Kathy Zepaltas: Doing Fine, Moving Wine
NAME: Kathy Zepaltas TITLE: Director of logistics, since 2001 COMPANY: Jackson Family Wines, Santa Rosa, Calif. PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: Inventory control coordinator, Apperson Business Forms; accounting assistant, BIW Connector Systems; recruiting specialist, S.L. Drown Associates Professional Placements; operations manager, Regal Wine Company; director of distribution, Jackson Family Wines EDUCATION: BA, business management, Sonoma State University of […]
Trends—February 2010
The Little Railroad That Did Small railroad communities used to be widespread across the United States. Rural transportation and commerce were railroad-tied, each dependent on the other. In western New York towns such as Livonia, the past was very much aligned with the tracks. So is its future, thanks to a little foresight and determination. […]
Today’s Warehouse Plays a New Role
Warehouses are no longer just for storage. In today’s cost-conscious, efficiency-driven environment, many manufacturers are reevaluating their definition of warehousing. Anything that doesn’t lend itself to a high-speed, highly mechanized, low-labor environment is being sent to the warehouse. Driving this evolution is a desire to take links out of the supply chain and make sure […]
Using Social Networking for Logistics
Many companies are tapping into the power of Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and other sites to promote their products and services, talk directly to customers, and educate the industry. If you are ready to delve into the world of Web 2.0, consider these tips, compiled with help from social networking guru Tim Richards, operations manager at […]
SIN Centers: An Investment in Ideas
Today’s entrepreneurs are developing new ideas, patents, systems, and technologies that could have a profound and sustainable impact on our ability to promote the next generation of green supply chains. For many of them, however, progress is slowed or halted by a lack of reliable funding and effective economic development programs. Every day, more foreign […]
Warehouse Metrics: Measure What Matters
Today’s warehouse managers often accrue massive amounts of performance data, but sometimes find they can apply little of it toward making productivity gains or customer service improvements. Instead of becoming overwhelmed with data, managers should identify and focus on the most useful metrics to gather, report, and apply. Tools or modules often found in warehouse […]
Using Distribution and Fulfillment as Strategic Weapons
Distribution center (DC) assets in the supply chain are often relegated to cost center, necessary evil, or even non-value-added status. But focusing only on costs overlooks distribution and fulfillment’s value to the corporation. In Web retailing, for example, price comparison shopping has neutralized cost advantages to the point where consumers make online buying decisions based […]
Healthcare Logistics: A New Prescription for Medical Distribution
Linking bar-coded pharmaceuticals and electronic patient records using Zebra Technologies solutions helps the Sisters of Mercy Health System streamline supply chain operations.
Brought!
In tough times, logistics managers react to demand and respond to adversity. Every day, your customers and CEOs raise new questions and challenges, which you meet through creativity, innovation, and a "bring-it" attitude. A logistician’s resilience is valuable when opportunities are ripe, but it’s invaluable when problems persist. This indomitable bring-it attitude was pushed to […]
Bring It!
Last weekend, I went through a stack of newspaper clippings of economic and industry news from the past year, and made two piles: good news and bad news. Guess which pile was larger? In an ostrich moment, I went to the shredder and irrationally fed the bad news in, sheet by sheet. As I fed […]
Learning by Example
Acquiring a warehouse and implementing a warehouse management system from Cambar Solutions helped The School Box earn top grades for its distribution operation.
On the Road | Introduction: Off the Beaten Path
Cluttering pages with supply chain strategies, logistics lexicon, elusive acronyms, and, periodically, run-on sentences, is habit forming. But it comes with my job. So does reverie. In between pulling and parsing source information, then writing, the mind wanders. There’s no shortage of distractions. Press releases, phone conversations, e-mails, RSS feeds, and Google have a way […]
On the Road | Belen, New Mexico: The Land of Enchantment and 10,000-foot Trains
BNSF Railway’s Belen, N.M., rail yard serves as a regional maintenance and fueling facility for trains up to 10,000 feet long. Inbound Logistics Senior Writer Joseph O’Reilly offers a behind-the-scenes look.
On the Road | Elizabeth, New Jersey: On the Waterfront
Inbound Logistics Senior Writer Joseph O’Reilly visits New Jersey’s Port Elizabeth, one of the East Coast’s busiest ports.
On the Road | Piedmont Triad, North Carolina: Visions of an Aerotropolis
Inbound Logistics Senior Writer Joseph O’Reilly tours North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad, home to a new FedEx hub and growing Aerotropolis.
On the Road | Nashua, New Hampshire: The King of Beer Distribution
Inbound Logistics Senior Writer Joseph O’Reilly visits Bellavance Beverage Company, a Nashua, N.H. beer distributor.
On the Road | Morris, Illinois: Plastics, Pellets, and Pallets
A&R Logistics’ Morris, Ill., dry bulk intermodal facility specializes in hauling plastics. Inbound Logistics Senior Writer Joseph O’Reilly tours the operation.
On the Road | Conclusion: Anything But Uncommon
Inbound Logistics Senior Writer Joseph O’Reilly reflects on his travels for the On the Road series.
Containing Ocean Costs
Shippers use overseas consolidation, strategic loading tactics, and container sharing to cast off ocean transportation’s financial burden.
Healthcare Logistics: Under Pressure
Healthcare leaders diagnose their biggest supply chain pains and write a prescription for the Obama administration.
Green Reverse Logistics Brings Many Happy Returns
Companies that combine the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra with the supply chain wisdom of managing costs and stamping out inefficiencies are developing reverse supply chains that help the Earth, the customer, and the bottom line.
Paving The Path To Progress
Can public-private partnerships transform America’s ailing transportation infrastructure?
Ask The (M)experts
For an update on customs, infrastructure, and manufacturing, IL went straight to the supply chain leaders and economic development experts who make Mexico their business.
Logistics Goes To Hollywood
The supply chain plays a starring role in popular entertainment.
What’s the Difference?
Does an LLP perform the same service as a 4PL? Can you run a just-in-time operation without being lean? When push comes to pull, are logistics and supply chain management interchangeable? Industry experts explain the source of some common misperceptions regarding supply chain and logistics lexicon.
Snapshot: Cosmetics And Skin Care
Cosmetics and skin care manufacturers look in the corporate mirror and smooth logistics and supply chain wrinkles.
The Cargo Theft Threat
A thriving black market keeps cargo thieves in business — to the detriment of the global economy.
Double Trouble: Avoiding Excess Freight Charge Liability Risk
In cases of double payment liability, innocent shippers and consignees find themselves ordered to pay for services twice. Contracting with a reputable broker can protect you from ending up in this situation.
Global Logistics—January 2010
Dutch Centrism: If the Clog Fits… Given its accessible location and proximity to two of the world’s great port cities—Amsterdam and Rotterdam—the Netherlands has historically been a center of commerce and trade. A new study, High Quality, Competitive Costs: Benchmarking the Netherlands as a Gateway to Europe, suggests the country’s reputation for cargo distribution—in terms […]
Shaken and Stirred
Let’s ensure infrastructure development is used for long-term economic growth, not short-term political gain.
It’s Time to Start Looking at the Future and Preparing for the Long Haul
The challenges of the current economy and the availability of capacity have driven truckload prices to their lowest point since 2005. While most shippers have seen great opportunities with the decline in pricing, the market is changing. As recent research from Noel Perry and FTR Associates indicates, market pricing bottomed out in the second quarter […]
Ready for the Rebound
One good thing about difficult times is they drive people to take action. It’s easy to be nonchalant about counting pennies when dollar bills are everywhere. But when things get tight, lip service surrounding efficiency and automation just won’t do. Tomorrow’s leaders are using the recession to address manual processes, paper and other inefficiencies. Using […]
Immediate Steps Toward Supply Chain And Transportation Integration
Finally! Now, there is much more action toward integrating the transportation function into the Supply Chain. For years, there has been the realization of the high volume of money being wasted associated with transportation expenses—inbound, outbound and "plant-to-plant." Let’s look at some industry numbers: Overall inbound, production-related and outbound transportation is often the 3rd highest […]
Scott Kingsley: The Personal Connection
NAME: Scott Kingsley TITLE: Logistics manager COMPANY: The Food Source International, Frazer, Penn., since 2009 PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: Philadelphia Flyers archives intern, Comcast-Spectacor; account services representative, production planner, Transcontinental Direct; logistics planner/international freight management, Penske Logistics EDUCATION: B.S., business management and marketing, Pennsylvania State University, 2002 Scott Kingsley is as tech-savvy as any young logistics professional. […]
New Year, New Insurance Review
The start of the new year is the time to make resolutions, and risk managers should resolve to review their operations to ensure that risk and insurance programs are in order. Your risk review should address several key questions: Are you planning to offer new services? If so, consider your insurance obligations before the transaction […]
Gearing Up for 100% Air Cargo Screening
A complex shift in the air cargo industry begins in August 2010, when the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will require 100-percent screening of all air cargo carried in passenger planes departing from or arriving at U.S. airports. In response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the TSA created a security mandate with an initial step […]
Bar Codes Rev Up Auto Supplier Operations
An end-to-end scanning solution helps Trelleborg Automotive Americas improve efficiency and accuracy, while providing real-time production data and lot traceability.
Trends—January 2010
Guaging the Future of Marine Rail Rail intermodal solutions have become an important component of the U.S. supply chain as capacity, cost, and sustainability concerns warrant more transportation flexibility. The hitch for shippers is the time it takes to re-handle cargo, switch modes, and turn assets and inventory. Rail intermodal requires better forecasts, greater visibility, […]
ISF Regulation: 10+2 Much?
Effective Jan. 26, 2010, U.S. ocean freight importers must complete a properly executed Importer Security Filing (ISF) before loading cargo onto a vessel at a foreign port. Also known as 10+2, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulation, intended to ensure the safety of ocean containers entering U.S. ports, requires U.S. importers or agents to […]
Selecting the Right Port for Your Transport Needs
Ports around the country vie to be the first choice for shippers’ supply chains by providing a wealth of intermodal connections, capacity, and distribution facilities. Various member seaports of the American Association of Port Authorities offer the following strategies for selecting a port to fit your specific shipping needs. 1. Consider proximity.You can cut transportation […]
On the Road to Recovery: Strengthening Our Transportation Infrastructure
Although the Dow was recently flirting with 10,000, there is no celebration on Main Street. This is a jobless economic recovery, and without job growth there will be no sustainable economic recovery on either Main or Wall Street. Compounding the loss of jobs is the explosive economic growth of China and its ominous effect on […]
Less Lip Service, More Customer Service
When times are good, everyone says they are focused on customer service, but admittedly some of that is lip service. When times are bad, are carriers and service providers truly focused on providing you good customer service, or are they cutting customer service corners? Are you as concerned about customer service these days, or is […]
Snapshot: Footwear
Dealing with shifts in global manufacturing, limited product lifecycles, and inventory complexity keeps the footwear supply chain on its toes.By Cindy H. Dubin Apparel trends change rapidly, and each season spawns a new look. This is particularly true for footwear, a category of seemingly endless variety. From shearling-lined suede boots and bejeweled strappy sandals to […]
Where Are They Now? A Reader Profile Reunion
Time flies, and careers evolve quickly. Since 2002, Inbound Logistics’ Reader Profile column has introduced readers to more than 90 colleagues who work in logistics and supply chain management. Many of those professionals have since moved on from the jobs they held when we visited with them. Others still hold the same positions but have seen significant changes in their work. Let’s catch up.
Global Logistics—December 2009
Electronics Manufacturing Switches Current Outsourcing manufacturing to China remains a viable strategy for many global companies. But the country’s developing economy, expanding consumer base, rising labor costs—and increasing global competition—has some industries reconsidering where they source product. Labor costs, total landed costs, and insourcing by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are slowing the migration of high-tech […]
Eco-operation in Action: Collaborating to Achieve Green Goals
As a company with tens of thousands of suppliers around the globe, Walmart’s bold move to promote a sustainability index has planted new seeds across entire industries. It’s a significant event for manufacturers, and has caused many businesses to take notice of new customer aspirations and re-think their supply chain designs. Walmart’s efforts to reduce […]
Terri Sheely: Ready for Ignition
One tricky aspect of Terri Sheely’s work is the way her company, Altronic, manages inventory. “We don’t carry a lot of finished products,” says Sheely, purchasing and traffic manager at the Girard, Ohio, firm that makes ignition systems and digital instrumentation used in large engines that pump natural gas. But when a customer places an […]
Trends
Pacer International and Union Pacific (UP) have entered a multi-year arrangement that allows the intermodal company continued access to the railroad’s network. That’s welcome news to some rail users. Foremost, the announcement puts to rest speculation about the company’s tenuous financial position. Pacer will use the $30-million cash infusion received as part of the deal […]
Selecting a Voice-Directed Picking System
If you want to reduce errors, improve productivity, and increase accuracy in the warehouse, a voice-directed picking system may help. Choosing the right product to meet your company’s needs, however, can be a challenge. Donal Mac Daid, vice president of product marketing at Atlanta-based logistics software provider Aldata Solution Inc., offers advice on selecting voice-directed […]
Selecting Pallet Types: One Size Does Not Fit All
At any given time, nearly 1.5 billion pallets transport products of all shapes and sizes throughout the United States. The majority are wood pallets, which have remained popular with supply chain and logistics managers for decades because they cost less than alternative pallets made of plastic or steel. Because pallets are used across several diverse […]
Just Say No to Slow-Mo
When the economy slows, so does the pace of shipments. To cut costs, some companies shift to less-expensive deferred delivery services. But there are cases where speed helps reduce overall costs, even when economic activity is flat. Here’s one example that bucks the slow-mo shipment trend line. Acoording to press reports, an Australian retailer, Coles […]
Uncommon Ground
Ground carriers redefine expedited services to meet new delivery and security demands in a down economy.
Relieving The Holiday Hangover
Retail madness doesn’t stop at year’s end—it just reverses direction. A medicine chest of reverse logistics remedies helps alleviate retailers’ inventory headaches.
Wind Power Logistics: Tilting Toward Wind Turbines
Wind machines have been spinning imagination and innovation for centuries, but only now is past fancy and contemporary fabrication melding into a composite reality for U.S. industry. Where wind blows, economic promise follows. The wind energy industry is taking over the world and the United States is center stage in an unfolding drama.
Global Logistics—November 2009
Wagons West Chinas New Reckoning Sometimes adversity yields opportunity. When a major earthquake struck China’s Sichuan Province in May 2008, its magnitude was incomprehensible: 70,000 people killed, many more displaced, and widespread annihilation of infrastructure and socio-economic wellbeing. But a landscape literally wasted by nature is now quaking and awakening with the tremors of a […]
Software Tools Optimize Green Logistics
By now most third-party logistics (3PL) service providers, big and small, have jumped on the sustainability bandwagon. They’re reducing ship and truck speeds, designing and restructuring warehouses to cut power consumption, implementing bio-fuels, packing products with reusable and environmentally friendly packaging, and consolidating freight for full truckload runs. But they could be doing more. Maybe […]
Cliff Hooper: X-Ray Image
Cliff Hooper has been managing inventories since high school. He started out working for a firm that installed and serviced jukeboxes, pinball games, and slot machines. Later, he applied his logistics smarts to aircraft and war planning functions for the U.S. Air Force, and to missile and radar systems for Hughes Aircraft Company. More recently, […]
The Intellectual Risk of Complexity
The rules of business in a global world are thorny and often intractable. As supply chains grow more complex and outsourcing gains favor, long-range risks become harder to judge, or even understand. One consequence of a complex global supply chain is a subtle shift in the nature of intellectual property and how it factors into […]
Is Your 3PL a Brand Builder?
Abrand represents many intangible aspects of a product or service; it’s a collection of perceptions about quality, image, lifestyle, and status. In short, a brand represents a promise made and honored. When was the last time you challenged your third-party logistics provider (3PL) to help you build your brand? For most shippers, the answer lies […]
How to Outsource Wind Logistics
As demand for renewable energy sources grows and green best practices take root, the wind energy industry keeps blowing across the United States. Regardless of whether wind turbine components are sourced globally or domestically, the demands placed on shippers and transportation and logistics service providers are extreme. Planning, organizing, and executing wind turbine moves requires […]
How to Gain Reverse Logistics Efficiency
Forward thinking companies increasingly need to consider reverse. With so much attention, time, and capital spent on exploring ways to move the enterprise in new directions, what’s left behind is often overlooked and under-controlled. Reverse logistics covers a wide array of services—from inspection, repair, and remanufacturing to consumer returns and aftermarket recycling. It can reduce […]
How to Create a Lean Warehouse Culture
MORE TO THE STORY: Lean in Principle There are three core parts to orchestrating lean tactics in a warehouse: tools, methods, and culture. Most companies have the equipment and processes to embrace lean. Culture, however, is often missing. Crafting an organizational culture that empowers lean concepts is a recurring challenge for companies, yet it yields […]
How to Standardize Fuel Surcharges
MORE TO THE STORY: DRILLING DOWN FREIGHT SPEND A wise person once stated that if you have two watches, you never know what time it is. When considering the effects of fuel surcharges on line-haul rates, this analogy is appropriate. If both are allowed to fluctuate, making sense of total freight spend and the intrinsic […]
Trends-November 2009
The green movement is many things to different parties. But the common element all environmentally conscious supply chain practitioners and consumers should take a vested interest in is transparency—from source to self. Environmental watchdog Greenpeace, whose mission is to bring clarity to environmental issues and threats, knows something about transparency. Proof to point, the organization […]
Outsourced Logistics: Gaining Management Buy-in
What company doesn’t want to achieve greater product availability rates, more flexible work processes, fewer customer complaints, and improved order accuracy? If you can’t seem to reach these goals on your own, it might be time to outsource some of your company’s logistics functions to a third-party logistics (3PL) provider. Steve Dean, senior vice president, […]
A Lesson From Ghana
“Ghana will not become a middle-income status country without a coherent supply chain strategy.” So says leading African academic Dr. Douglas Boateng in an open letter to Ghana’s government (http://snipurl.com/ilghana). Dr. Boateng takes the government to task on its lack of supply chain vision, pointing out that despite the abundance of natural resources≠gold, cocoa, diamonds, […]
Lifetime Achievement: Green Materials Handling
Lifetime Brands’ newly upgraded DC stands as a model of energy conservation.
Intermodal: Ready To Roll
Although volumes dipped in nearly all transport sectors this year, a small boost in domestic intermodal points to a better future for multi-mode transportation as the economy rebounds. In the meantime, intermodal facilities are taking advantage of the lull to upgrade so they’ll be ready when business picks up again.
Special Economic Development Supplement Great Logistics Sites: You’re Welcome
A visit to five U.S. locations that are creating inviting environments for companies striving to achieve logistics excellence.
Global Logistics—October 2009
Rotterdam Rules Inch Forward Most trade conventions come and go. Others linger. When 15 countries, including the United States, ratified the Rotterdam Rules recently in the Dutch port city, the new UN maritime convention updated global standards for transporting ocean cargo initially laid out in The Hague Rules (1924), the Hague-Visby Rules (1968), and the […]
Bill Harlow: Power Play
While racing stock cars at the Hales Corners Speedway in Wisconsin, Bill Harlow took a job at the local Briggs Stratton factory. “Racing was a very expensive hobby,” he says. To support it, he needed a day job. Harlow still works at Briggs Stratton, but in the 31 years since he joined the […]
Embargo Violations: Ignorance is No Excuse
Q:I recently read that DHL paid a $9.4-million fine to settle a claim by the United States for violations of sanctions against shipments to Iran. Can you discuss what happened and how I can avoid a case like this? A:The case you refer to was an action taken by the U.S. Treasury Department regarding 309 […]
Choosing and Using a Freight Forwarder
Choosing the right freight forwarder to support your transportation efforts can mean the difference between satisfied customers or unhappy ones; efficient, cost-effective distribution of your products or careless, wasteful handling of them. The following are some suggestions for choosing and using a freight forwarder. DO YOUR HOMEWORK Before entering into negotiations with a logistics provider, […]
Trends-October 2009
Shippers and service providers have enough difficulty meeting customer demand despite encroaching time, service, and cost constraints without political bureaucracy getting in the way. But it does. Pitched battles over quality of life and the goods that bring quality to life are frequent and fervent—and serve as yet another reminder that domestic transportation policy and […]
Getting Lean to Boost Warehouse Labor Performance
Implementing lean principles through all facets of a warehouse operation is an effective, economical way to boost labor performance. The relentless pursuit of eliminating waste transforms corporate culture, and builds a foundation for optimal performance from the warehouse floor to the corner office. Tim Sroka, senior manager, lean operations for Menlo Worldwide Logistics, a third-party […]
Dialing Into Truck Tone
You pick up the phone and get a dial tone. You move to a keyboard and you have Web tone. Many of us take these amazing enablements for granted, rarely considering how they work, just expecting that they will—all the time, every time. We only consider their absence when and if they fail. But what […]
1919-2009: Celebrating 90 Years in Ship By Truck
They did things the hard way because they had to. They saw opportunities and seized them, took risks, rolled with the punches, and reaped the rewards. They didn’t squeeze pricing or pinch service; everything was set in stone. And they hauled everything and anything during the Great Depression, World War II, and beyond. Join Inbound Logistics as we celebrate the legacies that made motor freight move.
Exclusive Inbound Logistics Research: Trucking Perspectives 2009
Cruising down Interstate I-81 through Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley two things are obvious—NASCAR doesn’t translate well to radio and the trucking industry is alive and well. Negotiating hundreds of miles of white line fever, drafting and passing convoys sandwiched tight with 53-foot trailers, 7,000-gallon tankers, and 96-foot turnpike doubles, offers a shotgun perspective of where the […]
The Perfect Center: Missouri
Need to be within easy reach of just about everything? Missouri is the place to be.
Freight Payment Services Boosting Invoice IQ
Freight payment/audit providers scrutinize shipper invoices using detailed reporting, sophisticated technology, and international capabilities. Here’s a close-up look at how they discover savings and efficiencies.
Global Logistics—September 2009
Demand and Strategy Drive India’s Retail Trade India’s retail industry is enjoying boom times as its economy continues to develop. As the country’s second-largest employer after agriculture, retail is estimated to reach US $590 billion in the next two years, growing at a 13-percent clip between 2007 and 2012. India’s consumer reckoning is largely a […]
Ensuring Your Carrier Promotes Supply Chain Value Through Sustainability
Consumers used to appreciate an environmental consciousness in the businesses they patronized. Now they expect it. Improved sustainability has become the right choice for corporations—economically, environmentally, and legally. Corporate sustainability programs should provide guidelines and measures for strategies such as reducing fuel consumption, reducing or eliminating materials for disposal, and preventing pollution. Shippers formalizing and […]
Chris Osen: Leading From the Center
Pick up a frozen pizza, moisturizer, or weekly planner, and you may well be holding a product from MeadWestvaco (MWV). Formed in 2002 by the merger of the Mead Company and Westvaco Corp., MWV provides packaging solutions for leading brands in health care, personal care, food and beverage, media and entertainment, and many other industries. […]
The Costly Art of Tracking
On Aug. 4, 2009, Astronaut Heidimarie Stefanyshyn-Piper’s $100,000 NASA tool bag dropped out of its heavenly orbit and into the Pacific Ocean. The 30-pound bag, filled with grease guns, trash bags, and a scraper tool, was detected not from a locating signal in the bag, but by sight. Clearly, Boeing’s contract with NASA does not […]
Defining the Ideal Pacific Rim Warehouse
Warehouses may serve the same function regardless of where they are located, but the criteria for choosing and operating these facilities is anything but consistent from one continent to the next. If manufacturing or distribution in Asia is part of your business, keep in mind the following ways in which the ideal facility might look […]
Trends-Sep 2009
Hormel Foods is adding a little zing to its U.S. product offering thanks to a joint venture with Herdez Del Fuerte, a Mexico City-based manufacturer and marketer of consumer-branded food and beverages. Together, they are launching a new brand, MegaMex Foods, to market Mexican foods in the United States. MegaMex Foods, which is expected to […]
Becoming an Indispensable Logistics Manager
Supply chain costs are a leading business expense, and these days CFOs are taking a closer look to get this spending under control. The logistics manager who communicates effectively with corporate management and deftly manages freight costs will be a valuable employee. George Muha, regional sales manager for Mass.-based Logistics Management Inc., offers his advice […]
Finding and Attracting C-Suite Leadership
The days of fragmentation characterizing global logistics are drawing to a close. With globalization, more companies are striving to become end-to-end service providers for global customers. They see an opportunity to greatly improve profitability by offering higher-value services and gaining increased market share. To get there faster, they will continue to pursue mergers and acquisitions […]
Supply Chain Sustainability: What a Difference a Day Makes
Canadian office supply retailer Grand & Toy sells 48-hour delivery as a sustainable go-to-market philosophy. And customers are buying it.
Shades of Green
Inbound Logistics is green—as a mission and as a magazine. Matching demand to supply, our founding principle, is an evergreen strategy that eliminates waste: energy, money, and time. By embracing demand-driven practices, companies optimize transportation, reduce warehouse inventory and costs, increase transparency, and trigger countless efficiencies elsewhere in the enterprise. Executing on demand, and specifying […]
Refashioning Retail Supply Chains
Whether they’re pooling loads or promoting best practices, retailers tag consolidation and collaboration as powerful strategies.
Outpacing the Perils of Perishables
Haunted by the challenges of environmental unpredictability, safety scares, and regulatory red tape, food shippers rely on supply chain efficiency to keep their cool.
Power Brokers
Across the country, public utilities are empowering local and state economic development while helping businesses amp up their site selection due diligence.
Ports-to-Plains Trade Corridor: North America’s Energy and Agricultural Heartland
Linking North America’s top energy and agricultural regions, the Ports-to-Plains Corridor helps deliver food and fuel to the city, and keeps the Heartland economy humming.
Global Logistics—August 2009
Brazils Broken Track Record Less Substance More Lines Brazil is a little late coming to the railroad turntable, a reality that has stifled transportation infrastructure and economic development dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. As rural and expansive as the country is, a major rail renaissance has been barely chugging along. For […]
Gabriel Alcazar: He’s Got His Job Down Cold
When you tinker with a job that workers have been doing the same way for years, someone’s bound to get upset. “Change management has always been one of the biggest challenges I have faced,” says Gabriel Alcazar, supply chain manager at Sub-Zero Freezer Company in Phoenix, Ariz. Consider what happened when Alcazar’s team introduced a […]
Learning to Play by New Rules: Managing Logistics Through the Recession
Managing a global business today is brutal. The collective business wisdom is being tested, and our organizations’ hard work on strategy, lean management, and disciplined forecasting and operations planning can’t wipe away current economic woes. The global supply chain isn’t broken, but we’re dealing with a game-changing scenario. As the economy plays havoc with volume, […]
Choosing a Mobile Communications Solution
Communicating with field workers should not be a chore, but without the right equipment, it can be. Jonathan Turner, chief information officer for logistics provider 3PD Inc., Marietta, Ga., offers these tips for selecting a new mobile communications system. 1. Look for hidden costs.Prices for mobile communications solutions can range from several hundred to several […]
Healthy Seaports: An ‘Open for Business’ Sign
Nearly everything we buy or consume—from the clothes we wear, to the food we eat, to the coffee we start our day with—comes to us on a ship, through one of our nation’s seaports. In turn, nearly everything the United States sells in the global marketplace makes its way there via our seaports. This includes […]
10+2: Origin and Destination in Collaboration
The clock is ticking for importers struggling to become compliant with Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Importer Security Filing regulation, commonly known as the 10+2 initiative. On Jan. 26, 2010, the interim final rule becomes mandatory, allowing CBP to begin assessing damages for failure to meet the new data-filing requirements. The key to successful 10+2 […]