Supply Chain Data: Keeping It Clean
The call came on Dec. 27, 2002. The U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort would deploy to Southwest Asia within one week to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq. The medical directorate, Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), faced the daunting task of outfitting the vessel with all pharmaceutical, medical/surgical, and capital equipment items required for […]
Read More3PL Hybrids: Becoming a 3PL for Fun and Profit
While the third-party logistics market has grown at a compound annual rate of 14.2 percent since 1996, 3PLs have only penetrated 12 percent of the market potential in the United States. The market is still fragmented, with plenty of room for growth. Such attributes make the sector attractive to companies looking for business opportunities. If […]
Read More3PLs: Business Unusual
Wonders abound in Canyonlands National Park, Utah—from its native Pueblo wall paintings and famed arches, to an infinite maze of red rock canyons and rare flora and fauna. Yet, it is the sight of a lone brown truck barreling down a remote two-lane road that truly stands out. What can Brown do for the National […]
Read MoreRaising the Bar on Customer Service
A new WMS helps ATC Logistics and Electronics better serve the upwardly mobile cell phone industry. You can hear them now.
Read MoreGoing Above & Beyond: The Norm for Top 3PLs
Whether a third-party logistics provider receives enough reader votes to win an Inbound Logistics Top 10 Excellence Award (page 100), or is chosen by the editors for the Top 100 3PL list (page 128), they share one common attribute—they go above and beyond the norm to meet, exceed, and in some cases anticipate their customers’ […]
Read MoreSailing Through a Shipping Maelstrom
The world’s largest appliance manufacturer sets sail with a new tool to coordinate and optimize ocean freight transportation services.
Read MoreCarriers Face Challenges, Shippers Pay the Price
Unless shippers have just returned from Mars, they are aware that motor carriers have been hit with severe cost and capacity issues during the past three years. At the same time, however, if they haven’t been visiting other planets, they also know shippers are paying a heavy price. Shippers first became aware of serious industry-wide […]
Read MoreChoosing a WMS That Won’t Get You Fired
Many companies—Nike, Hewlett-Packard, Sainsbury’s, MFI Furniture Group, Molnlycke Health Care, and Heinz’s Portion Pac division, among others—have suffered well-publicized Warehouse Management System (WMS) failures in recent years. When Nike’s $400-million WMS project went awry, the company lost $100 million in one quarter and its stock plunged 20 percent. MFI Furniture’s WMS bugs forced it to […]
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Proving Material Deviation
One question shippers frequently ask is, "How do we avoid carriers’ liability limits when they are negligent?" Generally speaking, carriers’ limitations apply if they are lawfully incorporated into a contract of carriage. If a shipper agrees to contract a low liability limit to obtain a lower rate, carrier negligence does not overcome that limit. In […]
Read MoreSelecting a Regional LTL Carrier
Partnering with the right regional less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier can be challenging, especially for companies that utilize just-in-time delivery. LTL carriers that provide expert technology capabilities and service flexibility make ideal partners, according to Richard Low, president of Cle Elum, Wash.-based Shoemaker Manufacturing. Shoemaker provides residential and commercial heating grills, registers, and diffusers for just-in-time delivery […]
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