Archive: Jun 2023

Industrial Sector Cools, Manufacturing Heats Up

Industrial Sector Cools, Manufacturing Heats Up

Following record high demand and rent prices notched during the pandemic, the industrial sector’s dynamics are shifting and demand is cooling, finds a new U.S. industrial market update from Savills. Some predictions about where things are headed from here: Vacancy rates are on the rise. While the market is still historically tight, vacancy rates are […]

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Reshoring Moves Beyond the Drawing Table

Reshoring Moves Beyond the Drawing Table

Reshoring and nearshoring have finally matured into commercial realities, finds Kearney’s 10th annual Reshoring Index Report. Reshoring initiatives have become so successful that companies that took a wait-and-see approach to locating manufacturing operations in the past are now scrambling to find facilities in Mexico and the United States. But the road to reshoring is harder […]

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Technology Leads the Pack

Technology Leads the Pack

Packaging used to be simply for protecting and identifying a product; now it helps drive sales. Smart packaging—which uses technology to enhance user engagement, product quality, and supply chain efficiency—is the latest iteration, according to Smart Packaging 2023-2033, a new report from IDTechEx. Establishing business models that utilize these technologies to unlock value for brands […]

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Air Cargo Grounded

Air Cargo Grounded

The global air cargo market may have to hang on until October for signs of a recovery. A flood of summer bellyhold capacity on major lanes and a 4% drop in demand in April 2023 indicates challenging months ahead, according to new analysis from CLIVE Data Services, part of Xeneta. Air freight spot rates dropped […]

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Chemical Logistics: Formulating Solutions

Chemical Logistics: Formulating Solutions

As chemical production increases in the United States, logistics providers drum up solutions to transport these critical shipments safely, efficiently, and accurately—leveraging specialized expertise and experience.

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Warehouse Location Automation

Warehouse Location Automation

If a robot told you where to go, would you listen? Choosing a domestic distribution site is a well-honed science with several schools of thought. Some supply chain practitioners favor the mega-DC approach, while others use retail locations to do double-duty as efulfillment centers. Other practices include a blended approach to match evolving customer demand.

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Optimize Your Supply Chain Balance Sheet

Optimize Your Supply Chain Balance Sheet

Every supply chain contains both hidden costs and potential savings. Smart shippers and their logistics partners utilize their data to discover cost-saving opportunities that improve profitability.

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Supply Chain Control Tower: Definition, Types, and Implementation

Supply Chain Control Tower: Definition, Types, and Implementation

In today’s global economy, effective supply chain management is increasingly complex. Companies face the challenge of ensuring timely product delivery, cost minimization, and consistent quality within a fragmented supply chain landscape. One solution gaining traction is the supply chain control tower (SCCT) model—a centralized hub for monitoring, managing, and optimizing all aspects of a supply […]

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IN BRIEF: New Services and Solutions

IN BRIEF: New Services and Solutions

On behalf of Stena Line, Stena RoRo designed and ordered two hybrid cargo ships from shipyard CMI Jinling in Weihai, China; delivery is scheduled for 2025. The NewMax ships can be powered by methanol or conventional fuel and increase cargo capacity by 80%. The vessels have been designed for Stena Line’s route between Belfast and Heysham on the Irish Sea.

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VERTICAL FOCUS: Alcoholic Beverages

VERTICAL FOCUS: Alcoholic Beverages

3 Tiers of the Wine Supply Chain We can’t talk about wine without mentioning the Volstead Act, which made it illegal to “manufacture, sell, barter, transport, import, export, deliver, furnish, or possess” such beverages. Prohibition wasn’t just a temporary blip in alcohol manufacturing; it changed the way the supply chain functions. Prior to Prohibition, the […]

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A Bolt From the Blue

A Bolt From the Blue

An admitted workaholic, Mark Ang does a day’s worth of work before 8 a.m. While he is there for his team any time of day or night, he is a shockingly hands-off leader who encourages autonomy and gives his team space to spread their wings.

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NOTED: Supply Chain Highlights

NOTED: Supply Chain Highlights

Good Works •  Trailer Bridge and ATS International held a charity golf tournament that raised more than $104,500 for Habitat for Humanity of Puerto Rico, supporting the organization’s efforts to create and preserve home ownership opportunities for low-income individuals and families on the island. •  Technology-driven logistics company TransLoop partnered with Luke Grimes of Yellowstone, Hydroviv, and […]

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Filling the Supply Chain Talent Pipeline

Filling the Supply Chain Talent Pipeline

Private sector companies and organizations turn on the spout and team up with colleges and other educational institutions to raise the profile of a career in supply chain, bolster curricula, and help build tomorrow’s supply chain workforce.

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Managing Your  Ocean Freight

Managing Your Ocean Freight

In today’s post-pandemic new normal, beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) can successfully manage their ocean freight transportation by adhering to some sound rules of thumb, while embracing new best practices for the current market dynamic. 

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3 Strategies for Supply Chain Resilience

3 Strategies for Supply Chain Resilience

Supply chain disruptions can cost an organization 45% of its annual profits over the course of a decade, which makes figuring out how to live with disruption critical, as a global economy built on clear predictability is not viable.

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How to Combat Fraudulent Losses

How to Combat Fraudulent Losses

Retail and ecommerce is experiencing a massive digital transformation, and with this comes an increase in bad actors who embrace innovation and take advantage of the latest digital fraud practices as well.

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Steps to AI Success in Your Warehouse

Steps to AI Success in Your Warehouse

As global ecommerce expands, fulfillment operations need to look to artificial intelligence (AI) to keep pace with the demands of today’s digital supply chain. More and more organizations are considering digital technologies such as AI to improve supply chain performance.

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If You Don’t Quantify Risk, COVID Didn’t Teach You Anything

If You Don’t Quantify Risk, COVID Didn’t Teach You Anything

No one would argue after the events of the past three years that supply chains aren’t broken. Wild discrepancies between supply and demand resulted in a crazy roller coaster effect that vacillated between too much inventory and empty shelves. Billions of dollars of goods sat for weeks or more on transatlantic barges while consumers cashed their stimulus checks, ready to spend. 

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