Empty Trucks Get the Message
Freight technology company Loadsmart partnered with The Home Depot to launch the first-ever automated flatbed platform that pairs capacity and price to a shipment. Called Flatbed Messenger, it combines Loadsmart’s algorithms with The Home Depot’s dedicated capacity to help shippers find capacity at lower rates. Fleets that are dedicated to one customer often experience wasted […]
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The Importance of Inventory Accuracy After COVID-19
Once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides and doors reopen, apparel and footwear retailers say their main concern is inventory accuracy—even over improving online order fulfillment and managing returns, according to a survey by SML RFID, an enterprise software solutions provider. Retailers have more inventory than ever throughout their supply chains, and with staff being furloughed and […]
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NACD Program Ensures Seamless Partnerships
Warehouses and carriers are critical elements of the supply chain for the U.S. chemical distribution industry, which has a total economic impact of nearly $20 billion and provides more than 80,000 jobs across all 50 states. Chemical products are used in nearly every industry sector in the U.S. economy, and chemical distributors play an important […]
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Tailoring Apparel Supply Chains for the Future
Apparel brands and retailers can use the COVID-19 crisis to take stock of existing business models and create more stable and sustainable supply chains for the future, finds GlobalData. Fashion retailers in key consumer markets across Europe and North America fight for survival as stores close, sales slump, and inventories mount. For many, the response […]
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It’s Time to Digitize Your Back Office
Upgrading back-office functions may not be the sexiest subject when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and business automation but, according to IDC research, it goes the furthest.
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Big Wheels Keep on Turnin’
Trucks continue to move—in many cases faster than usual—to respond to the demands placed on the industry by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new data from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI). For example, at the intersection of I-85 and I-285 in Atlanta, known locally as Spaghetti Junction, afternoon rush-hour truck speeds are typically slower […]
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Extreme Networks Rewires Its Supply Chain
Any company that has gone through a merger and acquisition knows how challenging it can be to integrate manual and disparate supply chain processes across the newly combined organization.
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Global Trade Goes Digital
Freight forwarders and shippers can book sea, land, and air cargo shipments to and from anywhere in the world with the rollout of DP World’s online logistics tools and services. The company accelerated the launch to help shippers navigate the COVID-19 crisis and keep trade—particularly essential food and medical supplies—flowing. The new digital trade and […]
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Sorting Out E-Commerce Priorities
E-commerce capabilities and technology have been vital to shippers’ success during the pandemic, finds a report from Kenco. Of the supply chain professionals responding to the survey, 90% say visibility technology is a “priority.” Other highlights from the report reveal: 24% of respondents say e-commerce is extremely important and their top priority, and 41% say […]
Read MoreNoted: The Supply Chain in Brief-June 2020
Sealed Deals Beauty and personal care brand Shiseido Company selected XPO Logistics to provide omnichannel logistics services throughout the United Kingdom. XPO will handle business-to-business replenishment of bareMinerals, NARS, Laura Mercier, Shiseido, Serge Lutens, Dolce&Gabbana Beauty, and other products, as well as U.K. and Ireland e-commerce fulfillment for the NARS, Shiseido, and bareMinerals brands. XPO […]
Read MoreLogistics Lexicon for the Times (Part 2)
BODFC Buy-online-deliver-from-curb model used for e-commerce fulfillment to minimize contact between consumer and retail employee. Demand distortion Significant, short-term change in product demand due to drastically different consumer behavior. Floating storage Using containerships to store product while weathering demand disturbances. Pivot Quickly execute a sharp move away from normal manufacturing or logistics operations to address […]
Read MoreIN BRIEF: New Services & Solutions-June 2020
Products Air cargo can be safely transported in airplane cabins designed for passengers with the use of cargo seat bags from insulated air cargo cover maker Trip & Co. Produced in collaboration with engineering company SII Netherlands, the bags are watertight, chemical and UV resistant, and able to transfer products in a range of temperatures. Toyota Material […]
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Goodbye NAFTA, Hello USMCA
It’s all systems go for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to take effect now that all three participating countries have taken the final steps necessary to comply with the commitments. According to the agreement, the USMCA is to enter into force on the first day of the third month subsequent to completion of these final […]
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Digital Health Tools Can Keep Workers Safe and Preserve Privacy
Digital tools that confirm a person’s health status can create safe work environments while also protecting personal privacy as businesses and supply chains recover from the COVID-19 disruption, according to MIT professor Alex “Sandy” Pentland, who is working on this issue with the United Nations and Club de Madrid, a consortium of former democratic presidents […]
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The Next Generation of Warehouse Labor
Working side by side, robots and humans reinvent warehouse work.
Read MoreHow Mobile IoT Brings End-to-End Supply Chain Visibility to Life
End-to-end supply chain transparency has proven a difficult-to-attain gold standard, not only by transportation and logistics companies, but by any company that depends on the movement of goods to propel business forward. In the thick of the COVID-19 era and its ripple effects, this need has become even more critical across nearly every sector. The […]
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COVID-19 Supply Chain Resources & Recovery Strategies
3 Innovations on the Fast Track 1. Delivery drones. Their deployment has been fast tracked to reduce the risk of exposure for drivers and bolster capacity to meet soaring demand for home deliveries. For example, UPS and CVS plan to use drones to deliver prescription medications to a Florida retirement community. Alphabet’s drone delivery company, […]
Read MoreAutomation Is the Key to Warehousing During COVID-19
Supply chain managers don’t have to sacrifice worker safety to maintain production levels during coronavirus—warehouse automation can solve the problem. COVID-19 has infected a great number of essential workers in the United States, leading companies on the front lines to implement new safety processes. While the spread of the virus has been grave enough to […]
Read MoreRetailers: It’s Time to Act
While 43% of retailers say they’re taking aggressive action to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, 38% are taking only some action, and 19% are taking a wait-and-see approach, according to Digital Commerce 360. Retailers need to take significant action, however, to address the following five issues, says the research company: 1. Consumer confidence: 97% of […]
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Smart Warehouses Boost Their IQ
Implementing IoT, AI, drones, and other intelligent digital solutions in your warehouse is a brilliant move.
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