
The Need for Speed in Automated Truck Policy – WSI
I recently read that in the 1970s, Congress held hearings and engaged in serious discussions about whether or not a personal computer could be trusted not to read the brainwaves of its users. This is a fine example of how those responsible for regulating technology tend to trip over what they don’t understand. That’s why […]

Building Visibility, Response, Resiliency
Chief supply chain officers (CSCO) are tasked with a range of challenging issues when it comes to managing a company’s product supply chain. To maximize productivity and efficiency, the CSCO should consider visibility, response, and resiliency the most important aspects of supply chain management. Digital transformation is underway in supply chain management and it is […]

How to Navigate the Driver Shortage
The industry’s driver shortage is no secret. About 100,000 seats need to be filled at a time when the pipeline for new drivers is getting thinner. But what’s the practical impact on shippers as this shortage gets worse? In short, it won’t be pretty. Tighter capacity will lead to fewer choices. Regulations mandating the use […]

End-to-end Visibility is Crucial to Shipper Network Optimization – Schneider
“Visibility.” It’s more than just the latest buzzword on everyone’s mind and tip of the tongue. But what does it mean and what is its value in your supply chain? As technology advances, the velocity of business increases, the proliferation of personal electronic devices continues, and people’s expectations of shippers grow. Today’s consumers already assume […]

Solved: TMS Offers Significant Savings – BluJay
BluJay’s SaaS transportation management solution helped Ace Hardware reduce freight spend and improve service.

The Customer Experience: The Last Mile Gets the Royal Treatment
In e-commerce, how you deliver is nearly as important as what you sell.

Supply Chain Super Bowl
America’s appetite for build-a-bowl restaurants is growing, but the concept serves up new supply chain challenges.

Career Solutions: Talent Search
Experience-based education programs seek out, woo, and train the next generation of supply chain talent.

Better Routing Takes Root
By switching from a manual to an automated routing and scheduling system, flowering plant seller Weatherford Farms puts the petals to the medal.

K Line, Agunsa Drive KAR
To leverage rising automotive import traffic in Latin America, particularly in Chile, multinational logistics agency Agunsa has partnered with Japanese shipping firm “K” Line to create a dedicated automotive logistics company. The new company, KAR Logistics, offers integrated transportation services as well as warehousing, customization, pre-delivery inspection, and spare parts services. Its target is automotive […]
Can Your Supply Chain Keep Up With Technology?
New technology has rapidly impacted our everyday lives. Consumer technology advances are having a profound impact on the art of supply chain management, requiring constant evolution and rethinking of the way products are marketed, sold, produced, and delivered. The Tesla Effect In the automotive industry, customers will soon expect to be able to configure their […]
Do Buy, Says Dubai
E-commerce is booming and everyone wants a piece of the pie, including Dubai . The country recently announced its first free trade zone dedicated to e-commerce in the MENA region: Dubai CommerCity, a multi-million-dollar, 2.1-million-square-foot complex that is a joint venture between Dafza and Wasl Asset Management Group. The project is designed to promote Dubai’s […]
Addressing Expedited Delivery Expectations
Amazon and other large retailers set customer expectations by offering expedited delivery at low or no cost. Retailers of all sizes must compete on the same turf, yet lack the negotiating power that could net meaningful discounts with commercial carriers. And private carriers often assess charges such as delivering to a residential address, penalties for […]
Leveraging Supply Chain Automation to Meet This Year’s Holiday Shopping Demands
Businesses face an increase in order volumes as shoppers stock up for the holidays. According to Deloitte’s annual retail holiday sales forecast, sales are expected to rise 4 to 4.5 percent from 2016. At the same time, online sales are predicted to reach $111 to $114 billion as more customers move away from brick-and-mortar shops […]

Assessing U.S. Shipments and Spend
A tighter truck market, increase in national shipments, and accelerated factory output are among the highlights of the Q3 2017 U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index, which measures quantitative changes in shipment and spend activity (see chart) based on data from transactions the company processes. Highlights include: An 8.3-percent jump in U.S. Bank’s national spend index, […]
Industrial Companies Map Data Gap
Eighty-four percent of industrial companies face a disconnect between data from connected devices and strategic decision making and operations, limiting the Internet of Thing’s (IoT) digital transformation potential, according to a research study conducted by IFS, a global enterprise applications company. Only 16 percent of survey respondents consume IoT data in enterprise resource planning (ERP) […]
A Resurgence in Trucking Investments Presents Opportunities for Shippers
Economic indicators and data reports suggest the economy is strengthening, which should continue to promote business confidence through the remainder of 2017. The second quarter 2017 U.S. GDP report indicated that expenditures grew by 3.3 percent, led by an 8.9-percent gain in durable goods spending. With increasing expenditures for durable and non-durable goods, manufacturers, retailers, […]

Young Professionals and Supply Chain: So Happy Together
The opportunity for interesting work, as well as development and advancement, top the list of requirements for young professionals, according to the 2018 CSCMP/Penske Young Professionals Survey of 300 supply chain professionals younger than 30. The average young professional responding to the survey has worked in the supply chain sector for about three years and […]

U.S.-Cuba Trade: Where Do Sanctions, Sourcing, and Compliance Meet?
Between the changing diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba, and expectations that the Trump administration will redraw U.S. policy toward Cuba, sanctions with the island nation are unclear. The country is still embargoed and for nearly all products, normalized trade has to overcome many hurdles. Shippers are watching Cuba closely, and analyzing market […]

6 Strategies for Finding the Right 3PL Partner
RFP season is upon us. It’s the time of year when shippers request bids and plan their optimal logistics strategy for 2018. Shippers are increasingly involving 3PLs in the request for proposal (RFP) process for access to tens of thousands of pre-qualified carriers, industry expertise, and advanced logistics technology that provides supply chain visibility and […]

Supply Chain Commentary: How to Reduce Supplier Inventory Costs
Managing supplier goods can be a complex process with multiple stakeholders. You have planning that drives forecast and production scheduling, and procurement that purchases materials based on forecasts. Operations oversees the flow of incoming goods and warehouse management receives inbound shipments. While the titles and roles may vary among organizations, the basic supplier workflow is […]
China Ups Delivery Service to the U.S.
Two leading express companies are joining forces to leverage their complementary networks, service portfolios, technologies, and logistics expertise. China’s Ministry of Commerce approved a planned joint venture between UPS and SF Holding, the parent company of SF Express. The agreement allows UPS and SF to collaborate on developing and providing international delivery services from, initially, […]
How AR Can Take the Sting Out of Seasonal Surge Training Costs
Every holiday season, warehouses expand their workforces two times or more to handle peak retail demand that can make or break the entire year. Time spent training and upskilling temporary employees is typically under two weeks for 90 days of work, while many warehousing organizations rehire a good portion of the same seasonal workforce year […]
More Temperature-Sensitive Medicines Moving by Ocean
Over the years, the ocean freight market has been fraught with capacity and wildly fluctuating rates. By 2016, the market underwent a series of consolidations including a bankruptcy of a major container carrier. In addition, rates fell to historic lows but began to recover towards the end of the year. Meanwhile, air freight rates remain […]
Debt: A Rising Risk in Your Supply Chain
Of all the sources of risk supply chain managers face on a daily basis—cargo theft, natural disasters, long lead times, and unpredictable demand—none is currently at an inflection point quite like debt. This topic was addressed in a recent webinar by two leading authorities on corporate financial health: Dr. Edward Altman, Professor of Finance, Emeritus, […]

New Pallet Program Better by Half
Fun food manufacturer Jel Sert finds pooled half-pallets provide full supply chain benefits.

Stop, Look, Listen
We all know the best way to approach an unguarded railroad crossing is to stop, look, and listen. That same advice applies when examing the economy, which will likely roar through 2018 at full speed. While it is tempting to climb aboard and enjoy the ride, that is the exact wrong approach from a supply […]

Transportation Trends: Turn up the Air
The airfreight market has been flying high, but headwinds persist.

The Amazon Effect: No Longer a Phantom Menace
Retailers strike back at the Amazon empire by providing e-commerce customers with same-day and faster delivery.

5 Ways to Improve Fulfillment Center Efficiency
To capitalize on the e-commerce boom, fulfillment centers—which are different from distribution centers in that they do not distribute inventory but fulfill customer demand in either B2B or B2C businesses—need to scale and react nimbly and agily. Fulfillment centers must also be as efficient as possible to maximize customer satisfaction. Fulfillment centers do not generate […]

Sometimes It’s Better Not to Be So Pushy
Supply chain processes fall into one of two categories: pull systems, where a company initiates execution in response to a customer order (reactive) and push systems, where execution is initiated in anticipation of customer orders (speculative). The boundary that separates push processes from pull processes is one measure of a supply chain’s “lean-ness”—the farther upstream […]

Using KPIs to Optimize Transportation Data
Data drives sound business decisions. The same principle applies to decisions surrounding transportation issues. Specifically for parcel, the best data source is carrier invoices, supplemented by the manifest (TMS) data where possible. Your carriers should make invoice data easily available, especially if you use a third-party vendor to review and pay your invoices. They should […]
GOOD QUESTION | What is the best business book you ever read and why?
One of the best quick-study books I have read is Winning Every Day by Lou Holtz. Catering to the sports enthusiast, the book reminds readers the fundamental element of business is that people are led, not managed, to success. Defining the differences and connection between talent, motivation, and attitude, Holtz lays out a game plan […]

H.O.W. | How to Manage Your Carrier Relationships After the ELD Mandate
As the mid-December deadline approaches for the implementation of the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate for most commercial truck drivers, shippers are, not surprisingly, worried about how it will affect their supply chain capacity. MORE TO THE STORY: 4 ways to manage capacity post-eld Under Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules, most trucks built after […]

H.O.W. | How to Transform the Supply Chain for Omnichannel Retailing
As retailers transform their market strategy to embrace new e-commerce and marketplace channels, their supply chain must be ready to pivot as well. Some brick-and-mortar merchants are adding online sales, direct and through partners, while some online retailers are investing in physical stores. Either way, e-commerce will continue to play a larger role in retailers’ […]

H.O.W. | How to Turn Data Into Supply Chain Action
To keep ahead of today’s complex, fast-moving supply chain, shippers need tools that enable them to make smart, data-driven decisions and be proactive, not just reactive. Fortunately, transportation management technology now provides organizations with greater visibility and control over their supply chain than ever before. MORE TO THE STORY: 4 questions to put big data […]

The New Era of Smart City Logistics – MHI
Let’s talk about your company’s futureproof strategy to meet the challenges and opportunities of Smart City Logistics head-on. Oh, wait. You don’t have one yet? You’re not alone. According to the fourth edition of MHI’s Annual Industry Report, “Next-Generation Supply Chains: Digital, On-Demand and Always-On” (available as a free download at www.MHI.org) a full 50% […]

Leadership: Fashion Leader
How does a retail supply chain resemble the infrastructure of a nuclear submarine? We don’t know, but Brent Beabout sure does. He spent 13 years as an active-duty U.S. naval officer, a career that culminated in the role of engineering officer on one of those powerful undersea vessels. Then he moved on to some major […]

Marianne McDonald: Stand and Deliver
Marianne McDonald is vice president, global transportation for Avnet, a $17.4-billion global technology distributor headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Responsibilities: Global transportation services, carrier selection, contracts supporting 40 warehouse locations (owned and 3PL), day-to-day global trade compliance operations, and import/export execution. Experience: Global transportation leader, Avnet; director of global logistics for Coca Cola, Toys “R” Us, […]

Making Strategic Carrier Decisions for Shippers With a New TMS – MD Logistics
To better serve customers, MD Logistics implemented a game-changing TMS.

A Single Point of Contact Offers A Dynamic Supply Chain Solution – SEKO
The Challenge TruGolf’s rapid growth drove them from being a niche within a niche to becoming a staple in the industry. As the leader in indoor golf simulator technology, TruGolf’s award-winning software recreates the artistry of the game by bringing an outdoor sport indoors. Offering a wide range of options, TruGolf’s simulation software, E6Golf, provides […]

Innovation in the Air Cargo Space – Rickenbacker
With an emphasis on speed and service, Rickenbacker International Airport helps shippers move freight with speed, care, and efficiency.

API Trumps EDI. Here’s Why. – Freightgate
Q: Why invest in an API solution? The transportation industry is changing and it’s changing fast. There are new players in the market like Uber Freight and they have a head start with their digitalization strategy. Offering a cheap and reliable service will not be enough when all of your competitors have moved forward. Many […]

Educating the Supply Chain – SMC³
Jump Start 2018 provides shippers, carriers, 3PLs, and other supply chain professionals with indispensable insights about trends and challenges in the wider logistics arena.

Supply Chain Commentary: What Shippers Need to Know About Market Tightness
After a two-year slide in transportation prices, the logistics sector is experiencing capacity constraints and historically high and enduring truckload volumes. As we head into peak shipping season, rates have been rising significantly, particularly in the wake of hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Shippers can expect this trend to continue into 2018. The market isn’t likely […]
Survey: Customers Place a High Priority on On-Time Holiday Shipping
27 percent of U.S. customers would rather get a root canal than have personal holiday shipments come late, according to a DHL holiday customer survey that reveals on-time shipments are a high priority. The survey helps to better understands customer trends and challenges this holiday season, and uncovered key business priorities for the holidays, and how they […]
Dos and Don’ts for Storing Temperature Sensitive Medicines
The UK Medicine and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) identified crucial mistakes in how wholesalers source and handle freezers and fridges used to store medicines. MHRA says the main metrics to measure when sourcing GDP qualified equipment are: The purpose – is it to store cold packs to be used in transit or to host frozen products? Temperature bracket required Capacity […]

Is Supply Chain Planning Right for the Cloud?
The explosive growth of data that today’s supply chain teams must manage creates challenges even for the most seasoned professionals. Manufacturers, retailers, and distributors need agile systems that help manage and simplify complexity. However, one of the biggest hurdles today’s organizations face is gaining executive approval to implement an advanced supply chain planning system. Is […]

Panama Canal Expansion Hits the Big Time
Two Great Pyramids of Giza, four Big Bens, eight Statues of Liberty. Lay them end to end, and you’ve got the equivalent length of the CMA CGM Theodore Roosevelt, the largest capacity vessel to ever transit the Panama Canal’s expanded locks. At 1,228 feet long, the Neopanamax containership has a total capacity of 14,414 TEUs. […]
Facts About Friction
The average U.S. business loses $171,340 per year through clunky payment practices causing friction in their supply chain, according to new research by Tungsten Network. This equates to almost 6,500 man hours spent chasing purchase order numbers, processing paper invoices, and responding to supplier inquiries. Businesses estimate they spend an average of 55 hours per […]
Supply Chain Commentary: Out Darn Spot! Out, I Say!
The comic Steven Wright once joked, “I spilled spot remover all over my dog. Now he’s gone.” For shippers who regularly leverage the spot market, it’s been a buyer’s market the past few years. One shipper I’ve worked with saved more than 9 percent on freight spend simply by moving away from only using brokers […]

Urban Logistics: You Can’t Fight City Haul
The impact of urbanization—population increases in cities and towns as opposed to rural areas—on business growth and sustainability concerns nearly all companies surveyed in The Road to Sustainable Urban Logistics, a new report by UPS and GreenBiz Group. However, only 47 percent feel prepared to address the associated business challenges, according to the survey. Further, […]
Why the Rise of the 4PL Is Good News for Your Business
On-demand delivery, trade uncertainties, siloed information…for today’s supply chain managers, the list of concerns is long. Current industry and geopolitical trends are complicating matters further. Companies are juggling more products and suppliers, leaving supply chains increasingly vulnerable to disruption. In the grocery industry alone, the average number of SKUs skyrocketed from 9,000 in the 1970s […]

Manufacturers Take to Technology, Automation
Driven by globalization, intensifying competition, and rising customer demand for more options and higher quality products, a connected plant floor has become a necessity. As a result, manufacturers are adopting the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to enhance visibility and improve quality, with the number of organizations achieving a fully connected factory expected to rise […]

Staffing Your Warehouse: Addressing Hidden Risks
The warehousing sector and staffing industry depend on each other. In fact, they are so closely tied that the Department of Labor often considers warehouses and staffing companies “joint employers.” The rules for being a joint employer significantly increase the risks and exposures otherwise thought to be transferred to the staffing agency. Payroll Taxes Did […]
Water Works
Unmanned surface and underwater vessels will dominate maritime activity in the United Kingdom and across Europe over the next decade, according to a new report on the future of autonomous maritime systems. Networks of autonomous surface and underwater vessels are set to radically change the nature of maritime operations, according to the follow-up to Global […]
New IoT Tools Enable Greater Visibility Into Complex Supply Chains
Shipping high-value goods is risky business. Supply chains are complex, and getting more complex by the day. More complexity means more surprises, and most supply chain managers don’t like surprises. Every year, pharmaceutical companies spend $30 billion replacing shipments that have been damaged due to temperature excursions. Cargo loss in other industries accounts for an […]
U.S.-Cuba Trade: The Intersection of Sanctions, Sourcing, and Compliance
With the changing diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba, and expectations for the new administration to redraw U.S. policy toward Cuba, many involved in international trade are unclear of the sanctions status of trade with the island nation. The country is still embargoed and, at a practical level, for most all products, normalized […]
Cold Cuts: Refrigerated Transport’s Global Forecast
Globalization and technological advancements in refrigerated transportation systems and equipment are driving increased demand for temperature-controlled food across the globe. As a result, the refrigerated transport market is projected to reach 3.25 billion tons by 2022, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.5 percent from 2017 to 2022, according to the latest study […]

Six Surefire Ways to Build a Logistics Workforce
Indiana ranks second in the United States for manufacturing and logistics employment growth and first in the percentage of Hoosiers employed in these industry sectors. Couple those statistics with Indiana’s “Crossroads of America” logistics reputation and there is a compelling reason to develop a skilled workforce for continued growth. Building tomorrow’s workforce is a team […]
Reaching a Point of No Returns
Online shoppers can no longer take free returns for granted. The number of UK and European retailers offering customers free returns in at least one international market dropped from 55 percent in the first quarter of 2017 to just 28 percent in the latest benchmark report from research firm ReBOUND. Most brands are still not […]

Supply Chain Commentary: Why Manufacturers Should Adopt an Ecosystem Strategy
Customers have always expected suppliers to quickly respond to their needs, but now they’re more demanding than ever. As the needs of buyers become more unpredictable and complex, and as they begin to demand more frequent product launches and extreme personalization, manufacturers are struggling to keep up, let alone profitably. One of the core challenges […]
How Supply Chain Managers Can Use
Artificial Intelligence to Their Advantage
Artificial intelligence (AI) now touches almost every industry and walk of life. Driverless cars are chauffeuring themselves through Pittsburgh’s roads, robots dominate the activity within Amazon’s warehouses, and increasingly sophisticated algorithms for demand planning and design have gone digital. Personalization and machine learning continue to improve customers’ experiences and open countless doors for the tech […]

Masters of the Future
I have a secret: I can see the future. Anyone who reads business media can tell you that many professionals in my generation fear for the future of the workforce. Doomsayers claim that all millennials are lazy, and Generation Z is needy and co-dependent on Google and their devices. I’m lucky, however. I get an […]
GOOD QUESTION | What is the best piece of leadership advice you ever received?
Treat ’em like family. Sean Ford Operations Manager Home Depot Stay humble and lead by example. Never ask members of your team to perform any task that you would not perform yourself, and remember that your plans, actions, and decisions have a direct effect on the team members that you depend on. Tom Poduch Director […]
Reducing Packaging Costs
While most businesses are ramping up for peak season, some parcel carriers sent their own early greetings with holiday surcharges. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean your company has to raise prices or take a financial hit. Try these packaging moves to help offset higher parcel costs farther up the supply chain, says Rajiv Saxena, supply chain […]

Finding the Right Strategy for Each Situation
Denis Reilly’s father worked in distribution for 38 years. So when Reilly started college at the University of Tennessee, it was no surprise that he was drawn toward that school’s renowned logistics program. “It was a natural fit,” he says. “Even some of my summer jobs were in logistics, with Union Carbide.” MORE TO THE […]

Tim O’Brien: Exuding Star Power
Tim O’Brien is senior director, supply chain, with Purchasing Power, a specialty e-commerce retailer that provides goods and services to customers who make payments through payroll deductions. He has held this position since October 2012. Responsibilities: Transportation and logistics, including carrier and 3PL relationships, vendor compliance, and onboarding. Experience: Director, e-commerce shipping strategies and vendor […]

The Last Mile—History Repeating As Supply Managers Face Peak Season – Crane Worldwide Logistics
Nothing new is ever really created, just updated to meet the current environment or situation. When looking beyond the "hype" of all the new, innovative services and suppliers in the logistics space, we find that delivery service capability has already been efficiently and successfully implemented in the past. We only need to look back to […]

Hazmat 101: Exceeding Safety and Compliance Standards – Landstar
Hazmat transportation’s multifaceted nature makes logistics particularly complicated, especially when companies don’t realize that they’re transporting such goods. Even though a manufacturer may be an expert at producing goods, it may not be as well-versed in the intricacies of transporting those materials, including unknowingly offering carriers non-compliant hazmat shipments. Compliance is a team effort, and […]

Florida Seaports Weather the Storm and Thrive through Meticulous Emergency Response Preparedness – Florida Ports Council
Hurricane Irma tested the emergency response preparedness at every seaport in Florida. This unique hurricane covered the entire state and closed every major fuel and cargo operation at our seaports over several days, and provided us with some keen insights concerning local and state continuity of operations and resumption of business plans. Many lessons were […]

Collaborative Supplier Management: The Key to Beating Holiday Fever
The holiday season—and accompanying spike in product demand—is no longer confined to the end of the year. With holiday celebrations in at least eight months each year—from Valentine’s Day to Easter and the Fourth of July—and nearly every product category from candy to clothing and home furnishings affected, retailers need to fine-tune their e-commerce strategy […]

Purchasing a Cloud-Based WMS? Get Grounded
Warehouse management systems (WMS) run the gamut from sophisticated and flexible standalone options to supply chain execution suites to enterprise resource planning tool extensions. As with many data-driven functions, cloud-based solutions have grown in prominence and mindshare. One of the biggest misconceptions, however, is that adopting a cloud solution naturally drives cost savings. But hidden […]

Reliable Rail Service Hinges on Reform
Freight rail is a vital link in the logistics professional’s arsenal, connecting businesses with downstream users and consumers. America’s railway system has a long and storied history, playing a pivotal role in the growth of our nation. Until recently, 26 railroads were in operation. Today, there are only seven rail providers, with just four controlling […]

Smooth Sailings – Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics
As reducing damages reduces cost, so too does reducing time.

Solved: Creating an Omnichannel Approach for a Sporting Goods Maker – Crane Worldwide Logistics
The Challenge The client is a leading global designer, manufacturer, and marketer of consumer products in the global outdoor and sporting goods market with distribution through wholesale and e-commerce retail chains. The client faced: Dependence on a primary wholesale business model for the majority of its revenue. Increasing global demand for its products (9.8% CAGR […]

Intermodal Benefits Come Into Focus
Intermodal is looking sharp to a growing number of shippers, thanks to tightening truck capacity, new service options, and infrastructure improvements.

Forming an Alliance with Ocean Shipping
After the 2016 Hanjin Shipping bankruptcy, carriers banded together to form alliances. Today, these alliances dominate ocean cargo shipping. Here’s how they affect your shipments and contracts.

Visibility Fills the – Amber Road
Q: Is supply chain visibility really a problem in today’s high-tech, connected world? A: In today’s technologically advanced world, a lack of data is not the problem. We are currently inundated with information from various sources. Rather, we need tools that consolidate this information, normalize it, and predictively notify users of potential risks. This enables […]

Shippers Seek 3PL Efficiencies Amidst Capacity Constraints – DLS Worldwide
Q: What efficiencies that you offer as a 3PL are in the highest demand this year where we’ve seen tremendous capacity constraints? A: From a high level perspective, we always take a collaborative approach on which core competencies we can offer and streamline for our clients. We work with a very diverse group of customers/shippers, […]

Cargo Security: The Art of the Steal
Keeping your cargo safe from theft is a bigger challenge than you might think. Follow these steps to reduce the risks that make your company a target.
E-commerce Retailers Target Germany
Germany is the most important European future market for U.S. brands expanding their e-commerce business (see chart), according to Internationalizing Your Brand in 2017, a study of e-commerce retail decision makers commissioned by Arvato and conducted by the Worldwide Business Research Digital agency. Companies that focus consistently on omnichannel and offering convenient, flexible, and reliable […]
Food Transportation: Missing Ingredients to FSMA Compliance
Sanitary transportation compliance is currently mandatory for many and will be required for all shippers, loaders, carriers, and receivers in April 2018. While the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) of 2011 set the guidelines and rulemaking for the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food (STHAF) in process, there are still gaps in compliance. […]
Fashion Supply Chain: What to Where
While most fashion and apparel executives are optimistic about the 5-year outlook for the industry, the percentage fell from 92.3 percent in 2016 to 71 percent in 2017, a record low for the United States Fashion Industry Association’s annual Fashion Industry Benchmarking Study, which surveyed executives from leading fashion and apparel brands, retailers, importers, and […]
NAFTA: Should We Stay or Should We Go?
Many Americans see the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as a contributing factor to the growth of the U.S. economy over the past 20 years and to the proliferation of high-skilled jobs, and believe the focus of the NAFTA negotiations should be modernizing the agreement, not withdrawing from it. Though it is often portrayed […]

Engaging Customers Through AI
Retailers will rely heavily on technologies such as live chat, Facebook Messenger, and Amazon Alexa for customer service, according to a new research study from Linc and Brand Garage. How AI Technology Will Transform Customer Engagement highlights the overwhelming emphasis retail executives are placing on automated platforms to improve customer communication, with 87 percent of […]

Best Practices for the Gift of Successful Holiday Sales
For some retailers, holiday sales can represent up to 27.4 percent of annual sales, and in 2017, overall retail holiday sales are expected to increase from 2016. Debra Glassburn, Partner, Columbus Consulting, offers these tips to help retailers make the most of the 2017 holiday season and leverage every sales opportunity. Understand historical trends. Having […]

Consumer Behavior: The Missing Link
In today’s highly competitive, omni-channel market, companies are realizing the path to success hinges on their ability to understand consumer behavior. Retailers and manufacturers can unlock significant competitive advantage by leveraging consumer insights to make category decisions and create localized merchandising assortments. Most companies lack the ability to mine and leverage important customer data, and […]
FedEx and UPS Set Aside Rivalry to Lobby White House on Infrastructure
An amusing meme that occasionally makes the rounds on social media shows a FedEx truck parked nose-to-nose with a UPS truck, with the caption "it’s about to go down." For the moment, however, the two major rivals have set aside their differences in the interest of the greater good. David Abney, CEO of UPS and […]

IBM: Working on the Blockchain Gang
Security. Transparency. Efficiency. These buzzwords have circled the supply chain for years as consumers demand more responsible supply chains, forcing shippers and providers to explore new ways to make these terms reality. Alongside these buzzwords, another word surfaces as a potential solution to many major concerns: blockchain. IBM aims to make this solution tangible for […]

The Calm After the Storms
Among the lasting effects of catastrophic natural disasters such as Hurricanes Harvey and Irma is a positive one: Knowledge. It’s an understanding of what companies need to do in the wake of a disaster, which efforts worked and which failed, and how to be better prepared. How Walmart, FedEx, and other big companies have adapted […]
4PLs Will Benefit Most from Supply Chain Digitalization
Will digitalization reshuffle the deck in the marketplace of logistics services? Yes, say the IT experts at cloud-based supply chain management solutions provider AXIT, a Siemens company. A new paper published by the firm highlights how the digital transformation is affecting the industry. The authors believe that the fourth-party logistics (4PL) provider model will be […]
Supply Chain Shout Out: Forklift Power
Powered industrial trucks, or forklifts, are an indispensible part of doing business for logistics operations. They are used to move and lift materials and offer load capacities from a few thousand pounds up to 180,000 pounds. They also come in all shapes and sizes, depending on the application: lift trucks, tow tractors, rough terrain vehicles, […]

E-Commerce Commentary: Three Ways Shippers Can Improve Customer Satisfaction
The Amazon Effect continues to weigh heavily (pun intended) upon the supply chain. Consumers expect to receive packages at their homes within a few days—or within a day—of placing an order, and the demand for lightning-quick fulfillment coupled with the myriad of small-order additions has led to a complex operating environment for supply chain leaders. […]

Supply Chain Commentary: The Future of Blockchain in Ocean Shipping
The potential for blockchain goes hand in hand with digitization. Blockchain will require digitization and can also help drive it with the goal of minimizing the manual processes that many shipping industry participants still use today. Blockchain’s added value to digitization is authentication, non-repudiation, immutability of data, improved business process support through smart contracts, and […]
Third-Party Refurbishers Help Get
First-Quality Goods to Market
Ideally, every step of your supply chain runs like clockwork, without interruption. You want to keep operations, transportation, and distribution ticking along precisely. A significant interruption can deliver a serious blow to the timeline—and the bottom line. But life happens… An overseas shipment of suits gets soaked with saltwater, plunging the distribution center into a […]