GPA’s Triple Crown

GPA’s Triple Crown

The Georgia Ports Authority’s Big Berth/Big Ship program will allow the Port of Savannah to simultaneously handle six 14,000 TEU vessels by 2024.

The Future of Trucking Rides on Employee Experience

Today’s logistics environment is not the same point-to-point delivery system companies dealt with 10 or even five years ago. It’s smarter, more agile, and more people-centric. Carriers have invested in technology to optimize routes, loads, fuel consumption, and improve safety for their fleets. Logistics managers are increasingly able to collect, analyze, and leverage real-time data […]

The Next Frontier in LTL  – SMC³

The Next Frontier in LTL – SMC³

n the first-of- its-kind LTL certification program, SMC³ hopes to share its lifetime of LTL expertise with shippers, 3PLs, carriers, freight forwarders, and future supply chain leaders.

Jennifer Daniel: Mastering the Art of Logistics

Jennifer Daniel: Mastering the Art of Logistics

Jennifer Daniel is head of global logistics for Redbubble, an online marketplace that connects independent graphic design, fine art, and photography artists with customers. Responsibilities Oversees all inbound and outbound shipping from 32 locations around the world. Experience Senior logistics manager, Redbubble; transportation operations and analytics manager, customs compliance manager, Restoration Hardware; foreign freight and […]

Looking Forward to it

Here are seven global logistics trends that will impact freight forwarding in the next few years. 1. Environmental footprint and sustainable solutions will become top of mind. The transportation industry plays a big part in greenhouse gas contributions. Having a sustainable agenda and bringing insight and solutions to help shippers lower their ecological footprint will […]

Costco Chickens Out

A handful of companies—think Tyson and Perdue—all but control poultry production in the United States. They’ll soon be joined by a retailer known more for chicken sales than chicken production: Costco. The big box retailer is building a farm-to-table production system to ensure a steady supply of rotisserie chickens. The center of the operation is […]

Sustainability’s Missing Link

Sustainability’s Missing Link

Economic performance is the top-ranking corporate sustainability priority for the majority of organizations, reveals a global survey of supply chain decision makers. When directly asked whether profitability or sustainability is more important, however, 60 percent give equal priority to these objectives, with another 25 percent leaning towards sustainability. Conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the […]

Port of Wilmington’s Darling Clementines

Port of Wilmington’s Darling Clementines

The Port of Wilmington, Delaware, has set a record for the largest single shipment of fresh Moroccan citrus received by the port, with more than 1.75 million boxes of cargo. This record volume was transported from Agadir, Morocco, to Wilmington onboard the specialized refrigerated vessel M.V. Ditlev Reefer, arriving at the port Nov. 28, 2018. […]

Ryder Redefines the Smart Warehouse

Ryder Redefines the Smart Warehouse

Supply chain solutions provider Ryder System has successfully transformed its smart warehouses in the Miami, Dallas, and Chicago markets. The facilities feature the four technologies Ryder defines as definitive benchmarks of an effective smart warehouse: Robotics. The implementation of robotics throughout one Ryder-managed warehouse produced a 25-percent increase in productivity and 20-percent operating savings, simply […]

Take Two Tablets

Two-thirds (66 percent) of retail store associates believe that if they are equipped with tablets, they could provide better customer service and improve the shopping experience, according to the results of Zebra Technologies Corporation’s 11th annual Global Shopper Study, which analyzes the attitudes, opinions, and expectations of shoppers, retail associates, and retail decision makers. Fifty-five […]

Pursuing Eco-Efficient Logistics

By Ray Hatch President and CEO Quest Resource Management In 2019, expect sustainability to evolve into a critical priority. The transportation sector is already moving toward greener fleets, and pursuing innovative solutions to reduce waste and improve landfill diversion. The new year will bring even more pressure—and opportunity—to address eco-efficiency within logistics. Robust sustainability programs […]

News & Trends Impacting the Luxury Goods Supply Chain

News & Trends Impacting the Luxury Goods Supply Chain

Designers Supply Chains a Custom Fit Luxury brands are taking vertical ownership of their supply chains to ensure longevity, sustainability, and artistry and reduce risk. After all, what better way to ensure a designer’s collections are delivered on time than by owning the factory that produces the garments? Having the design team and development process […]

Panama Canal Keeps the Faith

Panama Canal Keeps the Faith

The Panama Canal welcomed its 5,000th Neopanamax vessel through the waterway, reaffirming the value and impact the route has had on global maritime trade. The COSCO Faith container carrier (photo above) transited the canal traveling southbound from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. The vesselhas a 13,345 total TEU allowance and measures 366 meters in […]

What, Me Worry?

Manufacturing professionals are among the most aware of industry change due to automation, finds The State of Intelligent Process Automation from Nintex. The survey of manufacturing workers finds that 75 percent don’t harbor concern for job security amid the rise of new technologies. In fact, 33 percent are worried these tools will make their jobs […]

CPG Success: Top-Shelf Solutions

CPG Success: Top-Shelf Solutions

To succeed in a challenging omnichannel marketplace, successful CPG businesses are reaching for efficient manufacturing operations and new supply chain and transportation models.

Mobile Trends Impacting the Enterprise Ecosystem in 2019

As we move further into 2019, technology is continuing to grow and innovate across industries. Enterprises must look to embrace this new wave of innovation and integrate their current employees and operations into agile solutions. From AI to incorporating personal devices, companies need to take full advantage of the advantages mobile technology offers that empowers […]

Jeff Lau

Is Your Supply Chain Ready for 2019?

Some of the most relevant topics in today’s headlines—technology, commerce, international relations, the legal landscape, and even immigration policy—will impact supply chains over the next 12 months and beyond. The key for supply chain and logistics professionals is to contextualize these issues and think strategically about how they will play out. Here are a few […]

Andrea McFarling

Minimize Returns While Improving Sales

The popularity of free shipping has led to a growth of online sales. It has also created a problem: a large number of online returns. The shipping world defines the returns process as reverse logistics. Minimizing costs and even making a profit in reverse logistics is critical to an e-commerce company’s health. Here are some […]

Container Loading System Helps Sawmill Meet Loading Challenge – SmartTEH

Container Loading System Helps Sawmill Meet Loading Challenge – SmartTEH

The Challenge In 2017, one of the biggest softwood sawmills in Latvia “AKZ” was facing a new challenge – how to load containers with timber without scratching the package, not to mention the product itself. Quality demands from potential customers overseas were so high that the previous loading system was not the way to go. […]

NS Makes Tracks to Atlanta

NS Makes Tracks to Atlanta

Norfolk Southern Corporation plans to move its headquarters from Virginia to Fulton County, Atlanta, joining other transportation heavyweights such as Delta Air Lines and UPS in leveraging Atlanta’s major transportation hub. NS is investing $575 million in the move, which it says will create 850 new jobs. In addition to its headquarters, the new campus […]

MaryAnn Holder

Fighting Counterfeit Products

As pharmaceutical and food supply chains become more global, the risk of fraud, substitution, and counterfeiting increases. Consumers are demanding more transparency and safety adherence as these issues arise. Consumers are also increasingly concerned about the source of their products and the conditions under which they are manufactured. In the pharma supply chain, patients are […]

Solving the USPS Dilemma

In 1775, the first postmaster general was appointed for the United Colonies, and since 1775, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has operated on the principle that every person, no matter who or where, has the right to equal access to secure efficient and affordable mail service. The agency has changed a number of times […]

FedEx Abandons Cuba Airfreight Service

FedEx Abandons Cuba Airfreight Service

Improved relations between the United States and Cuba have hit an impasse, leading FedEx Corp. to drop a plan to begin cargo flights to the communist country. FedEx “will not be filing for an extension of the startup date for U.S.-Cuba cargo air service between Miami and Varadero,” according to a recent statement. The company […]

Keith Biondo

When Worlds Collide

In retail there are two worlds or approaches: online and traditional. It appears the online retailers have been winning in the market with all types of consumers, even in manufacturing and industrial products. But don’t count the traditional retail world out yet. Good supply chain management practices, along with blended approaches to serving the customer, […]

Manufacturers Laser-Focused on Technology

Manufacturers Laser-Focused on Technology

Digital transformation is truly underway in manufacturing. While digital technologies such as cloud, mobile, big data and analytics, and Internet of Things have been industry drivers for years, manufacturers now have high expectations for the business value of technologies—edge computing, artificial intelligence (AI), collaborative robots (cobots), autonomous vehicles, 3D printing, augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR)—that are […]

A New Argument for Pool Distribution as More Specialty E-Retailers Set Up Shop

As consumer demand intensifies and changing shopping behaviors put pressure on the industry to adapt, retailers have continued to redesign their networks to keep up. When distributing high-volume retail goods, determining the right model is key. So what’s the quickest and most cost-effective way to keep fast-turning retail products moving from DC to store shelf? […]

Making a Dry Run

Shipping in containers is an economical and safe way of shipping most types of cargo. But putting cargo into an enclosed steel box also entails a constant risk of moisture damage for almost every kind of cargo on every voyage, according to Absortech. When damage occurs, it may result in substantial losses and costs. In […]

Collapsing High Container Costs

The global shipping sector has a container problem. To be precise, it has a $30-billion container problem, and that price tag is increasing every year. In addition to their financial costs, empty containers congest deck spaces and crowd ports. And forcing ships to transport millions of empty containers around the world every year creates unnecessary […]

Mohammed (Mo) Hajibashi

Today’s Technology, Tomorrow’s Demand

The late actress Carrie Fisher said, “instant gratification takes too long.” Her prescience is spot-on. Consumers don’t just want convenient, personalized products and services—they want them immediately. Speed and flexibility are the most significant aspects of meeting this heightened sense of “must have it now.” Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies are in a fierce race […]

Tariffs Sting U.S. Supply Chains

The tariffs President Donald Trump imposed on Chinese goods have caused sharp increases in expenses for some companies, and even businesses that have yet to feel the sting of the duties on imported Chinese goods are taking a closer look at their supply chains to see how they can minimize the damage. As businesses scramble […]

Chad Storlie

Six Ways to Develop Character in Leaders

One of my hardest days in the military came in Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. I was leading a Special Operations Planning Team and we were using an event tracking system to predict where, what type, and when acts of violence would occur. We predicted a huge rise in attacks with little end […]

A No-Fail Mentality and Sheer Force of Will

A No-Fail Mentality and Sheer Force of Will

Many years ago, a few days into a new job as an analyst at Sears, Roebuck and Co., Jeff Cohen was working at his desk when the chief financial officer, Ed Liddy, walked by. “He stopped, introduced himself, and sat down to chat for a few minutes,” Cohen says. “I don’t remember what we talked […]

Mark Bakker: Change Agent

Mark Bakker: Change Agent

Mark Bakker, head of supply chain operations, Americas, HP Inc. Responsibilities: Manage supply chain operations for owned and channel inventory for commercial and retail markets for the Americas; meet financial goals for the printing, graphics, and personal systems product categories. Experience: Vice president, supply chain operations, Asia Pacific and Japan; director of operations, EMEA; director, […]

Project Logistics: Taming the Details

Project Logistics: Taming the Details

Whether they involve moving endangered animals or perishable delicacies, special projects demand teams that know how to plan thoroughly, collaborate with multiple partners, and prepare for every eventuality.

Andrew Berke and Charles Boesch

Using Technology to Cut Freight Costs

The bad news: Tight capacity and higher freight rates are the new normal. The good news: There are ways to handle the impacts far better than your competition. Aside from securing reduced freight rates from your carriers, here’s how you can cut freight expense while improving service: Coordinate business intelligence Improve load planning Provide carriers […]

The Secret to Combatting the Hidden Costs of Detention Time

Lengthy loading dock wait times have plagued the trucking industry for years, with serious consequences for drivers and shippers alike. Detention time—typically defined as greater than a two-hour wait—affects driver efficiency, shipping capacity and safety, with a negative financial impact for all stakeholders. And the problem is widespread. According to a survey by data analyst […]

Peter Belden

Using FTZs to Treat Pharma Challenges

Every day, pharmaceutical manufacturers navigate complicated regulations while managing costs and reducing risk. Foreign trade zones (FTZs) can help, but only if manufacturers understand what they are, their potential benefits, and how to best use them. FTZs—areas in or next to U.S. ports of entry under the control of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) but […]

Consumer Electronics FTZ – MD Logistics

Consumer Electronics FTZ – MD Logistics

The Challenge MD Logistics has partnered with a leading global supplier of mobile and consumer electronics products since 2007, when a newly acquired product line prompted the company to seek third-party logistics (3PL) services. A majority of their products originate overseas and therefore require numerous customs filings as well as costly annual duty and brokerage […]

Get IT Together

Get IT Together

Integrated WMS and TMS solutions increase visibility and communication and optimize the movement of goods.

NOTED | The Supply Chain in Brief-2019

Green Seeds DHL rolled out a new fleet of electric delivery vans to serve U.S. markets, moving closer to its target of operating 70 percent of first- and last-mile delivery services with clean transport modes by 2025 and eventually reducing logistics-related emissions to zero by 2050. Equipment manufacturer Workhorse Group produced the fleet of 63 […]

Dan Clark

Leveraging Logistics Communities to Find Capacity in a Tight Market – Kuebix

Finding truckload capacity is on everyone’s minds as the capacity crunch and driver shortage worsens. In fact, the Kuebix team surveyed over 550 logistics professionals in December 2018 to find out what they believed would be the biggest challenge for supply chains in 2019 and the capacity crunch/ driver shortage easily scored the highest with […]

Trends on the Horizon in 2019

The four trends that will have the greatest impact on operations in North America in the coming year, according to DHL Supply Chain: 1. Warehouse robotics come of age. Robotics are already proving their value in select warehouse applications, but the technology is expected to reach a tipping point in 2019. Expect the technology to […]

Drivers Need Some TLC

Drivers Need Some TLC

With the American Trucking Associations projecting a shortfall of 174,00 truck drivers by 2026, it is important for organizations to understand and address driver concerns in order to retain a strong workforce and attract new talent. Third-party logistics provider Kenco and CarrierLists conducted a recent driver survey that reveals their frustrations, concerns, and priorities, thus […]

News & Trends Impacting the Travel & Hospitality Supply Chain

News & Trends Impacting the Travel & Hospitality Supply Chain

Secrets to Good Hospitality These steps can springboard your organization to new heights of cost efficiency. 1. Stay up to date on pricing changes and market dynamics. Tracking price fluctuations, understanding supply and demand, as well as seasonality, is essential for every product in your pipeline. 2. Consider alternate brands and suppliers in your food […]

Technology Powers U.S. Manufacturing Renaissance

Technology Powers U.S. Manufacturing Renaissance

The impact of powerful forces such as digital transformation, Industry 4.0, the current regulatory climate, and automation on U.S. manufacturers is the focus of a new research report from ECi Software Solutions. The findings indicate the role technology is playing in the U.S. manufacturing resurgence, with 89 percent of respondents confirming they had increased technology […]

Amazon Primed for New Regional Hub

Amazon Primed for New Regional Hub

In the first airport project of its kind in the Amazon Air network, the etailer has announced plans to open a regional air hub at the Fort Worth Alliance Airport in Texas. Construction has already begun on the new air hub, which will create hundreds of new jobs. Unlike other gateways and facilities within Amazon […]

Chris Mehlfelder

Maximizing Global E-Commerce Profits

With 7 billion prospective customers out there, how can e-commerce companies not grow wealthy by expanding internationally? But, as with most things in business, international e-commerce is not as simple as it sounds. It takes work, planning, and investment, but the profit potential is very real. When branching out internationally, you’ll be able to get […]

Paul A. Myerson

Riding Out the Rapids

It seems that we are moving from crisis to crisis—tariffs, a plummeting stock market, cyber-attacks, recalls—at an ever-increasing pace. While we can’t avoid these crises, we can minimize their impact with a lean, agile supply chain. While that’s easy to say, it’s hard to do. Some key components to focus on include: Supply chain visibility, […]

Brad McBride

The Digital Revolution Is Here – Zero Down Supply Chain Solutions

As the supply chain industry begins to embrace new technologies, there are still many organizations not yet leveraging the solutions available to them. To stay competitive, technology will become essential. Q: How do you think the digital revolution will affect the supply chain industry? A: The supply chain industry is about to receive a wakeup […]

Ford Predicts the Trends Driving 2019

Ford Predicts the Trends Driving 2019

It is helpful to understand consumer behavior when crafting efficient supply chains. Ford’s 7th annual Trends Report, which analyzes consumer behavior based on interviews with more than 13,000 people across 14 countries, provides some insight. Ford says these surveys don’t look just at behavior toward automobiles, but rather the factors that drive behavioral changes. For […]

Hot Tips to Stay Safe This Winter

Hot Tips to Stay Safe This Winter

"Slow the hell down and drive defensively." This is a crucial step in remaining safe on the road, especially during the winter months when driving conditions worsen, say executives at Lynden Transport. As harsh weather and poor driving conditions are universal concerns for drivers and fleet managers across the country, Jim Maltby, corporate director of […]

Ed Moran

Using Collaborative Technology To Tackle the Carrier Capacity Crisis – Transporeon Group Americas

Technology is the great enabler of collaboration. When it comes to domestic transportation, efficiency-enhancing collaborative technologies allow everyone—the shipper, their carriers and their customers—to thrive, even in a challenging capacity environment. By automating processes relating to transportation, these solutions free up capacity and help keep drivers on the road by minimizing detention and dwell time, […]

Jack Tarkoff

The Cure for Meeting Pharma Requirements

Complying with global pharmaceutical serialization and traceability regulations without collaboration and system interoperability represents a significant challenge for pharmaceutical trading partners. Collaboration preempts disagreements among supply chain trading partners simply because complete, accurate data is important to both parties. Contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) are a crucial component of the pharma manufacturing ecosystem, and many pharmaceutical […]

Answering Global Volatility with IT Solutions to Support Supply Chain Agility

Today’s global economic volatility is putting increased pressure on supply chain managers. While worldwide turmoil is not new, the ability to manage it has now become an expectation — one companies must master to remain competitive. This requires purchasing agents to be alert, well-informed, and able to pivot to new suppliers and delivery routes with […]

John Richardson

The Game Has Changed—Time for a New Playbook – Transportation Insight, LLC

Evolving e-commerce service expectations force traditional retailers, manufacturers and distributors to rethink their strategies for serving clients. A two-day delivery normal—at little or no cost to the end consumer—pressures every supply chain stage, from raw material components to the finished product traveling the last yard to the customer’s hands. Retailers competing to deliver on service […]

Evolving Warehouse Processes as the Supply of AS/400 Talent Tightens

I recently had a conversation with a supply chain executive about how he was trying to enhance his company’s inventory management and overall warehouse processes. His organization has been lightly discussing this business need for several years. His company has grown at double-digit percentages over the last few years and they’re confident about their future […]

John McDonald

Driver Shortage or Lack of Innovation?

The trucking industry has faced a driver shortage for many years now. In a world where every industry seems to be evolving, the stagnant nature of trucking is hurting the employment pool. While trucking was a popular profession for two previous generations, millennials have drastically different career expectations. Almost all millennials were raised using technology […]

How the E-commerce Warehouse Is Adapting to Life in the Big City

The goalposts in e-commerce fulfillment continue to move. Where once five-day delivery times were considered standard, now consumers routinely expect two-day or even next-day delivery. Same-day delivery is on the horizon. These shifting expectations have forced e-commerce and omni-channel retailers to expand their distribution networks. It can be difficult—and expensive—to meet even the two-day requirement […]

Industrial IoT: Friend of the Environment

Industrial IoT: Friend of the Environment

SOURCE: Inmarsat Adopting Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies to improve environmental sustainability ranks as a crucial priority for transportation and logistics companies, according to a new Inmarsat study. Across the transportation and logistics sector, the two largest drivers behind adopting IIoT-based solutions are monitoring environmental conditions such as emissions and air quality (61 percent) […]

New App Drives Compliance

New App Drives Compliance

It can be challenging for rental trucks to meet the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate. One solution is to provide drivers with easier Hours of Service (HoS) functionality. To that end, Penske Truck Leasing has introduced Penske Driver, a fully integrated and ELD-compliant custom app for its commercial truck rental, contract maintenance, and truck leasing […]

Asia Pacific Companies: Green Giants

Asia Pacific Companies: Green Giants

Asia Pacific companies place more importance on green transportation than other regions, finds DHL’s latest research report on ground transportation logistics. Seventy-five percent of respondents from the region say electric vehicles will have a significant impact on transport in the next two years, compared to the global average of 53 percent. In addition, 82 percent […]

Freight Flow and the Economy: Asked and Answered

Freight Flow and the Economy: Asked and Answered

Arrive Logistics partnered with Transportation Analyst Donald Broughton (left), principal managing partner of Broughton Capital, to address the following crucial questions shippers need to answer about their freight. What effect is driver retention having on truck capacity? Normally, fleets average three- to five-percent unseated trucks (trucks without an available driver). Higher driver pay and lower […]

Old Dominion Freight Line To Carry On MLB Fan Cherished Ritual

Old Dominion Freight Line To Carry On MLB Fan Cherished Ritual

Old Dominion Freight Line, the Official Freight Carrier of Major League Baseball (MLB), is driving the celebrations for the annual Spring Training send-off tradition with MLB teams across the country. This year, the less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier will partner with the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Kansas City Royals, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies […]

India Bales on Cotton Exports

India Bales on Cotton Exports

India’s annual cotton output could drop 12 percent to the lowest in nine years as limited rainfall in the top two producing states has slashed crop yields, potentially cutting exports from the world’s top producer, according to a report in the Economic Times. Fewer cotton shipments from India will allow rivals such as the United […]