Selecting a Global Trade Management Provider
Language barriers, distance and time differences, security issues, and customs rules make global sourcing difficult to manage. Selecting the right global trade management (GTM) solution can help. Here’s some advice from Graham Napier, CEO of TradeBeam Technologies. 1. Look for immediate value. Identify a GTM provider with solutions that deliver immediate impact in core areas. […]
Read MoreThe Case for a Global Trading Partner Network
America’s appetite for imports continues to grow—in 2006, the United States imported a record $1.6 trillion of goods, according to U.S. Customs. But today’s global trade practices are highly fragmented. A typical overseas purchase, for example, requires the various parties in the logistics process to trade more than 60 different documents across partners, countries, languages, […]
Read MoreThe Best Companies Hire the Best People
In today’s complex business environment, nothing is more important than justifying dollar impact. In sports, when a team wants to win a championship, the least expensive option is never considered. Managers want to ensure a win, regardless of cost. They are looking at Return on Investment (ROI). Likewise, all business functions ranging from sales and […]
Read MoreOne Small Victory
What were the legislators in Michigan thinking? What started out three years ago as a grass roots voter initiative to simplify tax procedures ended up as a six-percent state tax on warehousing and logistics activities. Clearly an anti-labor, anti-business, and anti-economic development move by Michigan lawmakers who forgot they preside over the state with the […]
Read MoreGauging Change
A soft economy, increasing global competition, the Mississippi River bridge collapse, and an influx of product recalls give global shippers plenty of reasons to slow down and check the rear-view mirror before accelerating into 2008.
Read MoreThinking TMS
As the transportation management systems market broadens, and as software delivery options expand, businesses increasingly have TMS on the brain.
Read MoreCareer Solutions: It’s Who You Know
A well-engineered network of professional contacts provides the structural support to build a logistics career with potential for expansion.
Read MoreBethany Adamonis: Ready for the Real World
When Bethany Adamonis headed for her co-op job last January, she didn’t know a great deal about supply chain management, her college major. Up to that point, she’d taken only one course on the subject, an introductory class that was so theoretical she couldn’t see how the principles she learned would play out in the […]
Read More2008: Applying What We Learned
In this last column of 2007, I thought I’d look back at some practical issues addressed last year, and speculate on future trends in supply chain risk and liability. Insurers will broaden their scope. In October, we heard from a logistics operator whose business grew, through an acquisition, from handling and transporting air cargo to […]
Read MoreBig Makeover for Littlearth
Fun fashion accessory firm wraps its data in a sharp new software ensemble.
Read MoreManaging the Mess on the High Seas
Logistics managers have given much thought to streamlining land and air transportation. But water transport still lags behind – and the fallout can have significant impact on even the best laid logistics plans. This is especially critical in a world where overseas sourcing has become the norm rather than the exception for North American companies. […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics-December 2007
The friendly skies are taking a stand against countries that fail to clean up their act—and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is flying cover. Giovanni Bisignani, director general and CEO of the international trade body, recently challenged governments attending the World Air Transport Forum in Cannes, France, to put aside politics and join industry […]
Read MoreTrends-December 2007
Greening the supply chain isn’t just good for the environment, it’s also good for business. Efforts to create a more sustainable and efficient footprint for freight transportation in the United States and around the world are becoming more transparent thanks to the stewardship of supply chain visionaries. In recent news: FedEx will introduce 10 hybrid-electric/diesel vehicles […]
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