Archive: Jul 2009

Mission-Critical Service Parts Logistics: Making the Impossible Possible

Mission-critical service parts logistics requires sound processes, precision, and an organizational commitment to make the seemingly impossible possible. After all, guaranteeing expedited delivery within 90 minutes to four hours anywhere in the world can be a daunting challenge. This is the reality that manufacturers and service providers face, however, particularly for high-tech equipment. With demanding […]

Read More

Automation Grows, But We Still Need People

One endless debate in space exploration is whether, and to what degree, humans can contribute. Do we send more robots to Mars or should we concentrate on a manned mission? While the cost of human space exploration is mind-boggling, it is hard to believe that human perception and inquisitiveness is of no use. It is […]

Read More

Foul Play: When Merchandise is Stolen, Who Pays?

Q:A Philadelphia newspaper recently reported an armed heist of Sports Authority merchandise worth $500,000 from a local 3PL warehouse. According to the account, a former employee of a trucking company that delivered Sports Authority merchandise along the East Coast stole one of the company’s trucks. He and two accomplices held a warehouse guard at gunpoint […]

Read More

Beth Ford : A Woman of Taste

Some supply chain professionals like their work best when things are humming. Not Beth Ford. “I can’t get enough craziness,” says Ford, executive vice president, head of supply chain at International Flavors   Fragrances Inc. (IFF) in New York. What kind of craziness makes Ford’s day? Consider the time during her stint at Mobil Oil […]

Read More

It’s 2009. Do You Know Where Your Freight Dollars are Going?

The last two years have proven to be very stressful ones for most supply chain managers. Hundreds of firms have failed and thousands of jobs have been lost throughout the industry. Most managers of virtually all functions are under more pressure to meet corporate goals than ever before. According to the recent CSCMP State of […]

Read More

Why Shippers Should Care About Total Landed Costs

The unprecedented economic downturn, combined with the very unpredictable changes in key supply chain variables over the last few years, shows why shippers should take a more holistic approach when making network configuration decisions. The dramatic spike in fuel prices last year serves a perfect example. The fuel ≥crisis≤ was a catalyst that forced companies […]

Read More

Global Logistics

Nationalism is alive and thriving, and that has some public and private sector interests around the world worried that inward-pressing cultural forces could scuttle past efforts to break down bureaucratic trade barriers. Look no further than the recent riots and long-simmering feud between ethnic Han and minority Uighurs in China—a conflict originally stoked by Uighurs’ […]

Read More

Summer Reading Guide2009

Summer’s lazy weekends and long nights are the perfect time to catch up on your logistics reading. Dive into these titles for a new supply chain perspective and a logistics knowledge boost.

Read More