Improving Sustainability in Your Supply Chain
Sustainability and efficiency are clearly linked in the global supply chain. Companies that want to improve sustainability must become hyper-efficient to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. Mike Kelly, chief sustainability officer at YRC Worldwide, offers advice on improving sustainability within your supply chain. 1. Become a sustainability champion. Look at the current economic conditions not […]
Read MorePublic-Private Partnerships Fund Progress
With credit harder than ever to get and Congress casting a sometimes critical eye toward public-private partnerships (PPPs), some say combining public and private resources for the public good has become outdated, if not obsolete. In truth, the use of PPPs and private sector resources to address our nation’s public infrastructure needs continues to be […]
Read MoreThe Benefits of Reducing Your Carrier Base
You’ve heard the adage, “Focus on the journey, not the destination.” In the transportation business, you must be relentlessly focused on both. This is where carrier relationships come into play. Allocating individual shipments haphazardly across a large number of carriers limits both operational efficacy and economies of scale. Too many touch points in the supply […]
Read MoreUnloading Trouble at the Loading Dock
Most or all of a shipper’s inventory eventually passes through the loading dock, so it’s essential that the area be configured correctly. Two common loading area problems are inadequately sized dock openings and rough terrain around the dock area. Where either of these conditions exist, load damage and costly delays are likely to occur. Understanding […]
Read MoreMaterials Handling Equipment
Robots do the heavy lifting at Staples’ Denver distribution center, and they never call out sick.
Read MoreMeasure for Measure
You don’t have to dissect Shakespeare to understand that what you put into something you redeem in equal measures—and often more. But in these Dickensian times, businesses are tasked with squeezing out costs and cinching their purse strings. Putting together this year’s Logistics Planner issue, we took William’s advice ≠- investing more time, more resources, […]
Read MoreSuccess’ Measure?
Success has many fathers, failure is an orphan, as the saying goes. Economic news in many quarters is grim. The economy is in tatters, failure abounds. Who is at fault? Everyone else it seems. Those still standing look over their shoulders to see if the economic Grim Reaper lurks behind them. How then do we […]
Read MoreWhy You Don’t Want an Obedient 3PL
What is an obedient third-party logistics provider (3PL)? It is one that doesn’t share responsibility for its customers’ success and simply does what it is told. It keeps quiet when it knows the shipper’s request is misguided, and doesn’t offer new ideas for re-thinking project goals. When a shipper views its 3PL simply as a […]
Read MoreAsset Tracking: The View From The Top
At an Atlanta reverse logistics facility, a real-time location system tracks assets from above—and zeroes in on doubled productivity.
Read MoreRediscovering The Classics, Volume I: Prologue
Logistics fundamentals are oft cited but more often overlooked or misread. Mastering these basics builds a foundation for supply chain sophistication. So grab your slippers, pull up a chair, and stoke the fire—get comfortable. Join us as we retire to Inbound Logistics’ library of logistics best practices and dust off some classics.
Read MoreRediscovering The Classics, Volume II: Committing to Core Carriers
Romancing lowboys and spread-axle hotshots might not sound appealing, but developing Unconditional relationships with core carriers REAPS long-term advantages. Core carrier programs capitalize on matching a ratio of trucking partners to shipment volumes, based on pre-determined service and pricing coefficients. When the trucking market is squeezed, businesses use these partnerships to find capacity; when demand […]
Read MoreRediscovering The Classics, Volume III: Truckload Consolidation
In this classic tale of economy by scale, businesses tackle truckload shipments head-on to capture returns in countless ways. The moral? Don’t count your shipments until they’re matched.
Read MoreRediscovering The Classics, Volume IV: Inbound Routing Guides
All the supply chain’s a stage so why not command top billing? When businesses actively enforce inbound routing guides and dictate shipment instructions, efficiencies fall into place and economies run wild. Ensuring vendors comply with your transportation requirements is as simple as putting instructions in writing. That’s why a routing guide is an essential tool […]
Read MoreRediscovering The Classics, Volume V: Transloading
In today’s lengthening supply chain, a mode alone is a road less traveled. Businesses shift gearS and mix transportation options to account for fluctuations in capacity and freight costs. When shipments switch track, transloads take center stage. The growing importance of intermodalism in the United States raises the stakes for efficiently managing transportation at key […]
Read MoreRediscovering The Classics, Volume VI: Crossdocking
Waste not. Want not. Store not. The shortest and fastest distance between supply and demand is in one door and out another. Enterprises rocking high-velocity crossdocks wield greater power flowing visibility and freight through the supply chain. In a perfect world, inventory would never remain static. Product would flow from manufacture to consumption in a […]
Read MoreRediscovering The Classics, Volume VII: Labor Management
Managing labor in dynamic supply chain environments forces businesses to “sense” demand shifts to better match resources to need. It also requires “sensibility” in properly training and incenting employees to be productive, and engaging third-party expertise when internal objectivity is lacking. When companies are in periods of flux—experiencing growth or reduction in business, scaling resources […]
Read MoreRediscovering The Classics, Volume VIII: Forklift Utilization
Time is money and in a warehouse the forklift is a time saver and a money guzzler. Companies that pay attention to how they use and maintain their fleets can lift economy and efficiency to new heights. In warehouse and distribution facilities, it doesn’t get more basic than using forklifts to move product around. All […]
Read MoreAsk The Big Wheels
Inbound Logistics asked seven leading trucking executives to tackle some tough questions about the challenging year ahead. Their advice, words of caution, and strategic vision can help you face the challenges of using motor freight in the short term and beyond.
Read MoreChannel Surfing
Click…Click…Click…. Consumers’ short attention spans demand greater shopping flexibility. For some retailers, that means it’s time to flip the supply chain processes behind their sales channels.
Read MoreHow’d That Get On My Plate
With a nod to the Food Network, and a toast to the Chef, join us as we cut from the table and go straight to the source.
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