Archive: Nov 2007

Melanie Foster: Raisin to Believe

Although Melanie Foster has lived in California’s Sacramento Valley all her life, her influence reaches around the globe. As distribution and transportation manager for Sunsweet Growers Inc., she is one of the people responsible for making sure that much of the world’s supply of prunes and other dried tree fruits reaches customers. “I handle all […]

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How to Outsource Retail Logistics

MORE TO THE STORY: SHOPPING FOR SOLUTIONS Retailers are well attuned to the changing dynamics of consumer buying habits and the strategies necessary to ensure their supply chain can match inventory to demand. But ensuring product is staged in the right places at the right times is only part of the challenge; engaging the eye […]

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How to Use Transportation Metrics to Drive Profit and Service

MORE TO THE STORY: WHAT TO DO IF YOUR COMPANY IS… How do you measure efficiency when you are already doing the best job possible? Talk to any over-the-road shipper that finds itself increasingly handcuffed by institutionalized transportation and fuel-related costs and it would likely tell you the "best job possible" doesn’t cut it anymore. […]

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How to Streamline Import Documentation

MORE TO THE STORY: THE 411 ON AMS AND 10+2 Businesses continue to turn to offshore manufacturing locations and strategic global outsourcing partnerships to exploit cheaper production and labor costs. Often lost in the process, however, is the value global businesses can extract by capturing data deeper in the supply chain to scale inventory demands […]

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How to Select an Ocean Carrier

MORE TO THE STORY: BEFORE YOU CHANGE COURSE Ocean freight buyers are often limited by the geography of their offshore suppliers/manufacturers and stateside customers and the urgency of the shipping season when they consider making changes to their carrier networks. But there is always room for optimization. Shrewd logistics professionals periodically research and take advantage […]

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How to Find The Right Outsourcing Solution

MORE TO THE STORY: PICKING YOUR PARTNER As the rules of engagement for operating in a global world continue to shift and expand, businesses increasingly find that the myriad pressures of running a core business do not lend themselves to doing all things well. In the interest of doing what they do best and providing […]

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How to Locate a Contingency Port

MORE TO THE STORY: 4 STEPS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION Shippers and consignees on the u.s. west coast are well aware of the challenges they face when capacity is squeezed and time parameters are tight. As a result, many have begun managing their supply lines from point of origin, controlling the inbound shipment process to […]

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How to Tackle Mission-Critical Logistics in an Emerging Market

MORE TO THE STORY: FOUR STEPS TO FOLLOW Mission-critical logistics in the United States is manageable; acceptable in Western Europe; and nearing acceptability in maturing Asian markets, yet still manageable. In emerging markets such as Latin America, service parts logistics is incredibly immature. Businesses looking to grow in these areas must balance the risk/reward of […]

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Co-Sourcing: Two Companies Acting As One

You might worry about outsourcing your company’s entire supply chain—not enough control, too many unknowns, not worth the risk. But you can focus 100 percent of your attention on your core business functions and still keep a close connection with your supply chain through co-sourcing, a custom-tailored system designed to provide the logistics and supply […]

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