Sometimes It’s Better Not to Be So Pushy

Supply chain processes fall into one of two categories: pull systems, where a company initiates execution in response to a customer order (reactive) and push systems, where execution is initiated in anticipation of customer orders (speculative). The boundary that separates push processes from pull processes is one measure of a supply chain’s “lean-ness”—the farther upstream […]

5 Ways to Improve Fulfillment Center Efficiency

To capitalize on the e-commerce boom, fulfillment centers—which are different from distribution centers in that they do not distribute inventory but fulfill customer demand in either B2B or B2C businesses—need to scale and react nimbly and agily. Fulfillment centers must also be as efficient as possible to maximize customer satisfaction. Fulfillment centers do not generate […]

The Amazon Effect: No Longer a Phantom Menace

Retailers strike back at the Amazon empire by providing e-commerce customers with same-day and faster delivery.

Transportation Trends: Turn up the Air

The airfreight market has been flying high, but headwinds persist.

Stop, Look, Listen

We all know the best way to approach an unguarded railroad crossing is to stop, look, and listen. That same advice applies when examing the economy, which will likely roar through 2018 at full speed. While it is tempting to climb aboard and enjoy the ride, that is the exact wrong approach from a supply […]

New Pallet Program Better by Half

Fun food manufacturer Jel Sert finds pooled half-pallets provide full supply chain benefits.

Supply Chain Commentary: What Shippers Need to Know About Market Tightness

After a two-year slide in transportation prices, the logistics sector is experiencing capacity constraints and historically high and enduring truckload volumes. As we head into peak shipping season, rates have been rising significantly, particularly in the wake of hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Shippers can expect this trend to continue into 2018. The market isn’t likely […]

Is Supply Chain Planning Right for the Cloud?

The explosive growth of data that today’s supply chain teams must manage creates challenges even for the most seasoned professionals. Manufacturers, retailers, and distributors need agile systems that help manage and simplify complexity. However, one of the biggest hurdles today’s organizations face is gaining executive approval to implement an advanced supply chain planning system. Is […]

Panama Canal Expansion Hits the Big Time

Two Great Pyramids of Giza, four Big Bens, eight Statues of Liberty. Lay them end to end, and you’ve got the equivalent length of the CMA CGM Theodore Roosevelt, the largest capacity vessel to ever transit the Panama Canal’s expanded locks. At 1,228 feet long, the Neopanamax containership has a total capacity of 14,414 TEUs. […]

Urban Logistics: You Can’t Fight City Haul

The impact of urbanization—population increases in cities and towns as opposed to rural areas—on business growth and sustainability concerns nearly all companies surveyed in The Road to Sustainable Urban Logistics, a new report by UPS and GreenBiz Group. However, only 47 percent feel prepared to address the associated business challenges, according to the survey. Further, […]

Manufacturers Take to Technology, Automation

Driven by globalization, intensifying competition, and rising customer demand for more options and higher quality products, a connected plant floor has become a necessity. As a result, manufacturers are adopting the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to enhance visibility and improve quality, with the number of organizations achieving a fully connected factory expected to rise […]

The Red Wings Beneath My Feet