The Future of Warehouse Workers

Warehouse employment has reached new highs as e-commerce sales are higher than any previous point in time. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, total U.S. e-commerce sales for 2020 increased 32.4% from 2019. In comparison, total e-commerce sales in 2019 increased 14.9% from 2018. Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic has driven much of the existing current […]

B2B Materials Supplier Prepares for a Fast-Growth Future with a Fleet of Mobile Robots

Many companies integrating robotics seek to add them to their current warehouse layout to keep the workflow moving seamlessly. Material Bank, a B2B materials supplier, saw an opportunity to build their entire business model and warehouse around the robotic solution from the very start for even more gains. There was a specific need to find […]

Digging Up Vertical Farming Solutions

Vertical farming—in which indoor spaces are used to grow food—is forecast to increase globally, but such operations can only grow a limited number of crops to make a profit. A new automated solution, created by Swisslog, can help the industry overcome these barriers to growth with better flexibility, reduced costs, and closer proximity to consumers […]

Transportation Strategies: Weathering the Storm

While waiting for the pandemic to blow over, savvy shippers developed transportation strategies that are successful now and will protect them in times of future disruption, come rain or come shine.

Americold’s Fresh New Facility Boosts Temperature-Controlled Trade Through the Port of Savannah

The Port of Savannah is Georgia’s gateway to the world—a critical conduit moving products to and from destinations around the globe. As the largest single-terminal container facility of its kind in North America and the third fastest-growing port in the nation, Savannah faced infrastructure challenges that required an investment to strengthen cold chain capabilities for […]

Holy Ship

Vertical Focus: Confections

Chocolate Supply Chain: Bean to Bar None Consumers are more conscious about the ingredients in the chocolate they buy due to vegan diets, lactose allergies, climate concerns, and ethical spending. This increased the demand for premium products and a bean-to-bar approach to manufacturing, says Fortune Business Insights data. These trends are affecting the chocolate supply […]

IN BRIEF: New Services & Solutions-May 2021

Technology The Gantry Robotic Intelligent Piece Picker, also known as GRIPP, from Inther, can pick from, as well as put pieces into, compartmentalized totes. Equipped with a customizable gripper, the machine can process up to 1,200 pieces per hour. Avetta, a provider of supply chain risk management software, added an intelligent supplier classification tool to the […]

What’s the supply chain buzzword of 2021?

AGILITY Companies must be nimble in their approach to logistics and warehousing operations. Corporations that embrace agility can quickly maneuver and clear roadblocks when disruptions arise. —Grant Koch Solutions & Innovation Director BDP International Over the past 12 months, we have seen disruptions within an already challenging global logistics supply chain. Traditional seasonal patterns and […]

Supply Chain: An Engine of Post-Pandemic Growth

Growth has been hard to find for consumer goods companies in recent years. The majority of food and beverage businesses, for instance, are seeing growth of less than 3% according to Accenture’s analysis. And across industry segments, growth has been trending downward for five years now, culminating in the unprecedented disruption of 2020.

A Supply Chain for the Next Normal

The fluctuating economy over the past year impacted how companies across industries responded in a pinch. Now that crisis responses have passed and the pandemic settled into a new normal, many companies are looking for ways to adapt their long-term supply chain strategy for the unexpected.

Overseeing the Shift to E-Commerce

In the midst of a global pandemic, managing peak-plus volumes, deploying automation technology, and overseeing the largest marketing initiative in GEODIS’s history is all in a day’s work for Mike Honious.

GM & Kroger: Transformers

The interconnection between advanced manufacturing, automation, and supply chain management had a boost in the past year. Part of that boost was due to the virus economy, but most was due to the genius and creativity of those seeking solutions to tough business challenges amplified by ever-evolving customer demands. Transformation. Just as the silo-crashing impact […]

E-Commerce Enters a New Dimension

Alaska: The Call of the Wild

The 49th state comes in first in logistics and transportation resilience. Alaska is a state where logistics providers are up to the challenge, offering solutions as vast as the land mass.

AI Strategy: Your Move

Artificial intelligence (AI) spending shows no signs of slowing, with 82% of decision-makers saying they’re very likely to increase their AI investment or capabilities in the next two years, says a report from Modzy. Decision-makers should consider the following factors in their AI strategy, the report says: Recognize the value. About 66% of decision-makers surveyed […]

3PLs Custom Fit Solutions

From providing seamless technology integrations to tailoring transportation networks, 3PLs reinforce supply chains of all shapes and sizes.

Supply Chain Technology: The Age of Acceleration

Fast, faster, fastest describes the pace of technology innovations hitting the market today as compared to past decades. These innovations focus on safety, visibility, flexibility, efficiency, and sustainability to help supply chain professionals compete in a changed world.

Key Questions to Ask When Considering Predictive Analytics

The transportation industry is currently adopting advanced technologies and techniques at a rapid pace. There has been an explosion of firms touting innovative and data-driven insights and a lot of companies offering tools to support predictive analytics, such as artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) technology.

On the one hand, this is very exciting as the widespread use of predictive analytics will play a key role in the advancement of the industry. On the other hand, this technology can be daunting for someone who knows freight and logistics, but doesn’t have a background in mathematics, statistics, or computer science.

The Art of the Steal

With pandemic-induced lockdowns, e-commerce surges, and transportation restrictions in 2020, cargo theft shifted to new commodities and locations (see chart), says a BSI and TT Club report. New trends include the food and beverage sector experiencing the most theft, as well as an uptick in theft from facilities compared to 2019. In the year ahead, […]

How E-Commerce Is Changing Retail; Ways to Optimize Fulfillment

Q: With the pandemic causing a huge surge in e-commerce demand, how has this peak season compared to those in the past? How has Hub Group positioned itself to deliver? A: We’ve seen a surge in e-commerce this year—both from an industry and from a company point of view. In 2019, we saw around 5% […]

Using Data Insights to Optimize Logistics and Transportation

Digitizing decision-making is a crucial step to leveraging data to make positive impacts in an organization. Logistics and transportation data are critical in enabling proactive decision-making that informs supply chain initiatives. Q: How does logistics data impact the rest of the organization? A: Logistics is one of the few sources of information that shows the […]

Manage Rates With On-Demand Quoting, Reverse Auction Tools

Q: Should shippers go to the spot market even when they have contracts? A: Shippers that have contracts, regardless of the mode, are seeing rates continue to climb. General rate increases are continuing in LTL and TL trucking, for example. So it’s a good idea to take advantage of the spot market for one-off loads […]

What’s your best importing or exporting advice?

In order to maximize efficiencies throughout the supply chain, logistics should be viewed from 30,000 feet above and decisions should be made by considering the entire process. Imports, exports, and all modes of transportation are reliant on the connecting nodes. It’s an ecosystem where sustainability is key.

Trucking Transformation

Truckers have transformed the previously laborious process of delivering a package with innovations such as capacity-as-a-service and automated driver assist. Now, 64% of truck executives responding to an IBM survey say their future success depends on digitally reinventing themselves. This is what trucking will look like in 2030, the report says: $99.2 billion. The truck-as-a-service […]

TMS Solutions Optimize Transportation Networks and Mitigate Disruption

Q: I already have an ERP and WMS. Why do I need a transportation management system (TMS)? Can one TMS support my global operations? A: A transportation management system (TMS) focuses on optimizing the transportation segment of the supply chain. While there might be some overlap with ERP and WMS, the TMS works on the […]

Retail Optimization Through a Revamped Network

With its customer base and volumes surging, a CPG company turned to Hub Group for a dynamic solution that streamlined its handling process, increased service levels, and reduced chargebacks.

U.S. Trade Ups and Downs

Exports and imports of goods and services in the United States decreased 12.3% to $4.9 trillion in 2020, the largest nominal decrease since 2009, according to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Exports decreased by 15.7% while imports decreased by 9.5%. Total trade decreased as well, representing 23.6% of gross domestic product in 2020, […]

Global Logistics Reboot: A New Beginning

Global logistics moves to “the next normal” after an upheaval in product flows over the past year.

IN BRIEF: New Services & Solutions-April 2021

Technology Shippers with a network of brokers and freight forwarders can benefit from BluJay Solutions’ new Augmented Global Trade platform, which streamlines workflow and accelerates efficiency for international trade operations. The multi-tenant SaaS platform automates end-to-end customs and compliance requirements. IFCO Systems, a provider of reusable plastic containers (RPCs) for fresh food packaging, added track-and-trace technology to […]

50 Orders in 6 Minutes

Kroger continues to invest in its digital business. By opening America’s first automated warehouse with digital and robotic capabilities in Monroe, Ohio, the supermarket chain can assemble a 50-item order in just six minutes. Comparatively, a Kroger employee takes 30 to 45 minutes to pick items from various areas of the store. The $55-million, 335,000-square-foot […]

2021 Global Trade Management Guide

Global trade management solutions became even more important when supply chains were disrupted with the pandemic. By connecting sourcing and logistics, GTM systems help make global trade transparent, efficient, and cost-effective.

Here are some leading GTM vendors and solutions that can help keep your global supply chain on an even keel.

USPS Steps Up Its Fleet Game

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) invested in the most significant modernization of its fleet in three decades. It recently awarded a 10-year contract to Oshkosh Defense to manufacture a new generation of U.S.-built delivery vehicles as part of a multi-billion-dollar effort to replace the entire fleet. The new vehicles will be equipped with either fuel-efficient […]

Meat Importer Carves Out Success

The meat supply chain starts at the farm gate and goes to the dinner table, making several sea, land, and air freight connections until it arrives at a local distributor, which serves either the retail or food service (restaurant) markets, but typically not both.

Vertical Focus: Healthcare

Vaccines Prepare for Liftoff Ghana is the first country in the world to use drones to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine to healthcare facilities. COVAX, an initiative led by UNICEF, shipped 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine from its facility in India to Ghana, using Zipline’s national drone delivery service. The goal is to deliver at […]

Can Your Supply Chain Withstand the Unexpected?

Today’s supply chain is vast, expanding to every corner of the globe. With this expansion, the threat has increased significantly due to the larger attack surface. Add to that a global pandemic and the need to protect the supply chain has never been more important.

Georgia: Where Logistics Fuels Growth

Georgia’s solid logistics infrastructure keeps supply chains moving efficiently and safely regardless of business disruption and national economic stress. These logistics providers and trade partners lead the way.

Nonautomotive Robot Orders Rove Ahead

Supply chain disruptions and workforce challenges are causing industries to accelerate their automation strategies (see chart). For example, yearly robot orders from nonautomotive sectors surpassed automotive robot orders for the first time, with sales of robotic units in North America increasing 3.5% in 2020 from 2019, according to the Robotic Industries Association. Growth was driven […]

Walmart Goes Local

Walmart plans to increase the number of local fulfillment centers across the United States, which it will build inside or near existing retail locations. This localized approach mirrors Amazon’s strategy, as both companies face off amid surging demand for online orders. Walmart opened its first fulfillment center in 2019 in New Hampshire when the retail […]

E-Commerce Enabled

To survive—and thrive—in today’s accelerated e-commerce environment, companies are reworking fulfillment strategies and supply chain networks. These providers offer scalable solutions.

Getting Into the Spirits

Craft distillers like Montanya Distillers—which produces rum from its base in Crested Butte, Colorado, where the high altitude and cool temperatures allow for flavorful aging—typically have been limited to distributing products within their own state, or perhaps a few surrounding ones. If they venture farther afield, they risk falling out of compliance with the myriad regulations governing liquor distribution across the United States.

Port of Long Beach Loads Up on Business

As cargo volumes surged in the second half of 2020, essential workers at the Port of Long Beach in California moved 8.1 million cargo containers—its busiest year on record. The port ended the year with a 6.3% increase from 2019. Imports rose 6.4% to more than 3.9 million TEUs, exports increased 0.2% to 475,888 TEUs, […]

Omnichannel Delivers, But at What Cost?

Amazon, the most successful e-commerce company of all, gained a competitive advantage through its two-day free delivery for Prime customers. Many other pure e-tailers and brick-and-mortar retailers moving to omnichannel retail—where customers engage with companies in a variety of ways, including in a physical store, or via websites and mobile apps—have followed suit to some degree.

Imports & Exports: An Insider’s Guide to Getting it Right

Experts share best practices to ensure your cross-border commerce success.

Logistics Challenges: Small Businesses Clear the Bar

These agile small and mid-sized businesses have picked up the pace to vault over supply chain challenges, including the pandemic.

The President’s 2021 Trade Policy

The Biden Administration’s new trade policy report is filled with laudable goals such as beating COVID-19, American family relief, and the Build Back Better initiative. But should these goals be the basis of U.S. trade policy or negotiating position with other countries? Do our economic competitors enter into trade negotiations with the United States with […]

Sail Like the Wind

The Frisian Sea, a Dutch cargo ship, made its maiden voyage using two compact wind-assisted propulsion units that can be easily moved into position or stowed. The technology has the potential to improve operating efficiency and environmental performance in the shipping industry. The 388-foot vessel, owned by Boomsma Shipping, was retrofitted with eConowind’s VentiFoils wind […]

The Role of WMS and MES in Empowering Warehouse Resiliency

Doug Mefford has more than 25 years of experience in the supply chain industry, from inventory control to operational leadership within an omnichannel distribution operation.

WMS Must-Haves: Adaptability, Scalability for Efficiency and Profit

Q: What do you consider to be the primary commercial advantages of a contemporary WMS? A: The DNA of a WMS should be adaptable, fast, affordable, and scalable to offer a low entry point into the warehouse versus Tier 1 solutions, while at the same time providing a platform that expands exponentially according to the […]

Coping With Blank Sailings, Surcharges & Spikes

From its position as a global third-party logistics provider, SEKO has unique insight into air and ocean trends. For one, global restocking is lowering the odds of a slack season in 2021, says Brian Bourke, the company’s chief growth officer. In a media call, SEKO execs shared their perspective on the following challenges facing manufacturers […]

4 New Rules for Retail

While the grocery and home improvement sectors benefited from changes in consumer behavior during the pandemic, apparel and department stores struggled. Consequently, the following new rules will come into play for retailers in 2021, says a Deloitte report: 1. Digital investment should go beyond differentiation. Many retailers have jumped on the digital bandwagon (see chart), […]

Cross Dock Delivers New Level of Efficiency for Leading Retailer

Leveraging its network of cross dock locations, Hub Group optimized a top retailer’s supply chain, reducing its transportation spend, streamlining inbound operations, and shortening transit times.

Vertical Focus: Automotive

From iPads to e-Cars Apple is moving forward with self-driving car technology and plans to produce a passenger vehicle equipped with its own battery technology by 2024, Reuters reports. Central to the company’s strategy is a new “monocell” battery design that could radically reduce costs and increase the vehicle’s range, the report says. However, making […]

Freight Spending Soars to Record Highs

Truck freight spending in the United States reached record highs in Q2 of 2021, jumping 10.1% over Q1 levels, says a recent U.S. Bank report. While all regions experienced double-digit growth in spend, different geographic areas and industries emerge from the pandemic at different paces, the report shows: Northeast: Freight shipments rose 1.5% in Q2 […]

5 Steps to Process Improvement

I was involved in logistics and transportation for more than 25 years and spent the last 16 of those years with a large apparel corporation’s private fleet. During that time, I cannot remember a single year when the private fleet did not have to defend its existence. Each year the argument seemed to escalate until the cost reductions started.

Pizza Pizza!

FTL vs. LTL: What’s the Difference? 

Understanding these seven key differences between shipping full truckload (FTL) and less than truckload (LTL) allows shippers to achieve the best possible results and support planning.

4 Strategies for Effective Cross-Border Logistics

With a wave of overseas supplier disruptions due to COVID-19 and resulting supply shortages that bottlenecked operations across the supply chain, many companies are considering nearshoring to Canada and Mexico to minimize risk and potential disruptions.

If you were writing a book on the supply chain in 2020, what would you call it?

The Shift from Efficient to Effective. 2020 was a gut punch to any supply chain organization that pursued operational efficiency without keeping a pulse on the risk factors that threaten disruption. Effective supply chains designed out risk by addressing safety, security, and reliability vulnerabilities. —John Reichert, Senior Director, Supply Chain Execution Solutions, Tecsys The Wake-Up […]

It’s Time to Upgrade Your Tech Capability

Many manufacturers and business-to-business (B2B) companies are built around large volumes, making them traditionally slower to adopt e-commerce; yet, it’s becoming imperative to do so. Customer expectations are evolving, and the pandemic highlights the need for more supply chain flexibility and visibility.

Vertical Focus: Personal Care Products & Cosmetics

What’s In Store? In-store shopping accounted for up to 85% of beauty product sales in most major markets before the pandemic, finds a McKinsey report—even millennials and Gen Zers made almost 60% of their cosmetics purchases in stores (see chart). What will happen to physical beauty product stores in the future? About 30% of premium […]

Achieving a Sustainable Returns Program

A good returns management program is a sustainability effort in itself. The right approach can improve value recovery, increase efficiency, and lower transport and labor costs, all while reducing your carbon footprint, food and landfill waste, and fossil fuel consumption.

Buddy, Can You Spare a Can?

According to a CNBC investigation, shipping lines rejected U.S. export containers worth hundreds of millions of dollars during the last quarter of 2020. Empties were loaded and shipped back east to be filled with Chinese exports. But press reports blaming “congestion” are off the mark. Those empties are getting moved and loaded on ships somehow. […]

Rail Price Controls? Ridicule the Thought

In 1980, CNN, fax machines, and camcorders made their debut, and for the first time since 1887, the rail industry was deregulated. Today CNN has many competitors, fax machines have been surpassed and their technology incorporated into other products, and camcorders are not only cheaper, almost all of us carry a better quality one in our pockets. Also, rail rates are 44% lower, and the market is flourishing.

Do you expect a resurgence in reshoring to the United States? Why or why not?

No. I don’t expect a significant increase in reshoring. I do expect a significant increase in multi-sourcing of key products in the supply chain. Reshoring to a significant degree requires huge infrastructure changes that I do not believe today’s consumer is ready to fund in price increases and reductions in convenience. —Bill Denbigh Senior Director, […]

How Ransomware Kidnaps Supply Chains

The volume and sophistication of cyberattacks has increased in recent years, but even more so with COVID-19 and the shift to remote work. Most notably, there has been a particularly concerning rise in ransomware attacks.

Supply Chain Education: Keep the Change

Events of the past year impacted supply chain education in ways that appear likely to endure even after the pandemic subsides.

Maritime Logistics: Water Ya Gonna Do?

2020 created some choppy conditions for the maritime industry. But increasing volumes and new strategies and technologies point to a ship-shape future.

Trucking Relationships: In It for the Long Haul

Supply chain disruption is testing relationships between shippers and their core trucking carriers. Here’s what transportation partners are doing to preserve their ties—today and for the future—in challenging times.

Listen Up! 12 Essential Podcasts from Inbound Logistics

Future-proof operations, jump e-commerce hurdles, perfect your digital transformation strategy, and more with these must-listen episodes featuring leaders who provide first-hand insight on the latest logistics news.

Puerto Rico: Go with the Flow

The “Made in America” initiative, a highly skilled workforce, and transshipment capabilities are beckoning shippers to take advantage of the flow of commerce to the island—a sometimes-overlooked domestic market for U.S. manufacturers.

Building Coherent Enterprise Architecture

During the past few years, in order to stay competitive, many companies turned to so-called “control towers” and shiny new objects like artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and blockchain as the answer to modernization and competitive edge.

2021 Winter Reading Guide

Spending more time at home these days? Hunker down and delve into everything from the future of retail to global transportation.

Revisiting Brand Management Policies

The recent health crisis has increased online sales and expanded the kinds of products shipped to consumers. As consumers, shippers, and retailers get more comfortable with online commerce, the trend away from brick-and-mortar sales will likely continue, even after the health crisis eases.