Vertical Focus Retail-Oct

Weaving Blockchain into Data Sharing Blockchain can solve the errors and inefficiencies that exist in data exchange between suppliers, retailers, and other stakeholders in the retail supply chain, according to results from the Chain Integration Project proof of concept. If retailers want to incorporate blockchain into their supply chain, the study recommends these steps: 1. […]

13 Keys to Choosing the Right Warehouse Management System

Following these guidelines can boost your chances for a successful WMS implementation.

12 Ways of Christmas

GE Appliances Flips Its Smart Switch

Do you think about how big appliances, such as refrigerators, washing machines, and dishwashers, move through the supply chain—from the factory to a homeowner’s property or a commercial apartment building? Mark Shirkness does, every single day.

Truckers Give It the Gas

When it’s time to deliver, the best trucking companies put the pedal to the metal.

Shopping for E-Fulfillment Efficiencies

Online grocery shopping has morphed from a temporary necessity to a new way of life. Retailers with the best order fulfillment process and the highest-quality customer service will gain the upper hand.

WMS Buyer’s Guide 2020

3PL Central El Segundo, CA | 3plcentral.com | 888-375-2368 PRODUCT: 3PL Warehouse Manager DESCRIPTION: Manages inventory, automates routine tasks, and delivers complete visibility to 3PLs and their customers with best practices. ASC Software Beavercreek, OH | ascsoftware.com | 937-429-1428 PRODUCT: ASCTrac WMS DESCRIPTION: Advanced features and configurations solve complex distribution and manufacturing requirements. Off the […]

Should the Emergency Suspension of Hours-of-Service Rules be Extended?

Yes, the Hours-of-Service exemption should be extended until the country removes the emergency declarations for the pandemic and the CDC no longer declares the United States under a pandemic.

Mining Data Insights

Here’s how freight bill audit and payment firms unearth and leverage data from freight audits to provide shippers the mother lode of information they need to make intelligent, strategic decisions.

Leveraging the Benefits of New Industrial Printers for Compliance

Q: What are the benefits of investing in the latest industrial printers? A: The latest industrial printers offer a new set of features and advantages, so end users will not be upgrading just to ensure continued performance and support—they will enable new productivity and efficiency benefits. This includes higher image resolutions, improved feeds-and-speeds, and user-replaceable […]

A Plan for Freight Excellence

The U.S. Department of Transportation took many by surprise recently when it introduced the first-ever National Freight Strategic Plan (NFSP), designed to upgrade the American freight system and maintain the country’s competitive edge. Anyone who has been around our industry as long as I have has seen federal initiatives that address transportation inequities without moving […]

Why Companies Should Consider Employing Robots

Q: What is robotic process automation? A: Modern robotic process automation (RPA) technology began forming 20 years ago, and has become the transformative tool it is today within the past five years. RPA is a high-tech solution where a process that was previously performed by a human is now performed by a computer. RPA “bots” […]

Cold Changes

Most cold chain businesses say that taking extra measures to protect the workforce is their No. 1 issue (see chart), according to the Global Cold Chain Alliance’s survey studying the ripple effects of COVID-19. Other key findings include: Common challenges. More than 50% of respondents say that supply chain disruptions, such as keeping up with […]

Lessons Learned: Risk Mitigation Strategies for the Future

Companies can help avoid at least some of the pitfalls of supply chain risk—including COVID-19—by developing risk mitigation strategies such as supply chain mapping.

A Storehouse of Innovation—WMS for E-Commerce

Ramco Systems helps an e-commerce solution provider realize its vision of a robotic fulfillment center.

Hopping on the Transformation Train

Global disruption has failed to halt shippers’ digital transformation plans: 52% of companies say they will increase their spending on digital transformation, and those concerned with economic disruption are 20% more likely to invest in digital transformation, according to a global research study from IFS. However, these numbers aren’t consistent across all geographies or industry […]

Vertical Focus: Aerospace

Boeing Fights for Flights A single Boeing aircraft is composed of more than 3 million parts, making its supply chain a massive global undertaking. Successfully managing such a complex operation requires rigorous planning years in advance to accurately predict changes in demand and adapt accordingly. How does the company do it? Partnerships: Before 2007, Boeing […]

Use Repeatable Best Practices and Experience Exponential Growth

Brilliant Fulfillment stopped juggling spreadsheets and used WMS automation to grow order volume by 175% in just one year.

Shared Truckload Creates Efficiencies, Reducing Shipment Costs

COVID-19 upended supply chains, increased costs, and tightened capacity, leaving shippers struggling to deliver high-quality service. Shared truckload could be the answer. Q: How has shared truckload alleviated shippers’ issues during the pandemic? A: Capacity challenges and increased costs across supply chains have driven shippers to become more creative and innovative. When faced with substantially […]

Getting Out of the Woods

COVID-19 radically changed the workplace and how supply chains operate. Shippers that scale their technical infrastructure and put the customer first will thrive, says a study by Reuters Events and CalAmp. Other key findings include: Preparedness: Shippers say their logistics solution providers are managing the uncertainty of customer demand, scoring them an average of 72/100. […]

3 Critical Questions About Oversize/Overweight Shipments

Although your supply chain may not require oversize/overweight shipments on a regular basis, there will likely be a time when the need arises. If this level of specialized shipping is not within your comfort zone, you should turn to the expertise of a heavy haul carrier to guide you rather than trying to handle it […]

Food Fights

With restaurants providing only delivery or takeout during the pandemic, consumers turn to retailers and grocers to fill the gap. The impact on the food industry varies both by state and by sales channel, with fresh meat leading the increase in dollar sales (see chart), reports Hilco Global. Other trends in the report include: Food […]

Building Resilience With Dedicated Transportation Solutions

In today’s volatile economic environment, shippers need reliable, cost-effective solutions to meet customer demand. Dedicated transportation solutions, which mitigate capacity risk and improve on-time delivery, are often a preferable option. Q: What are the factors driving demand for dedicated transportation solutions? A: First, companies understand, now more than ever, they need reliable partners. Interruptions in […]

Keeping Drivers and the Community Safe During the Pandemic

Syfan Logistics changed shipment pickup, verification, and receiving procedures for its truck drivers to ensure their safety, protecting their health and that of the community.

Make It Disappear

Learn how digital freight matching companies can work together to solve the unique challenges presented by phantom data.

10 Ways to Leverage Intermodal

Intermodal, the movement of containers and trailers, has been a boon to the supply chain for decades. It embraces standardization—standard container sizes and rail schedules, and standard trucking from ports and terminals to customers—which has reduced transport costs and mistakes, and improved freight service across the globe.

Supply Chains Need Long-Term Resilience

Before COVID-19 struck, supply chains were praised for their just-in-time capabilities. Now entirely new levels of supply chain resilience are needed, according to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ (CSCMP) 2020 State of Logistics Report. In 2019, the U.S. economy achieved 2.3% growth, and the logistics sector grew to $1.65 trillion in expenditures. Productivity […]

Cycling at Full Speed

What’s the most significant way COVID-19 has changed the supply chain?

The pandemic has increased uncertainty to a level never seen before in supply chains. Demand patterns are all over the place, supply lines are disrupted, lead times are uncertain, and nobody is quite sure when and how things will change going forward. Supply chain planning? More like supply chain prognosticating!

5 Lessons Learned During the Crisis

As a major player in the freight forwarding industry, and having been through the SARS epidemic in China, I have learned and implemented some key lessons that are vital not only in navigating a pandemic, but doing so efficiently.

Let’s Not Forget

Virus Times has reminded us that we have the capacity to quickly adopt "new" technologies, adapt to new working conditions, and remain highly productive. Certainly the "new" technologies for collaborative work are not really new. They are new just to a large swath of workers who had no reason to Zoom under pre-COVID-19 working conditions. […]

Improving Visibility: And Sew It Goes

Family-owned Tacony Corporation offers sewing and home and commercial floor care products in more than 100 countries. Because of the number of products it sells and the geographic span of its operations, supply chain visibility and efficiency are key. At the same time, providing timely, accurate deliveries has become ever more critical, given rising customer expectations.

3 M’s to Cut Supply Chain Costs

As the global supply chain settles into the COVID-19 technology-driven and customer-centric decade, there’s no time to pause and reflect on what has happened. Now is a time for action. Pick up the pace and ensure your processes are leaner and faster, and you are equipped to meet your customers’ expectations.

Reshaping Retail

New strategies such as BOPIS, BOPAC, microfulfillment, and drive-throughs could transform retail logistics forever.

Return-to-School Period Will Test Retailers and 3PLs

Retailers and their logistics partners are having to find ways to navigate through uncertainty in a way that they can take advantage of whatever demand there is while keeping costs down, all at a time when the pandemic is already placing significant strain on their operations and sales. In many ways, the return-to-school shopping period […]

16 Transportation Metrics that Matter

Here are the metrics shippers monitor to make sure the right freight gets to the right place at the right time.

Shaking Up Subscription Services

During the lockdown, some subscription services unboxed a demand surge while others were forced to close the flaps. Here’s how successful services deliver the goods.

Economic Development in High Gear: Incentives Propel Projects Forward

Regional organizations draw companies to their sites with incentive packages and other enticements, securing site selection decisions and driving investment.

We Scream for Ice Cream

Protecting Health, Safety, and Final-Mile Delivery During a Pandemic

Q: What measures have you implemented to protect health and safety in your warehouses? A: When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, supply chains around the world were impacted. With a robust safety and quality program in place prior to the pandemic, Suddath® was able to respond and adapt immediately to ensure our customers’ supply chains remained […]

Florida Sets the Future

The Sunshine State is a strategic and economic powerhouse, driving companies’ logistics success and setting the stage to play an even more substantial role in the coming years.

Traffic Control

At some point, urban congestion will again be an issue. To get ready, cities and shippers are exploring options such as alternative vehicles, apps, pricing solutions, and a range of distribution centers.

Retail Responds

Retailers faced steep fluctuations in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many have been forced to close or adapt to accommodate social distancing. To improve their supply chain resilience for future disruption, retailers must invest in flexibility, visibility, and automation, according to a study by WMG, the University of Warwick, and Blue Yonder. Key findings […]

Automating Short-Haul Intermodal with Electrified Overhead Rail

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread, container shipping was hit as hard as any industry. In the best of times, this vast, labor-intensive network is prone to worker and truck driver shortages, unbalanced hand-offs between distribution nodes, and traffic gridlock and movement lockdowns. In the worst of times, like the pandemic, they face additional delays caused by customs clearance inspections, ports and crew refusals to address certain vessels, and operational shutdowns for decontamination.

Asia’s Economic Rebound

About 43% of businesses say that the majority of their global supply chains are dependent on China, and most say they won’t be able to visit those suppliers until June 2021 at the earliest (see chart), according to a study from technology platform Flexport. Asia was the first region to endure COVID-19 and reopen its […]

Addressing Shippers’ Top Concerns

Due to the current uncertainty of the global economy, shippers are experiencing new, unique challenges. As they navigate these challenges, understanding the shifts in consumer behavior and how they impact their supply chain is critical.

TMS Put to the Test

By providing visibility to items in transit, working to optimize transportation networks, and streamlining processes, transportation management systems (TMS) check off all the boxes.

Postal Operators Deliver on E-Commerce

Parcels and cross-border e-commerce take precedence over traditional services, such as mail, for postal operators, according to Escher’s Future of Posts 2020 report. Operators also say they need to continuously manage growing postal e-commerce traffic, with a greater emphasis on the last mile and supporting retailers. The survey results also indicate: Postal networks adapted during […]

Becoming the Next Leading Logistics Hub

More and more consumers turned to e-commerce and online grocery sales for their purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic, adding pressure on the supply chain and making the location of distribution and fulfillment centers even more important.

DHL Debuts Retail Store

DHL Express opened a new 1,500-square-foot ServicePoint retail store in Southern Florida. The facility is the first exclusive DHL-branded retail store in the United States. The international shipping service plans to open additional stores in other U.S. locations as international trade rebounds. "For years, Miami has been the up-and-coming gateway city to Latin America as […]

Vertical Files

COVID-19 disrupts vertical markets in different ways.

Robotics-as-a-Service Automates Order Fulfillment

THE CUSTOMER Ecentria is a technology-enabled e-business platform and the corporate parent of OpticsPlanet, CampSaver, and USIQ—purveyors of high-performance and technical gear and leading destinations for enthusiast customers of the greater outdoor, sporting goods, and tactical consumer markets. THE PROVIDER inVia Robotics is aSouthern Californiarobotics company founded in 2015 that provides next-generation warehouse automation solutions. […]

Flexibility for the Win

A majority (73%) of retailers say that artificial intelligence and machine learning can add significant value to their demand forecasting processes, and more than half say it will improve other critical supply chain capabilities, finds a global supply chain study from LLamasoft. In contrast, underperforming retailers have not moved away from strategies designed to find […]

Master Class in ROI

Large companies invested $153.4 million on average to transform their supply chain in the past three years, but only 10% of leaders became "masters" in achieving a profitable customer experience, according to a survey from Accenture. Successful companies took the following steps, according to the study: Customer-first approach. They base their supply chain strategy on […]

Power of Prevention: Compliance Audits

Organizations historically performed supplier contract audits to monitor and manage contracts and ensure all parties meet their agreed-upon terms. This includes finding past billing errors and recouping funds when overbilling is identified.

Logistics Workforce of the Future

As the country moves toward a “new normal,” what will the workforce look like?

Project Logistics: Doing the Heavy Lifting

The professionals behind special logistics projects need to attend to details, prepare for problems, and focus on the big picture.

Cold Storage Heats Up

Booming e-commerce and online grocery sales during the COVID-19 pandemic increased the demand for cold storage warehousing space in North America, but developers are not building fast enough to meet demand, says a new report from commercial real estate services firm Savills. Keeping up with demand: Developers are not building fast enough to meet demand, […]

Fixing Our Broken Supply Chain

Supply chains are long overdue for a complete overhaul. This was made abundantly clear amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Home for the Holidays

To reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19, consumers plan to do their holiday shopping earlier this year, a Voxware survey reports, which may bring significant challenges for distribution centers. Key survey findings include: 51% of consumers expect to start holiday shopping earlier than normal in 2020. 57% plan to have more gifts shipped directly […]

Online Grocery Shifts into Hyperspeed

The retail grocery industry was upended by the COVID-19 outbreak. As consumers rushed to stock up on food and other items during quarantine, retailers and their partners collaborated in new ways to respond to skyrocketing demand.

True Manufacturing Embraces More Efficient, Visual Load Building

By turning to MagicLogic Optimization and integrating Cube-IQ, its load planning optimization software solution, True Manufacturing reduced work hours and increased efficiency.

Meat Supply Chain: Where’s the Beef?

Facing empty meat cases thanks to COVID-19 shortages, many consumers are flipping to plant-based meat alternatives. Companies are responding to the demand with relish, producing brands that taste more and more like the real thing, but not without sizzling supply chain challenges.

What supply chain technology would you accelerate?

Actionable big data—simply because it is the key to unlocking the fully optimized supply chain.

Three Ways to Mitigate Insider Risk in Your Supply Chain

“Insider threat” has long been a familiar security topic for C-suite executives in every industry. In fact, 90% of organizations feel vulnerable to insider attacks, according to IBM. Yet, when creating risk mitigation programs for insider threats, many organizations overlook their nonemployees—the people who work for their third-party vendors, partners, and contractors.

Eliminating Spreadsheets in Air and Ocean Freight Procurement

Alpega’s freight procurement module TenderEasy significantly improved CooperVision’s international freight procurement process, yielding savings in time and freight spend.

Outsourced Manufacturing: Achieving Quality and Financial Goals

Manufacturers have been outsourcing noncore production processes for decades, and the trend continues. The key to successful outsourcing is assuring the 3PL value-added assembler (VAA) has a quality management system.

Tracking Shipments in Today’s World

By enlisting the help of a 3PL, shippers can connect to carriers’ systems and gain real-time shipment tracking information.

5 Actions to Navigate Through the Retail Landscape

Taking these steps will allow your supply chain to adapt to consumer behavioral shifts, omnichannel fulfillment demands, and heightened delivery standards.

2020 Summer Reading Guide

Whether you’re looking for an enlightening read in the sun or taking your learning indoors this summer, these books will help you catch the latest wave of logistics and supply chain conversations.

How Your Freight Agency Can Succeed in an Uncertain Market

Staying engaged with your customers, providing solutions to their new demands, and not losing sight of your business goals can help you improve your business during the tough times.

What Can 3PLs Do?

Can third-party logistics (3PL) providers bring chaos to order? Or order to chaos? For starters, they can help you wrangle and bring some order to the current COVID-caused confusion in your logistics process. We’ve been reporting on how logistics partners can help you solve complicated business challenges and leverage opportunities long before “3PL” was a […]

5 Ways to Attain Resilience

The pandemic caused unprecedented demand disruptions as lockdowns swept the globe. What could we have done better to prepare for a scenario as unexpected as the one created by COVID-19?