Running a Global Organization Like Family 

When Frank Guenzerodt joined Dachser USA as its president and CEO in 2004, this U.S. unit of the German-based global logistics firm was bringing in $11 million annually. By 2016, annual revenues had ballooned to $181 million. MORE TO THE STORY: Get Your Passport Ready That strong growth has continued, and Guenzerodt expects to see […]

U.S. Manufacturers Brace for Tariff Backlash

Shortly after the Trump administration announced the United States would impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, Harley-Davidson was among the companies expressing concern. The U.S. motorcycle manufacturer stated it would suffer a severe impact on sales if other countries countered by imposing a punitive or retaliatory tariff on its bikes. If President Trump follows […]

Internet of Things to Come

The Internet of Things (IoT) allows users to collect and make data visible at key points, improving customer satisfaction and optimizing supply chain responsiveness. It can also offer greater differentiation and innovation, leading to a competitive advantage. IoT is widely discussed, but what does it refer to and how does it relate to the lean […]

Mike Parsley: Supply Chains Suits Him Well

Responsibilities E-commerce and retail distribution, transportation and logistics; national tailoring service and tuxedo distribution. Experience Vice president, operations, Macy’s; senior director, distribution, Men’s Wearhouse; senior operations manager, Amazon; director, operations, Vistaprint; president and operational roles, H.P. Reid; instructor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Education M.S., aerospace engineering, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 1992; B.S., chemistry and mathematics, Cumberland College, […]

Sky. Falling or Not?

Trade uncertainty. Tariffs. Protectionism. Retaliation. Supply chain disruption. What is happening? For the past year, we have been hearing shouted warnings that global trade as we know it will end in 2017…no, in 2018….no, in 2019. “The future of the global trade system faces more risk and uncertainty than at any time since it was […]

5 Reasons to Make Demand Modeling Part of Your Supply Chain Design Process

Predicting customer demand is incredibly difficult. Economic indicators, weather, seasonal influences, and industry trends constantly change and need to be continually factored in to your analysis. This insight helps improve the design of your supply chain to better account for changes in demand. In today’s marketplace, it’s crucial to understand your customers’ buying behavior, as […]

The Model Port of the Future

The Port of Rotterdam, Europe’s largest port, is working with IBM on a long-term digitization strategy that will transform the port—not only to improve safety and efficiency today, but also to accommodate autonomous ships, as well as process and ship metal 3D-printed ship components on demand in the future. Key elements of the digitization strategy […]

Sealed Deals

Meal kit delivery service Sun Basket chose sustainable box liners from Sealed Air, a provider of protective e-commerce packaging materials. In addition to using organic produce, sustainable ingredients, and recyclable packaging, Sun Basket wanted new insulation materials for its shipping boxes while retaining its commitment to 100-percent recyclable packaging. Sun Basket selected Sealed Air’s TempGuard […]

New Floor & Decor Facility

Floor & Decor, a specialty retailer of hard-surface flooring and related accessories, opened a 1.4-million-square-foot distribution center in Savannah. The new Floor & Decor facility sits on a 90-acre site and facilitates product storage and more efficient distribution to retail stores in the eastern United States. The complex, located near the intersection of Interstates 16 […]

Latest Supply Chain Products

Radio frequency identification (RFID) solutions provider Alien Technology unveiled a handheld RFID reader with all-day battery life for use with the latest smart devices. The new ALR-S350 RFID reader is designed for heavy inventory tasks, letting supply chain owners quickly locate RFID tagged merchandise and immediately respond to customer requests. By including the RFID capability […]

Mergers & Acquisitions

Sunset Transportation, a third-party logistics company, acquired 3PL Snowland Freight Services, integrating its offices in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and St. Paul, Minnesota, to the Sunset network. The new branches, which operate under the Sunset Transportation name starting in February 2018, provide expanded coverage and support to Sunset’s national freight network in the upper Midwest. Flatbed […]

Airline Confidence Stays High

Airline management confidence remains high, despite concerns about higher fuel costs, and an expectation that profits will fall from 2017, according to the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) latest Airline Business Confidence Index. Among the index highlights: Nearly 75 percent of airline CFOs and heads of cargo indicate an improvement in year-on-year profitability in Q4 […]

UPS Ups Cross-Border Investment

To support commercial and residential commerce in the growing North America Borderplex, UPS will develop a new package operations center there. The strategic investment serves a manufacturing region that stretches across Texas, New Mexico, and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. The North American Borderplex area is home to 2.5 million people and one of the world’s […]

Taking the Measure of Global Trade

Cross-border trade of intermediate goods and early-cycle commodities point to a moderate increase in world trade through March 2018, according to the DHL Global Trade Barometer for January 2018. On its initial release, the index scored 64, which is slightly below the values calculated for previous months (see chart). That means that world trade is […]

Raising the GPA

Georgia ports authority (GPA) has developed a strategic plan that allows for 10 million twenty-foot equivalent container units, one million rail lifts, and more than one million auto and machinery units per year, GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch told attendees at the 50th annual Georgia Foreign Trade Conference in early February. Lynch provided an overview […]

Intermodal Delivers in 2017

Intermodal freight volumes posted a fourth-quarter growth rate of 5.8 percent year-over-year, according to the Intermodal Association of North America’s (IANA) fourth quarter and year-end Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics report. International volume increased by 7.7 percent; domestic containers grew by a modest 2.5 percent; while trailer loads increased by 12.2 percent. "The imbalance between […]

You Can’t Control Mother Nature, But You Can Be Ready For It

For senior financial executives at large U.S.-based companies with operations in Texas, Florida, or Puerto Rico, the 2017 hurricane season served as a risk management wake-up call. Commercial and industrial property insurer FM Global surveyed these executives at companies with more than $1 billion in revenue and found: Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of respondents say […]

A Slap on the Wrist

Amazon has received two patents for a wristband system that monitors how warehouse workers move their hands. Currently, when a product order is received, the details are transmitted to the handheld computers that all Amazon warehouse staff carry. The workers must then rush to retrieve that product from one of many inventory bins on shelves, […]

Supply Chain Needs More Accurate Costing Information

Supply chain professionals need more accurate and effective cost information to help their decision-making, highlighting the need for supply chain and finance departments to work more closely together. They also need to adopt progressive costing practices that are focused on informing internal decisions. That’s according to a joint research report from APICS, the professional association […]

How to Contain Rising Truckload Prices

You’ve no doubt seen your truckload shipping costs skyrocket. If you’re a niche user—flatbed or refrigerated—you’re probably reeling at the price increases. Your brokers tell you prices will moderate; they’re wrong. Let’s explore strategies to help you contain increasing prices. Let’s talk about why these prices are here to stay. First and foremost, the driver […]

Average Is for Other People

Derek Leathers embarked on his first big business venture when he was 12 years old. The scene was the circus, where his stepfather helped him get a job selling popcorn up and down the aisles. MORE TO THE STORY: Call Him Coach “They weren’t able to employ me officially, but I got to keep whatever […]

Yes, NAFTA Affects Your Industry Too

The symbiotic relationship between trade compliance and supply chain is the cornerstone of a shipper’s competitive advantage. You know this well, but you may be unfamiliar with how NAFTA affects your entire supply chain. Service providers who stay current on the global trade landscape are assets to their clients. I know, I used to be […]

How Georgia Designed an Innovative Logistics Landscape

Industry groups need to come together and support a sustainable logistics ecosystem. State organizations play a critical role in achieving this goal, as they are often the hub that facilitates seamless interactions between businesses, government agencies, industry groups, and educational institutions. Georgia, for example, supports a robust industry that’s successful on a national and global […]

Howie Mann: Helping to Train a New Generation

Howie Mann is a founder and board member with the Urban Assembly School for Global Commerce in New York City, which provides opportunities for economic mobility through access to college and career pathways in supply chain management and freight logistics. Responsibilities Helping to guide the school in its CTE (career and technical education) program, including […]

Sourcing Packaging Globally Boxes Up Savings

Hungry to reduce food packaging costs, Church’s Chicken flies the domestic coop and finds an economic supplier on the other side of the world.

Humorous Supply Chain Terms

Newest Technology Innovations

Logility, a provider of retail planning and collaborative supply chain optimization solutions, unveiled Dynamic Allocation and Replenishment, a new capability within Logility Voyager Retail Optimization. Retailers with multiple distribution centers can now automatically allocate and replenish merchandise to each store location or channel from any combination of distribution centers to boost inventory velocity and support […]

Core Competencies Every Supply Chain Manager Needs

Acquire these skills and competencies to build success in your supply chain—and your career.

If you were given authority to purchase one product or service for your supply chain/logistics operations, with no budget restrictions, what would you buy?

A time machine!

Supply Chain Commentary: Five Challenges to Embrace and Channel into Business Advantages

Disruption can be daunting, especially coupled with pressure from increasing competitive forces and shrinking margins. However, strategic navigation and preparation can lead to positive outcomes. In the supply chain, challenges can lead to improvements in key areas such as inventory management and order fulfilment. Technology innovation can help. A PwC study found that companies with […]

6 Supply Chain Terms Creating the Buzz

Word! Brush up on the latest supply chain and logistics terms so you can hold your own at the next industry conference.

The Human Experience

I am adding something to the acronym alphabet soup: HX or the Human Experience. In the ever-evolving supply chain process—shaped by automation, co-bots, and the global search for the lowest skilled hourly wage—are the cards irrevocably stacked against the humanity who grind the operational logistics gears that make it all happen? Recent developments in supply […]

Latest Transportation Services

The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore begins a roll-on/roll-off service to New Zealand and Australia in March 2018. The monthly service on Hoegh Autoliners starts in Baltimore then includes service to the ports of Auckland, Brisbane, Port Kembla, Melbourne, and Fremantle. The first sailing will be on the Hoegh Jeddah, which is scheduled to […]

Want to Run a More Successful 3PL? Learn from the Best. – 3PL Central

Today’s third-party logistics and warehouse community is accomplishing spectacular things in our rapidly changing environment. From increasing productivity, to growing their customer base, to raking in higher profits, warehouses are thriving in today’s marketplace. Like any 3PL owner, you’re always looking for ways to improve your own results, as well. At 3PL Central, we have […]

Customized Supply Chains: Fit to a T

The challenges of tailoring a supply chain where no two items are the same, and everything is taken personally.

Latest Supply Chain Services

Air cargo company Worldwide Flight Services opened a temperature-controlled facility in Copenhagen to improve its ability to handle pharmaceutical cargo. The facility has the capacity to store up to 16 cargo units and features separate temperature chambers offering both 35.6-46.4°F and 59-77°F environments. Each lane in the building is equipped with an electronic rollerbed system […]

Fashion Icon Designs Supply Chain Solution

As its main distribution center neared capacity, fashion company Michael Kors redesigned operations without cramping its style by fashioning a digital model of its supply chain.

Dining In is the New Dining Out

As more people order meals delivered, foodservice supply chains chow down on speed, quality, and safety.

U.S. Infrastructure: Will It Finally Be Fixed?

A recently leaked Trump administration draft of the Comprehensive Infrastructure Plan provides funds to states for roads, ports, bridges, and more. But will it become a reality?

Current State of the 3PL Market

Shipper demands, customer expectations, and 3PL capabilities increase, pushing supply chain to the forefront, according to the 2018 22nd Annual Third-Party Logistics Study.

Specialized Transportation: Paying the Price

When moving high-value items, proper packaging and labeling, efficient scheduling, discretion, and a bit of extra effort are key to minimizing the risk of theft or damage.

Let’s Get Visible

Shippers gain powerful insight from end-to-end supply chain visibility, where execution and technology converge right before your eyes.

Spot Market Strategies: Making the Right Connection

Here’s a pickup line that works: tendering freight to compatible carriers through high-tech, digital loadboards.

Inventory Strategies That Satisfy and Retain Customers

The Amazon Effect continues to weigh heavily on the supply chain. Consumers expect to receive packages within a few days—or within one day—of placing an order. The demand for lightning-quick fulfillment, coupled with myriad small-order additions, has led to a complex operating environment. Shipping is the second-most widely reported reason for consumer dissatisfaction when shopping […]

Slowing Down the Driver Shortage

The driver shortage has been an issue in the transportation industry for well over a decade. Carriers need to develop successful tactics and strategies for recruiting and retaining drivers in order to remain competitive. Carriers must first focus on findingdrivers who are not only qualified and driven, but also a fit for the company’sculture. To […]

Cashing In: 5 Supply Chain Financing Trends

Supply chain financing solutions that allow both buyers and suppliers to optimize cash flow are becoming increasingly popular as more options become available. Here are five trends that are on the money.

Supply Chain Convergence: Stitching Together Best-of-Breed Technologies

Transportation management, warehouse management, and yard management systems sew together high-velocity supply chains.

Global Trade Disruption: Managing the New Normal

Global trade disruptions come in all shapes and sizes, and can wreak havoc on supply chains. Find out what proactive strategies and tactics leading companies use to tackle the escalating challenge of supply chain risk management.

Supply Chain Impatience: No Time To Wait

Supply chains are adapting to serve today’s “hurry up” world of impatient consumers. Meet delivery expectations or customers go elsewhere—faster than a mouse click.

VMI Strategies: A Matter of Trust

Vendor-managed inventory (VMI) programs rely on strong working relationships, collaboration, and mutual trust between supply chain partners to make things happen.

Truckload Carriers and E-commerce: Serving the Middle Mile

E-commerce is redrawing the landscape for freight transportation. Do truckload carriers have a place in this new world of high-velocity supply chains, especially as shipments get smaller and delivery windows shrink?

Blockchain Technology: Good in a Supply Chain Crisis

Blockchain, the technology that underpins digital currencies such as bitcoin, offers substantive benefits to supply chains disrupted by natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods. Blockchain is a digital ledger that creates a chronological and unchangeable record of transactions. It uses an autonomous network of computers to constantly verify the legitimacy of updates to the […]

Seamless Returns Start With Serial Numbers 

Although serial numbers were initially created to track production, they are invaluable tools for reverse logistics. Here’s how they can streamline supply chains. Serialized products are easier to manage during the returns process. If retailers capture a serial number at the point of sale (PoS), they know an item was purchased from them, because they […]

U.S. Manufacturing: Resurgence Sparks Dramatic Change 

With one in every six jobs now tied to manufacturing, American-made products are making a profound comeback. Industry 4.0 innovations—3D printing, robotics, big data, and the Industrial Internet of Things—are changing the fortunes of U.S. manufacturing and its workers, with dramatic impact on the domestic supply chain.

3PLs & Shippers: In It For the Long Haul

Shippers choose third-party logistics (3PL) providers for myriad reasons. 3PLs provide infrastructure and up-to-date technology solutions that shippers may not have or be able to afford to invest in. They provide consistent, reliable service that shippers can pass on to customers. They stay updated with the latest regulations and best practices. They can scale up […]

Indian Truckers Spend Only 40% of Their Time Driving

Venezuela Crisis Surpasses Great Depression

The collapse of Venezuela’s economy has reached historic proportions, equal to or surpassing the 1929 and 1939 U.S. Great Depressions. That’s according to economist Gerver Torres, a researcher at the Gallup Company and senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in a recent lecture at the University of Miami’s Robert and Judi […]

Realigning Logistics

FedEx Corp. will realign its specialty logistics and e-commerce solutions in a new structure under FedEx Trade Networks, Inc. (FTN), beginning March 1, 2018. The goal is to create an organization focused on serving the unique needs of this important growth driver. "In order to improve our ability to leverage the unique capabilities of our […]

Special Delivery

With delivery dates of June 2018 and January 2019, Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics Services, a division of the Ethiopian Airlines Group, is leasing the first Aeronautical Engineers Inc.(AEI)-converted Boeing 737-800 freighters (737-800SF) from GE Capital Aviation Services. “In line with our Vision 2025 Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics strategic roadmap, we are expanding our cargo fleet […]

Middle East Gain for Crane

Crane Worldwide Logistics has expanded in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, opening a fully operational office based in Dammam. Providing airfreight, ocean freight, and logistics services, the operation is strategically located in Al-Khobar and served by King Fahd International Airport and King Abdul Aziz Port. Crane Worldwide Logistics also has its own entities in both […]

Status Grow? Yes.

I often disagree with IL’s publisher, but I can’t argue with his perspective in this edition. There is a great opportunity for growth in many business sectors, and supply chain excellence is fundamentally important in that economic environment. It wasn’t always that way, however. This publication’s mission since its inception in 1981 has been to […]

Fleets Don’t Fail Me Now

The number of active fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in Russia/CIS and Eastern Europe was 4.8 million during the fourth quarter of 2016, according to a new report from analyst firm Berg Insight (see chart, right). Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.5 percent, this number is expected to […]

WTO Conference Marked by Lack of Consensus on Pretty Much Everything

Nobody left satisfied when the World Trade Organization (WTO) wrapped up its 11th Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires in December 2017. Here are the highlights: The United States largely withdrew from its traditional leadership role at the WTO conference, expressing interest in developing more direct, bilateral trade deals with trading partners. The European Union (EU) […]

SCPA: One for the Record Books

South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) set a new container volume record, handling 2.2 million TEUs during 2017, and posted nine-percent container volume growth. The port’s total container volume in 2017 surpassed the previous record of 2 million TEUs achieved in 2016. In addition, the port moved 182,884 TEUs in December 2017, an increase of 11.2 […]

Shopper Expectations Outpace Retail Investments

Overall shopper satisfaction has significantly improved over the past decade, although shoppers are still not thrilled with retail staff availability and customer service. While four in 10 shoppers surveyed in Zebra Technologies Corporation’s 2017 Global Shopper Study cite being better connected to consumer information than store associates, more than half believe store associates armed with […]

Four Ways to Optimize Your Supply Chain

Supply chain optimization techniques, if leveraged properly, can help companies achieve their strategic business objectives, drive significant reductions in operating costs, and make informed cross functional decisions in complex scenarios. This comprehensive approach helps find the right balance between minimizing costs and meeting business constraints and strategic goals. The following four primary techniques can help […]

Food Fight

Armed with certification programs and a collaboration platform, the Global Food Safety Initiative is battling to defend the global food supply chain from contamination.

Acquiring Shipt Will Bring Target Shoppers Same-Day Delivery

Target recently acquired Shipt to leverage the same-day delivery company’s proprietary technology platform and community of shoppers, and quickly and efficiently bring same-day delivery to customers across the country. What does this $550-million deal mean for Target and other retailers? "We are now at a point where same-day delivery service is becoming the rule for […]

E-Commerce Warehouses: SuperSize Me

Thanks to e-commerce, the average footprint of warehouses built in the United States since the early 2000s has more than doubled. The largest expansions are in metro areas with the big populations that online sellers covet and the ample land that developers need, according to a new CBRE report. The real estate firm analyzed the […]

What the Health is Going on?

The U.S. healthcare system faces many challenges that efficient supply chain management can help heal.

Three Supply Chain Trends You Need to Know

The pace of supply chain and logistics transformation shows no signs of stopping in 2018, and changes in commerce, technology, demographics, and regulation will have huge implications for the sector. Three trends to keep top of mind are: 1. The electronic logging device (ELD) rollout in the United States, combined with previously introduced Hours of […]

Outsourcing Distribution: Good For What Ales You

Thirsty to sell regional craft beer on a global scale, Velour Imports partners with a 3PL and hops to it.

Digital Supply Chain: What’s Your Reality

What does the digital supply chain mean for your company? More integration, better visibility, a single version of the truth, a clearer view of the future—and maybe a few flying robots.

Welcome to the Neo-Panamax Era: Big Ships, Big Opportunities

The arrival of the cargo vessel T. Roosevelt at Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, in September 2017, marked the beginning of a new era for international commerce and trade. At 14,414 TEUs, four times longer than a football field, T. Roosevelt was the largest vessel to dock at an East Coast port after traversing the widened […]

Top 8 Logistics Challenges Facing the Industry – DDC FPO

These days you have more challenges than just trying to keep trucks full; you have your hands full of business process needs that can often feel like too much to handle. According to a third-party logistics study by Capgemini, "cutting transportation costs" makes the top of the list as far as concerns for the logistics […]

Lease Me a Loan: Transport Financing on the Upswing

Today more businesses rely on leases, loans, and equipment lines of credit to finance increased spending on new equipment. Businesses have increased their capital equipment spending for the seventh consecutive year, with overall new business volume growing by 2.5 percent, according to a recent Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) study. The equipment-financing sector outperformed […]

Accelerate Breakthrough by Helping Human Experts – Transportation Insight

While machine learning and predictive intelligence will shape this era, creative companies which value collaboration, human expertise and servant leadership can change the game.