Ports Too Busy to Worry About Trade Tensions

Despite trade tensions, port business in the United States and Asia is booming, reports the latest Global Kuehne + Nagel Indicators (gKNi). U.S. ports are experiencing increased container volumes, with heavy traffic in Los Angeles, Long Beach, and New York/New Jersey, according to real-time data collected by LogIndex, part of the Kuehne + Nagel Group. […]

The Bionic Warehouse Worker

IoT, Robotics, Machine Learning to Transform the Supply Chain

Transport and logistics businesses are investing in Internet of Things (IoT)-based smart technologies to help them take advantage of the wealth of opportunities the Fourth Industrial Revolution offers. The sector is prioritizing IoT, machine learning, and robotics to increase efficiencies across the supply chain, according to research data collected by Inmarsat, a provider of global […]

The Logistics Long(er) Run

The current expansion phase for U.S. industrial and logistics real estate appears poised to surpass the typical lifespan of an economic cycle due to demand from e-commerce companies, according to a new report from CBRE. U.S. economic cycles tend to run for seven to eight years. Yet the current expansionary cycle, which started in 2009, […]

People and Culture First, Strategy Second

Some years ago, Dan Curtis took a crash course in logistics operations. It started in 2002, when he joined Greatwide Logistics Services as vice president of finance. MORE TO THE STORY: Balancing Act “We were a very acquisitive company,” he explains. “I immediately began working on the mergers and acquisitions transactions we were pursuing.” In […]

News & Trends Impacting the CPG Supply Chain

What’s The Difference? CPG, or consumer packaged goods: merchandise that customers frequently use up and replace. Examples include food and beverages, cosmetics, and cleaning products. DG, or durable goods: merchandise that is not consumed or destroyed in use and is generally not replaced until the merchandise experiences a problem. Examples include cars, appliances, and furniture. […]

Put Me In, Coach! Next-Gen Leaders are Ready to Play

As next-gen supply chain professionals set their career goals, mentoring by seasoned professionals can help them up their game.

If you could speed the development of a supply chain-disrupting technology, what would it be and why?

Heavyweight drones that move ocean containers from a port to a distribution center within 50 miles are well into development. Once integrated into air traffic control systems, this technology becomes a game changer for road congestion and cost containment.

Chemical Logistics: The Price of Success

These are good times for chemical manufacturing in the United States. But an active market creates special challenges for companies that need to transport chemical products.

American Airlines Says Hola to Cuba Cargo Service

American Airlines becomes the first U.S. passenger carrier to begin cargo service to Cuba. The airline now offers mail service, including correspondence, parcels, and express mail, into and out of José Martí International Airport (HAV) in Havana, Cuba’s capital city and leading commercial center. Havana is American Airlines’ principal destination from the United States, with […]

Clarifying The Business Case For Green Supply Chain Management

For most companies, sustainability is not a simple case of “profits vs. planet” but a more subtle issue of people looking for jobs and inexpensive goods versus others who seek a pristine environment. Here’s how your supply chain can satisfy these conflicting motivations to achieve both economic growth and environmental sustainability.

GDPR: Privacy, Yes. Innovation, No

If you spend too much time clearing privacy protection notices from your email box, thank the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). But what exactly is this regulation and how might it impact future supply chain technological innovation? GDPR is a new rule with the goal of protecting European Union residents’ personal data and adding privacy […]

Partnering for Operational Efficiency and Cost Savings – Transplace

Transplace helped a frozen pizza business expand its transportation network to increase operational efficiency and maximize financial savings.

Load and Expedite – Crane Worldwide Logistics

If you have spent any time in manufacturing logistics you can appreciate the classic problem of, ‘Load and Expedite.’ At Crane Worldwide Logistics®, we see the same thing all over the world with clients in nearly every industry. By not having adequate logistics visibility, setting proper tolerance levels and accurate production forecasting, companies are being […]

New Services and Solutions

These are the latest supply chain solutions and services you should know about.

Last-Mile Technology Needs a Radical Rethink

We need to stop viewing last-mile logistics as solely a delivery challenge. The broader challenge is ensuring processes and their supporting technologies work together to allow supply chains to meet the market’s insatiable appetite for faster, more precise deliveries. Supply chain management technology is boldly exploring sophisticated new developments such as driverless vehicles and the […]

4 Ways to Tell If Your Alcohol Carrier Knows the Hard Stuff

Transporting alcohol is a time- and temperature- sensitive move that requires superior logistics. Selecting a carrier that can meet the stringent requirements and provide value to a shipper’s business is crucial. To demonstrate they would be a good fit for your business, consider alcohol carriers that: Know the law. Every state has its own process […]

Combat Cargo: The Challenges of Military Logistics

Think you’re a project cargo master? If you really want to be all you can be, try moving difficult cargo into an area with terrible infrastructure and hostile combatants, something military logisticians do every day.

Choosing a TMS: What’s Your Endgame?

With so many choices available, shippers must truly understand what they want a Transportation Management System to accomplish in order to make the right selection.

Logistics Hot Spots: What it Takes to Make the List

With a combination of compelling traits, some places are particularly well suited to supply chain operations. Here are 8 characteristics that define a logistics hot spot.

Full-Service Fulfillment Solution Helps E-commerce Company Deliver – Saddle Creek

Saddle Creek helped allheart get orders out quickly, control costs, and keep up with demand spikes.

St. Louis: World-Class Multimodal Freight Network

Thanks to its strong global and fast-growing market, the St. Louis region is a leader in freight, setting records and gaining national and global significance.

Can You Handle the IoT Big Data Onslaught?

Supply chain managers (SCMs) recognize the potential benefits of big data platforms, leveraged and fed by the Internet of Things (IoT). Yet, the combination of IoT and real-time data collection creates an overwhelming data flow, threatening to drown organizations unprepared for the influx of that data. Companies need to understand their analytical goals and underlying […]

Pallets: Backbone of the Warehouse

Wood or plastic? Lease or purchase? Whatever your operations need, there’s a pallet provider ready to supply it.

Demanding Service

It is exactly the wrong time to abandon a demand-driven approach to the supply chain.

Subscription Retailing and Order Fulfillment – Hollingsworth

Q: Why are major retailers going all-in on subscription services? A: Subscription boxes such as Birchbox, Stitch Fix, Blue Apron, and the Dollar Shave Club have become popular new avenues of retail in recent years, and now major retailers are jumping in on the trend. Apparel brands like Old Navy, Gap, and Nordstrom have launched […]

Move Beyond Traditional Label Maker TMS or Surrender to Amazon’s Profit Squeeze – SwanLeap

The challenge: Amazon has synchronized and integrated their supply chain to deliver products to customers when they want, how they want, and at the pricing they prefer. By controlling their own inbound and outbound deliveries (air, land and sea) and connecting all of the pieces in the digital supply chain together, the e-commerce giant is […]

The Power of Supply Chain Visibility – Kuebix

Most companies today are struggling to achieve visibility and control over their supply chains to effectively manage their cost of goods and consistently meet customer expectations. However, there is a way to leverage technology to provide a platform where suppliers, carriers, and their customers are not only sharing information but also dynamically planning and executing […]

Cookware Company Stirs Up a Sizzling Supply Chain

When sales of cast-iron cookware heat up, a well-known brand prepares a solution to expand manufacturing capacity and warehouse space.

Reverse Logistics Discussion Highlights Upcoming Conference – SMC³

As a consumer, I realize the incredible value online retail sales brings to my family. The ability to order everything—from clothing to food—with one simple click and experience lightning-fast delivery to nearly anywhere in the country is incredibly beneficial. But as the head of a supply chain technology company, I know the online retail supply […]

Transwide is Ready for a New Digitalization Era in Logistics – Transwide

Carriers, shippers, and logistics service providers are facing new challenges today. Customers are asking for increased visibility and feedback in real-time. With digitalization, all players in the supply chain will require instant and efficient response time to their questions or concerns. Fabrice Maquignon, managing director at Transwide within Alpega, assesses these changes and the resulting […]

Reinventing Your Warehouse or DC

Warehouse improvements in layout and organization, docking, picking and receiving, fulfillment, and packaging can boost your bottom line and improve customer satisfaction.

We Must Be ‘Smart’ About the Future of Infrastructure – WSI

America’s transportation infrastructure is in a pretty dire state. The American Society of Engineers’ (ASCE) last report card gave it an average grade of D+. If the United States were a high school, our parents would be meeting with the principal and we’d probably be concerned about whether we were going to graduate. Few issues […]

Now Is the Time to Take Action to Combat Carrier Capacity Issues – Transporeon Group

Q: What are carriers saying about the capacity situation right now? A: The strong economy, increased manufacturing output, driver shortage and other industry developments have all combined to put the highest demands on capacity in years. Capacity utilization rates are at 95% and higher, in both the spot and contract markets. Higher demand points seem […]

Don’t Let Your Office Go to Waste

When analyzing your supply chain for efficiency improvements, it can be easy to ignore administrative activities. But office activities can constitute approximately 50 percent of the order-to-shipment lead time, and about 60 to 80 percent of all cost pertaining to meeting your customers’ needs. Many companies treat office activities in the supply chain and elsewhere […]

2018 State of the Third-Party Logistics Industry Report – 3PL Central

Over the past decade, there has been an extraordinary amount of change within the logistics industry. And with this change has come new requirements, new competition, new technologies, and more. At 3PL Central, we have watched as our customers have navigated this ever-evolving world of logistics. We compiled these observations—along with our own experiences—in our […]

Truck Driver Shortage Solution: Recruit Generation Z

Truck driver retention and recruitment consistently top the list of concerns for the transportation sector. The industry will need to hire roughly 900,000 new drivers to keep up with demand throughout the next decade, according to the American Trucking Associations. As millennials become more seasoned professionals and more immersed in their current industries, leaders at […]

Technology Solution Offers Increased Savings – SwanLeap

SwanLeap’s Artificial Intelligence helped an HVAC supplier increase efficiency and annual savings.

Sunset’s Rising Star

When Lindsey Graves joined Sunset Transportation in 2006, the founder and CEO—who happens to be her father—asked her to learn the business by spending some time in every possible role. As the years progressed, that didn’t mean dealing just with the company’s freight operations. MORE TO THE STORY: No Glass Ceiling Here “I was always […]

Addressing Freight Market Challenges Through Data and Routing Guides – Transplace

Q: What is the current state of the freight market? A: In addition to the typical seasonal swings, there are a number of external economic factors that have impacted the market. For example, in Q1 of 2018, retail sales growth slowed, but the rise of e-commerce and omni-channel fulfillment has also dramatically impacted the supply […]

Lower Cost Through Supply Chain Efficiency – Unyson

Unyson’s recommendations on ordering discipline improve efficiency at a lower cost.

Mobile Powered Workstations Increase Receiving Velocity by 40% – Newcastle Systems

Direct Relief turns to Newcastle Systems to speed the handling of crucial medicines to people in dire need.

Overcoming Supply Chain Challenges With TMS Technology – Transplace

Shippers need tools that enable them to make strategic, data driven decisions.

Last Mile Solution: Dispense With It

IATA Automates Dangerous Goods Compliance Checks

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched an innovative new solution that will enhance safety and improve efficiency in the transport of dangerous goods by air and support the industry’s goal of a fully digitized supply chain. Dangerous Goods DG AutoCheck is a digital solution that allows the air cargo supply chain to check […]

Switching On The Smart Grid

A radical new charging technology that overcomes the challenge of simultaneously recharging an entire fleet of electric vehicles (EVs) without the need for an expensive upgrade to the power supply grid has been deployed in London by a UPS-led consortium. The breakthrough signals the beginning of the end of a reliance on traditional combustion engine […]

XPO Logistics Taps Mobile Technology in Europe

XPO Logistics, a global provider of transportation and logistics solutions, will expand its Drive XPO mobile technology to Europe in spring 2018, following a successful launch in North America. The app, designed for carriers, supports real-time visibility across transportation modes, and integrates carrier operations with daily productivity tools in one technology. The company’s proprietary Freight […]

Vertical Focus: The Agriculture Supply Chain

FARM AID The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will make disaster payments of up to $2.36 billion, as provided by Congress, to help America’s farmers and ranchers recover from hurricanes and wildfires. The funds are available as part of the new 2017 Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program. The USDA’s Farm Service Agency will make these […]

Joel Kamp: Never Out of Gas

Joel Kamp is head of the bulk scheduling center, Americas region, with The Linde Group, a leading gases and engineering company operating in more than 100 countries. He oversees the transportation and delivery of liquefied gases such as oxygen and nitrogen to plants and depots in this region. Responsibilities: Directs the bulk scheduling center for […]

Turn Up the Volume on Omnichannel Fulfillment

Customers are changing the way manufacturers, transportation and logistics firms, and retailers operate, finds the Future of Fulfillment Vision Study conducted by Zebra Technologies with research partner Qualtrics. Among the study’s key findings are these three factors to consider when preparing your company for omnichannel fulfillment: Omnichannel is difficult to attain. If you feel like […]

Reshoring + FDI = U.S. Jobs

Combined reshoring and related foreign direct investment (FDI) added more than 171,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs in 2017, up 2,800 percent from 2010, according to the Reshoring Initiative’s 2017 Reshoring Report. The total number of manufacturing jobs brought to the United States from offshore is more than 576,000 since 2010. The reshoring and FDI jobs equal […]

In Brief: New Services & Solutions

Services Supply chain solutions provider Bolloré Logistics USA opened a FTZ facility in Miami. The 200,000-square-foot site consolidates freight forwarding and contract logistics activities previously housed at two different locations, improving cargo turnaround time for shippers with time-critical logistics requirements. DHL relocated its Ontario, California, service center to a larger, $7-million facility to accommodate increased […]

Inventory in the Clouds

Lufthansa Expands Access to Capacity, Rates

Speed and reliability play a major role in transportation even when cargo is not in transit. For instance, during the booking request, sometimes every second counts. To address this need, Lufthansa Cargo now offers shippers two new programming apps: GetCapacity and GetRates, which provide direct access to capacity and rate data. Companies can use the […]

Rolling on the River

To establish and grow an alliance designed to generate new business by promoting international and inland trade routes at strategic locations along the Mississippi River is the intent of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recently signed by The St. Louis Regional Freightway, Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District located in the State of Louisiana, and […]

Leave IT to Your 3PL

Still struggling to get your logistics technology up to speed? You’re not alone. See why companies are increasingly outsourcing IT to their third-party logistics providers.

Put the Factory to Work: Vendor Shipment Booking – Amber Road

Q: What are the biggest issues facing supply chain executives in 2018? A: When we said 2017 was one of the most disruptive years for global supply chains in recent years, thanks to natural disasters, geopolitical conflicts, and regulatory upheaval, we couldn’t have foreseen the twists and turns that would take shape in 2018. The […]

U.S. Imports: It’s a Steel

While the Trump administration introduced tariffs of 25 percent on the import of steel and 10 percent on aluminum, many of the United States’ most important steel trading partners were granted exemptions, at least temporarily. These exemptions apply to the selected major steel exporters shown in the chart below, including the European Union, Brazil, Canada, […]

A Cool Supply Chain Solution

A 3PL’s cold call leads to a cool technology solution that streamlines processes and minimizes service disruptions

Find the Data You’ve Been Looking For – RateLinx

Q: Why do companies struggle to get good data? A: It’s no secret that data is the foundation for a world-class logistics strategy. It’s also no secret how to find the right data, yet many companies struggle to find the data they’ve been looking for. Companies have a lot of data, but not the data […]

Georgia Ports: Crane and Able

The first of Georgia Ports Authority’s (GPA) four new Neo-Panamax cranes have come online, bringing its operating fleet to 27. The super-sized crane is tall enough to lift containers 152 feet above the dock. Konecranes of Finland designed these massive cranes, which can work the largest ships now calling the U.S. East Coast, reaching across […]

Robots in the Supply Chain: The Perfect Employee?

Robotics systems help distribution facilities gain speed, increase accuracy, cut costs, and handle the grunt work so employees can focus on more productive tasks. And no resume or job interview required.