Archive: Feb 2008

Clearing Customs Quickly and Efficiently

Efficient customs clearance requires technical knowledge and respect for procedure, as well as an ability to understand the game, speak the language, and build good relationships throughout the supply chain. Mike McCarron, managing partner, MSM Transportation, offers 10 tips for fast, reliable customs clearance. 1. Focus on what you can control. When you ship globally, […]

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Community Developers: Take the Intermodal Initiative

My Sears vacuum cleaner, made by Panasonic in Japan a decade ago, quit working recently. Replacing the original relay with a part now made in Indonesia fixed the problem. Clearly, it’s not just America that is outsourcing. Manufacturing worldwide has morphed into production sharing, where companies assemble and sell products made from subassemblies sourced around […]

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With SaaS, You Make the Rules

Most companies spend 40 to 80 percent of their annual transportation budget on moving inbound shipments from suppliers. Despite these whopping costs, businesses boast relatively little control over their selection of inbound carriers or their service levels. Instead, most depend on suppliers to correctly assign carriers, then provide tracking information to the buying organization. This […]

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Reverse Logistics: It Pays to Do It Right

Returns management and reverse logistics represent a significant source of untapped profitability for many organizations. Specifically, reverse logistics is rapidly emerging as a core driver of competitive advantage and financial performance among leading manufacturers, according to a recent Aberdeen Group report, Revisiting Reverse Logistics in the Customer-Centric Service Chain. Optimizing reverse logistics operations also can […]

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Training Daze

The importance of logistics education is often overlooked and underrated, not only here in the United States, but abroad as well. A reader alerted me to a Financial Times article skewering the state of logistics training in the United Kingdom: “Poor productivity and high staff turnover in the UK’s logistics industry are undermining the competitiveness […]

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Most Likely to Succeed

From an undergrad learning the fundamentals to a Ph.D candidate conducting groundbreaking research, meet the students pursuing supply chain education at all levels.

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Industry Snapshot: Electronics

Is the latest gadget a hit or just hype? Will that newfangled gizmo be cutting- edge for a year or obsolete in a month? Fickle buyers and unpredictable lifecycles can short-circuit the consumer electronics supply chain.

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Kathy McCurry: A Wild New Ride

More people would swap their cars for motorcycles if only they knew what to wear. That’s the premise behind Classy Rider Apparel, a business that makes motorcycle jackets with mainstream appeal. In the five years she has been running Classy Rider as a one-woman operation, Kathy McCurry has learned to manage suppliers in China, coordinate […]

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