Leveraging Lean and Labor Management
Q: In the context of retail, what is lean labor management and what does it entail? A: Lean has origins in manufacturing, but some of its concepts apply in the retail space—notably, reducing waste and increasing quality. Using these lean components as a foundation for labor management increases productivity and reduces costs in a warehouse […]
Read More
KPI Data Creates Improvement Opportunities
Q: What are the latest logistics software innovations? A: Improving how key performance indicators (KPIs) specific to freight are developed, measured, and managed seems to be a growing theme with leading software providers. KPIs are used to collect and measure actionable data to help improve accurate shipping decision-making and processes. The key word is actionable. […]
Read More
Bringing Clarity to Visibility Solution Investments
Q: How do you define visibility? A: Visibility is understanding the location and current status of key assets—whether on-time shipments or inventory stockouts. Visibility boils down to three elements: orders, shipments against orders, and inventory. Q: Why is supply chain visibility such a challenge for companies? A: Visibility is hard to quantify. Companies may make […]
Read More
IT: Advantage @Light Speed
A professor at a well-known university recently remarked at a logistics conference, "Information technology is not a source of competitive advantage. It makes good systems better, and bad systems worse. It allows companies to do stupid things at the speed of light." Maybe. But IT can be a change agent that will almost always open […]
Read More
Taking Control of Transportation Spend Management
Q: Cloud computing is fast becoming a reality of everyday business life. How can companies get started in leveraging interconnected shared logistics platforms, and why does it save time and money? A: As enterprises strive to show almost-immediate return on investment, they seek solutions that are globally accessible, scalable, and require minimal up-front investment. Maintaining […]
Read More
World-Class Logistics Operations Require Multi-Party Processes and Technology
Q: How can supply chain technology help businesses improve logistics operations? A: The majority of IT solutions available today constrain logistics operations performance. Most logistics problems are inter-enterprise, but the majority of logistics technology solutions are enterprise-focused. As a result, too much of the coordination still takes place over email and phone, and only involves […]
Read More
GTM Solutions Keep Businesses Plugged In
Q: Why is it difficult for organizations to integrate true end-to-end global trade management? A: True end-to-end global trade management (GTM) means managing and optimizing all the functions required to move goods across international borders. Organizations may argue that they are already doing GTM, when in fact they are only undertaking disparate pieces, such as international […]
Read More
Second-Generation Logistics Software: Accessible Anywhere
Q: What is the latest logistics software trend? A: Transportation management systems (TMS) have morphed into communication hubs with Web and mobile access. The PC user interface for employees—while still crucial—is becoming much less important than it once was. Q: How can that be? The first generation of software focused on employees adding and viewing […]
Read More
The 2012 Top 100 Logistics IT Providers & Market Research Survey
Inbound Logistics’ annual logistics technology market research report delivers exclusive insights on logistics technology trends, and reveals this year’s best-in-class vendors.
Read More
All-in-One
An ERP solution equipped with supply chain management functions gives businesses all the logistics tools they need.
Read More