Archive: Oct 2019

Brian Thompson

Automated Bidding Tools Benefit Shippers, 3PLs, and Carriers

At the start of a new year, it’s common for shippers striving for an optimized supply chain to review their carrier options to make sure they use the ideal mix of freight transportation providers. In 2019, this bidding business has lasted the entire year, as shippers and 3PLs look to take advantage of a softer […]

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Eleke Ukpabi

Leveraging System Design and Optimization for Supply Chain 4.0

Supply Chain 4.0 is an integrative approach to operational digitization, where existing and nascent technology applications are leveraged to transform the supply chain ecosystem. This is seen as an essential response to evolving business requirements and the gradational manifestation of industry 4.0 evolution. Q: How should companies prepare for the potential change to their business? […]

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Bill Michels

Tariffs: Is it Time to Rethink What Goes Where?

Did you think the U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods were temporary bargaining chips to get concessions from China? Now that essentially every item imported from China is subject to tariffs, are you thinking again? As the U.S.-China trade war shows little sign of ending, supply chain managers have to find new ways to keep costs […]

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Rob Brasher

Employee to Entrepreneur: Transitioning to Freight Agency Ownership

Leaving a job to start a company is a high-risk/high-reward decision. For those transportation and logistics professionals who have been toying with the idea of entrepreneurship, there are some points to take into consideration to help make the right choices. Q: When is the best time to open a freight agency? A: There’s never a […]

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2019 – The Year of Brazilian Trade

With continual shifts in the global landscape, countries from around the world are increasingly looking to Brazil as a partner ripe for trade and investment. Brazilian stocks have already reached an all-time high in the first half of the year, showing that the country is truly starting to make its mark as a key, competitive […]

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Paul A. Myerson

The View From the Control Tower

As discussed in my last column, Integrated Business Planning (IBP) is a process that uses “outside-in” thinking by integrating demand forecasts, supply plans, inventory projections, and financial plans into one medium-term strategic model. That’s a great starting point. But the leading-edge way to manage your short- to mid-term global supply chain in real time (or […]

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JetBlue Ups Its Cargo Game

JetBlue Ups Its Cargo Game

As part of its plan to gradually expand cargo operations, JetBlue will partner with Miami-based consultancy Aeronex Cargo. Initially, JetBlue will utilize flights to and from Fort Lauderdale to interline cargo moving through Miami International Airport. Aeronex will organize the Miami to Fort Lauderdale road-feeder transportation. Prior to 2018, the low-cost carrier did not transport […]

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Carriers Cough Up Hiring Fee

Carriers Cough Up Hiring Fee

As part of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) new Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse rule, trucking companies soon will be required to pay the agency a fee prior to hiring each driver—in addition to an annual fee for currently employed drivers. Starting Jan. 6, 2020, carriers will be mandated to query an FMCSA database […]

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Derek Browning

Choosing a 3PL: How to Make a Mature Decision

Relationships between shippers and third-party logistics (3PL) providers commonly focus more on tactical and operational elements rather than strategic elements. When sourcing to 3PLs, the shipper’s RFP often focuses on lane costs rather than strategic elements such as systems integration, real-time visibility, and total-cost performance. The transactional lane-focused relationship is appropriate for companies looking for […]

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(Not So) Forever 21

On September 29, 2019, Forever 21 filled for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The young-adult fashion emporium’s decision will primaily affect locations outside of the United States. The company plans to shut down nearly all of its facilities in Asia and Europe. It plans to close nearly 200 stores in the United States, and plans to continue […]

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Supply Chain Skills of the Future and How Organizations Can Prepare

A recent CEO survey by Gartner1 cited “lack of appropriate talent and capability” as the top most inhibitor to a company’s digital progress. Supply chain organizations are no exception. The gap between the skills needed to compete in an increasingly digital world and those available in the organization is widening. Rise in robotics, algorithmic intelligence, […]

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Maersk, Blackbuck Create Containerized Trucking Platform

To help India’s government reach its goal of reducing logistics costs from 14% of the GDP to less than 9% by 2022, integrated container logistics company Maersk is partnering with BlackBuck, India’s largest online trucking marketplace. BlackBuck will own and operate a new containerized trucking platform, which Maersk will support by developing industry-specific solutions. The […]

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How to Detox the Pharma Supply Chain

How to Detox the Pharma Supply Chain

Advances in technology, new regulations, and more personalized medicine can make managing pharmaceutical supply chains a tough pill to swallow. Successful supply chains leverage new IT, share information, and embrace change.

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