Inflation Making Waves for Supply Management

New study identifies five areas that can help procurement navigate uncharted waters.

Supply Chain Remains the “Next Big Thing”

Symphony RetailAI, a global provider of Artificial Intelligence-enabled decision platforms, solutions and customer-centric insights that drive validated growth for retailers and CPG manufacturers, announced the findings of a benchmark report, “Supply Chain Management 2018: In Service of the Customer.” The fourth annual study, conducted by Retail Systems Research (RSR) and sponsored by Symphony RetailAI, shows […]

What Will Retailers Find Under The Tree?

A common theme connects several strategies retailers are using to prepare for the holiday season: Enhanced capabilities to seamlessly cater to shoppers in stores, online, and on mobile devices. CBRE’s annual Holiday Retail Trends Guide outlines four trends shaping this season as it unfolds: 1. The optimistic shopper. In a strong economic environment, retailers who […]

Automated Material Handling Equipment Market Lifts Growth Projections

The growing presence of start-up companies offering robotic solutions for warehouse automation, the increasing popularity of automated material handling (AMH) equipment among leading industries, significant recovery in global manufacturing, and rising labor cost and safety concerns are among the key factors driving the growth of the AMH market, according to a new study from industry […]

Good Question: What was your first job in logistics and what did it teach you?

Summer seasonal order picker. It taught me an order is only as good as its accuracy; without it, all you would have is empty pallets. James Stone Client Sales Representative Echo Global Logistics Manually tracking and tracing previous-day LTL pickups. It taught me every missed pickup has three stories: why the carrier says it’s the […]

Meet Your Match

Supply chain management is increasingly recognized as critical to an organization’s success. As a result, it’s harder to come by top-tier talent through traditional methods. Enter SCTalentMatch, a new service launched by veteran supply chain recruiters Don Jacobson and Adam Lenhart that anonymously connects supply chain professionals with employers. Candidates who are actively seeking jobs […]

What to Expect in Transportation in 2019

Transportation has been on a transformative tear for the past few years, boosting the use of digital platforms to do more for shippers, carriers, logistics companies and other stakeholders. Here are a few ideas on what we should expect in 2019 and 2020 from expert Bob McQueen, Industry Consultant, Teradata Government/Transportation. The emerging smart cities […]

Self-Driving Trucks Are Set to Transform Trucking and Logistics

While much of the attention surrounding autonomous vehicles (AVs) is focused on self-driving cars, the real impact will be felt in the shipping, trucking, and logistics industries, where AVs will have a dramatic effect. Today, the shortage of truck drivers and the need to follow strict federal regulations covering working hours are disrupting status quo […]

Walgreens Launches Home Delivery Program for Prescriptions

Drug store chain Walgreens will now expand home deliveries for prescriptions nationwide. The company plans to partner with FedEx to deliver prescriptions as soon as the next day for a $4.99 fee, and it also is providing same-day deliveries in several cities including New York, Chicago and Dallas. The Deerfield, Ill., company started offering deliveries […]

Holiday Shipping Guidance for 2018: Analyzing FedEx 2017 Holiday Ship-By Dates

To better understand when shippers should send their packages during the holiday season, GrandCanals, a provider of analytics-driven fulfillment, launched an AI-powered website, where companies can view holiday ship-by predictions for 2018, updated nightly. These predictions are determined by artificial intelligence and consider both historical and current shipping trends across the GrandCanals Delivery Performance tracking […]

How Shippers Can Achieve Peace of Mind Through Shopping Season

Imagine it is Christmas morning. A family is just waking up and starting to open presents. It is time for the teenager to open her big gift—a new laptop. This was just what she needed, and her parents are glad all their research paid off. Immediately, the teenager takes the computer out of the box, […]

NOTED | The Supply Chain in Brief-Dec 2018

Good Works DHL Express delivered hundreds of fresh-cut Christmas trees; thousands of handwritten letters; and menorahs, decorations, and gifts to U.S. military personnel stationed abroad as part of its charitable program Operation Holiday Cheer, now in its 15th year. The haul arrived at U.S. bases in Afghanistan, Bahrain, and Kuwait in time for the holidays. […]

The Last Mile-2018

How Shippers Can Relieve Consumers’ Delivery Anxiety

Delivery anxiety is the anxiety consumers feel when they don’t know when they are going to receive their order or when shipping costs push the total order cost too high. It ultimately causes the consumer to abandon the shopping cart, and possibly order the product they so desperately desire elsewhere. Removing delivery anxiety, your single […]

NOTED | The Supply Chain in Brief

SHOVEL READY Online home goods and furniture retailer Overstock.com is set to open a 517,000-square-foot distribution center in Kansas City, Kansas. The new warehouse allows Overstock to offer two-day ground shipping to nearly every customer in the contiguous United States. The retailer intends to expand the distribution center’s operations to include returns processing. Sealed Deals […]

How to Adapt an Aging Warehouse

With the economy firing on all cylinders, it is not uncommon to find warehouses bursting at the seams. When the time arrives to consider investing in additional space, many distribution centers, retailers, and businesses dependent on warehouses face a dilemma: Should the organization move to a new facility, build an addition, or try to retrofit […]

Airfreight Forwarders Guide

These airfreight partners can help you fashion transportation operations that make your company a model of efficiency.

Companies in Asia Pacific Place More Importance on Green Transport Than Other Regions

Companies in Asia Pacific place more importance on green transport than other regions do, according to DHL’s latest research report on ground transportation logistics. The global survey found that a whopping 75% of respondents from the region believe electric vehicles will have a significant impact on transport in the next two years, compared to the […]

Keeping up with B2B Fulfillment Demands this Holiday Season

According to a recent report by CBRE, the average U.S. warehouse is about 34 years old. While this may seem relatively “young” compared to other infrastructure still in operation within the U.S., in our digitally transformed world, any 34-year-old technology is practically a senior citizen. What’s more, within retail, the last five years has seen […]

E-commerce Shipment Costs to Rise

Two recent and important developments will impact domestic and international e-commerce shipments. The first one concerns the U.S. Postal Service’s relationship with Amazon. Let me set the stage. The Postal Service lost $2.7 billion in 2017. U.S. taxpayers guarantee the perennially stressed postal worker retirement fund. And first-class mail receipts are off by $1.8 billion […]

Companies Go for IoT

Companies will spend $434.9 billion to design, plan, build, and run Internet of Things (IoT) solutions by 2023, up from $186.1 billion in 2017, according to research company Forrester. This spending includes IoT-specific security software, platform software, service provider connectivity, application software, hardware, and professional services. Notably, Forrester predicts that spending in each of these […]

Alaska Marine Lines expands Western Alaska service to Arctic ports

Alaska Marine Lines, an Alaska marine transportation company, is expanding its service from Seattle and Anchorage to the Arctic Region in 2019. Bowhead Transport will provide the destination services at the North Slope villages of Point Hope, Point Lay, Wainwright, Utqiagvik (Barrow), and Kaktovik. Alaska Marine Lines will also service Deadhorse with its two annual […]

Benefits of New Mobile Weighing Technologies

The online shopping experience is changing our lives. We purchase online and expect our purchases to be at our door the next day. Companies like Amazon are leading the industry in satisfying this consumer expectation by developing a model that provides convenience and fast delivery to the consumer. What does this mean to the manufacturer […]

What’s Ahead for Retail Technology? Ask the Crystal Ball

What technology developments can retailers expect in 2019? Here’s some perspective from Adam Silverman, senior vice president of marketing for Theatro, and a former Forrester analyst with 20 years of industry experience. 1. E-commerce software will evolve into commerce software that powers both online and offline commerce. As retailers look to replatform antiquated point-of-sale (POS) […]

Black Friday Delivery Data

Consumer data is rolling in from Black Friday. Convey published data insights that show how deliveries are performing across various categories compared to year-over-year data from 2017. Some key findings include: Shipments way up – The number of shipments for each day last week dramatically increased over 2017, with Black Friday up 284%. This increase […]

Factory Robots: Better Safe Than Sorry

In the new gig economy, workers are individual contractors—they are mobile, can work from any place, and save their companies time and resources. A Massachusetts company believes lidar technology could be the key to developing a safer factory robot—and to enabling those robots to take on many of the remaining tasks still completed by human […]

U.S. Ports, Seaway Report Positive October on Great Lakes

U.S. Great Lakes ports and the St. Lawrence Seaway had one of their busiest months of the season in October, fueled by increases in shipments of grain, salt and construction materials. Overall cargo shipments via the St. Lawrence Seaway (from March 29 to October 31) totaled 30.5 million metric tons, up four percent over the […]

New DHL Survey Reveals Expected Cyber Monday Growth for Businesses & More

Forty percent of e-commerce businesses would rather experience a TV malfunction during their favorite Thanksgiving Day football game than contend with shipping issues on Cyber Monday, a recent DHL survey found. DHL distributed a poll to U.S. e-commerce businesses, including its customers. The survey, which had more than 14,000 responses, reveals major challenges, priorities, and […]

Supply Chain Scorecards: A Tool for the Times

Advanced technologies like blockchain and AI have captured widespread interest with the benefits they promise to bring to logistics operations. But, for all the promise these appear to hold, there are proven enhancement-focused tools already available – in particular, scorecards – that supply chain managers should take full advantage right now to ensure optimized performance […]

Cargo Airports Do Brisk Business

Cargo airports were bustling in 2017, according to the Airport Council International’s finalized list of the world’s top 20 busiest cargo airports in 2017 (see chart). Total cargo volumes handled (loaded and unloaded freight and mail) increased by 7.8 percent from the previous year, to 50.6 million metric tons. Airports in the Asia-Pacific region continued […]

Do’s and Don’ts of Hurricane Relief

American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN), an industry-wide organization that provides supply chain assistance to disaster relief organizations and other non-profits, offers a few practical do’s and don’ts to help during a disaster. DO make a pre-offer. If you have warehouse space, trucks, equipment, or expertise to share, offer it immediately. The more advance information ALAN […]

BattleBots: Robots vs. Workers

The public is broadly fearful that automation will lead to significant job losses, with many populations skeptical that the technologies will boost economic efficiency, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey of 10 countries. Greece, South Africa, and Argentina express the highest degree of certainty that technology will displace human workers (see chart). But […]

Apple Seeds Clean Energy Fund for China

Apple will launch a new first-of-its-kind investment fund in China to connect suppliers with renewable energy sources. As part of the company’s commitment to increase the use of renewable energy within its supply chain, 10 initial suppliers and Apple will jointly invest nearly $300 million over the next four years into the China Clean Energy […]

Retailers Plug Into AI

Nearly two-thirds of retail supply chain professionals struggle with disconnects between systems, finds Symphony RetailAI’s Strengthening the Retail Supply Chain survey of North American retailers. The majority of retailers surveyed have confidence in their allocation and inventory planning software, but 48 percent rate their forecasting technology as average to very poor. While they would prefer […]

IN BRIEF: New Services & Solutions-November 2018

Transportation The Belgium-to-UK lane gains a new dedicated short-sea service with Samskip‘s latest offering. The service connecting Antwerp and Hull is operated by a 508-TEU capacity vessel, sailing from Associated Terminal Operators’ multimodal terminal in Antwerp on Tuesday and Saturday and ABP Port of Hull on Thursday and Monday. Airfreight shippers can take advantage of a […]

Law and Border: 5 Ways to Boost Canadian Clearance Efficiency

To help businesses reach the Canadian market more efficiently, Purolator International offers these tips for minimizing the risk of having a shipment delayed at the border. 1. Don’t underestimate the border clearance process. Successfully moving goods into Canada—which also means exporting goods out of the United States—is a multistep process that requires detailed knowledge. Failure […]

Is Your Freight Broker Legit?

Thousands of licensed freight brokers operate in the United States today, and more enter the market every year. With all this competition, it is critical to vet each freight broker you plan to work with. These simple steps will keep your supply chain moving forward efficiently, without harming the bottom line of your business or […]

Freight Forecast Stays Sunny

Freight volumes are projected to increase 4.2 percent in 2018 and increase 35.6 percent by 2029, according to the latest edition of the American Trucking Associations’ Freight Forecast. Among the report’s findings: Total tonnage transported will reach nearly 16 billion tons in 2018—a figure that should rise 35.6 percent to 21.7 billion tons in 2029. […]

Optimizing Ocean Transport

The growth in e-commerce orders and strong economy mean companies are extending their supply chains to reach a global audience. Ocean transportation is a complex mode with unique considerations. To streamline your ocean freight process: 1. start consolidating Minimize less-than-containerload shipments by consolidating multiple products coming from the same area into a single container. Shipping […]

What Keeps Compliance and Procurement Professionals Up at Night?

Increasing regulation continues to be the chief concern for compliance and procurement professionals, while the overall outlook sentiment is positive, reports a Dun & Bradstreet study that examines the current state of the compliance and procurement functions, as measured through professional sentiment on related issues such as regulation, fraud, technology, and resources. The Dun & […]

Peak Season is Coming. Can You Work it Out?

Wage corrections, shift preferences, and more flexible human resource policies are key to attracting and retaining hourly warehouse workers, finds the 11th annual EmployBridge Warehouse Employee Opinion Survey of approximately 16,000 hourly workers. For the 11th consecutive year, pay ranks as the single most important factor among warehouse workers (see chart). For the first time […]

Global Air Freight in Slow Motion

Demand for global air freight, measured in freight tonne kilometers (FTKs), rose 2.1 percent in July 2018, compared to the same period the year before, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). This was the slowest pace of growth since May 2016, and well below the five-year average growth rate of 5.1 percent. Freight […]

Examining the Workforce of the Future

To help prepare Los Angeles County youth for career and college pathways in global transportation, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), has joined with the County of Los Angeles to create a Transportation School. The curriculum will be developed to teach students transferrable industry skills focused on science, technology, engineering, arts and math […]

Top 10 Global Supply Chains

Which global companies and industries are leading the way? Which company encompasses the best supply chain practices? Has the same company been leading the way for the past decade, or has an underdog come from behind? To answer these questions, Vero Solutions, a UK-based provider of tracking and safety solutions, analyzed Gartner’s annual list of […]

Super-sized Logistics

Thanks to the Amazon Effect, fast and free delivery is the new normal, forcing other online sellers to keep up. However, there’s one area of e-commerce where online sellers can still compete logistically with Amazon and big box players: delivery of oversized, larger-than-parcel items, such as furniture, sofas, armoires, mattresses, treadmills, and more. But every […]

Avoiding or Reducing Increases When Duty Calls

U.S. importers and shippers can mitigate the future impact of additional tariffs on imported goods, including steel and aluminum. Here are some ways to control costs, according to Daily Hernandez of Lilly & Associates. Exclusion requests. The Department of Commerce, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and China, in particular, have implemented a process […]

U.S. Businesses Fight Tariff Battle

More than half of U.S. businesses are battling the effects of the unfolding trade war with China; the majority are already feeling the squeeze of the tariffs introduced earlier in 2018, according to a new AsiaInspection report. Notably, organizations on the other side of the tariff war are considerably less disturbed, with roughly one-third of […]

News & Trends Impacting the Food and Beverage Supply Chain

FDA now NAMES NAMES The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will now release the names of retailers associated with severe foodborne outbreaks during recalls. The agency has not traditionally released lists of specific retailers where recalled foods may have been purchased because certain supply chain information is confidential between the supplier and retailer, said […]

In the Eye of the Storms

As the 2018 hurricane season continues to blow through, DHL Resilience360 offers these risk mitigation measures: Pre-position essential material and stocks. By monitoring storm forecasts in real time, companies can assess potential locations and routes at risk, and initiate efforts to minimize disruption such as increasing inventory to bridge short-term supply shortages; storing fuel reserves […]

Great(er) Expectations: Meeting E-Commerce Consumer Demands

Consumers prioritize convenience, experience, and quality when making online purchases, according to an annual e-commerce study conducted by third-party logistics provider Dotcom Distribution. Data from more than 1,400 online shoppers indicates a shift from previous years, when consumers placed higher value on gift-like packaging and fast delivery. Results also demonstrate a change in how consumers […]

Gulftainer Invests in Delaware and It’s a Pretty Big Deal

A new port deal represents the largest operation ever run by a United Arab Emirates (UAE) company in the United States, as well as the largest U.S. investment by a private UAE company. Gulftainer, the world’s largest privately owned independent port operator and logistics company based in the UAE, finalized a 50-year concession agreement with […]

Flying in the Face of Danger: Lufthansa Handles World’s First eDGD

When Lufthansa Cargo handled a shipment from global healthcare company Abbott based in Wiesbaden, it was no routine transaction. It represented the world’s first dangerous goods shipment with an electronic Dangerous Goods Declaration (eDGD), using the INFr8 platform. Lufthansa Cargo, flew the shipment from Frankfurt Airport to Mexico City on board cargo flight LH8222. The […]

Good Question: What recent supply chain development will have the greatest impact on your job

Tariffs create global challenges. The United States has taken a strong position in dealing with fair trade, but we have felt the same strong efforts by many governments around the world. Michael Ford Chief Compliance Officer BDP International The digitalization of the supply chain will provide the single biggest boost to transparency in what is […]

China’s Economy Stays Resilient

China’s railway freight volume, an indicator of broad economic activity, expanded at a faster pace in the first seven months of 2018, notes a Xinhua report. China’s railways carried a total of 2.3 billion metric tons of cargo between January and July 2018, up 7.9 percent from one year earlier, according to National Bureau of […]

Bye, a la Mode

As part of a business plan to centralize operations and move away from independent owner-operator networks, Hub Group sold its Mode Transportation subsidiary to an affiliate of York Capital Management, a diversified investment manager, for approximately $238.5 million, with about $20 billion under management. Hub’s primary focus is intermodal, and it has sold a 3PL […]

The Supply Chain in Brief

SEALED DEALS Electronic component maker Phoenix Contact awarded a small parts warehouse automation and expansion project to WITRON Logistik + Informatik GmbH. To help Phoenix meet an increase in pick volume driven by online ordering, WITRON added 10 multifunction ergonomic order-picking workstations (pictured), bringing the warehouse total to 31. Ben E. Keith, one the largest […]

IN BRIEF: New Services & Solutions-October 2018

Transportation Air Italy started cargo routes between India, Thailand, and the United States and Milan Malpensa airport, utilizing the 10-ton belly capacity of its A330 fleet. Now represented by Globe Air Cargo USA for all its U.S. cargo operations, the airline plans to offer direct daily flights from Miami and New York to the Milan airport. […]

Reuse Service of Use to Container Shippers

CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd, two of the world’s largest liner shipping companies, now offer reUse, a container management service, in Mexico. The service is made available on the online platform of Avantida, an INTTRA company. It is the first time this service is offered in Mexico, and represents Avantida’s first foray into the North American […]