signal (US&S), Pittsburgh,Pa.—for the systems they need to operate efficiently and safely. Burnham is vice president, global supply chain and manufacturing for US&S, a leading manufacturer of signaling, automation, […]
Read MoreTriple Threat: Fighting Multiple Cargo Claims
Q: I am an NVOCC. Recently, I imported a shipment of assorted metal products to the United States. During shipment, some of the goods were damaged, and the receiver filed a claim against me. I paid the claim based on the limited liability in my bill of lading.The goods were insured under a cargo policy […]
Read MoreInside the Automated Warehouse
The traditional functions of a warehouse are well known. Unlike its predecessors, however, the modern warehouse is an assemblage of highly evolved automation technologies, making it a core part of the supply chain. Today’s warehouse activities include crossdocking, palletizing, kitting, tagging, and identifying products, as well as storing them in the most time- and space-efficient […]
Read More