SMB/3PL Partnerships: Small Fish, Big Splash
When small and medium-sized firms are ready to swim with the big fish, they team up with 3PLs to gain a sea of business capabilities.
Read MoreMission-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 MoreAutomation 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 MoreFoul 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 MoreBeth 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 MoreIt’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 MoreWhy 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 MoreGlobal 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 MoreNorthwest Iowa: Connectivity Beyond Expectations
At the core of America’s heartland, Northwest Iowa delivers easy access to major markets, a first-class transportation infrastructure, a welcoming business environment, and outstanding workforce development programs.
Read MoreSummer 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 MorePlanning And Maintaining Your Dream Yard
One key to logistics success is a healthy, well-maintained trailer yard. YMS solutions provide the fertilizer to help grow a yard to be proud of.
Read More3PL Perspectives 2009
As demand wanes, opportunity grows. That’s an axiom seemingly foreign to any industry. In today’s environment, however, standard conventions are turned upside down. Third-party logistics providers (3PLs) have felt their share of the economic gravity tumbling many trades into reactionary huddles. But the 3PL is a unique construction. Adaptable by nature, there is a spring-like […]
Read MoreSwitched On: Bringing The 3pl Machine To Life
MORE TO THE STORY: WAREHOUSING AGED TO PERFECTION Like any well-oiled, multi-articulated machine, today’s supply chain comprises many inter-related parts that alone serve specific needs and together function as a finely calibrated mechanism for consuming raw materials and spitting out finished goods. Its complexity is borne by countless factors: demand and supply, product differentiation, business […]
Read MoreWarehouse Automation: Siemens Sorts It Out
Siemens sees labor cost and floor space savings, significant improvements in employee ergonomics and morale, and a fast return on investment from its new materials handling system.
Read MoreI Love My 3PL
Based on the 6,000+ responses to our annual survey of the third-party logistics market, readers really love their 3PLs. Despite the economic downturn in 2008, more companies responding to the survey—from small B-to-C startups to large multinationals, from healthy businesses weathering the maelstrom to names in the news suffering through privation detailed in today’s headlines—increased […]
Read MoreI Love My Customer
If you think your love for a 3PL is an exclusive one-way street, think again. The feelings are mutual. Sure, you appreciate the value a logistics service provider brings to the relationship: the core intelligence, the sense and sensibility, the thoughtfulness when planning on future demand. But don’t be fooled. 3PLs have a vested business […]
Read MoreLosing Money in LTL? Try Small Parcel
Complacency is costly. Nowhere is this truer than in the way some companies practice less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping. Many shippers are choosing costlier LTL services when they could be using small-parcel shipping. In fact, the average shipper may overspend by 15 to 20 percent on LTL, which is unconscionable in these cost-conscious times. The problem is […]
Read More10+2: Origin and Destination in Collaboration
The clock is ticking for importers struggling to become compliant with Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Importer Security Filing regulation, commonly known as the 10+2 initiative. On Jan. 26, 2010, the interim final rule becomes mandatory, allowing CBP to begin assessing damages for failure to meet the new data-filing requirements. The key to successful 10+2 […]
Read MoreHealthy Seaports: An ‘Open for Business’ Sign
Nearly everything we buy or consume—from the clothes we wear, to the food we eat, to the coffee we start our day with—comes to us on a ship, through one of our nation’s seaports. In turn, nearly everything the United States sells in the global marketplace makes its way there via our seaports. This includes […]
Read MoreChoosing a Mobile Communications Solution
Communicating with field workers should not be a chore, but without the right equipment, it can be. Jonathan Turner, chief information officer for logistics provider 3PD Inc., Marietta, Ga., offers these tips for selecting a new mobile communications system. 1. Look for hidden costs.Prices for mobile communications solutions can range from several hundred to several […]
Read More