Logistics IT: Turning Up the Heat
While the red-hot pace of the logistics/supply chain IT market may have cooled somewhat, there’s still plenty of spark. Check out the latest IT applications for purchasing, order and demand management, supply chain planning, transportation, and warehousing. After a year or two of cooling off, the logistics/supply chain information technology market may be heating up […]
Building the Perfect Load
Logistics IT providers are helping shippers, carriers, 3PLs and consignees create cost savings with little capital investment thanks to innovative load planning applications. From better asset utilization to increased compliance, load planning software creates efficiencies before shipments enter the transportation stream. Have you ever lugged groceries home from the store, struggling to get as many […]
Dennis Hilborn: Know Thyself
“Who are we?” is one of Dennis Hilborn’s favorite questions. In his two and a half years as director of distribution at sports apparel maker Cutter & Buck, asking employees over and over who they are has helped him transform the Seattle-based company’s distribution center (DC). When Hilborn arrived at Cutter & Buck, “distribution was […]
Supply Chain Planning in a Global Environment
Last month’s column examined LogicTools Inc.’s LogicChain and LogicNet supply chain applications. This month, we talk with the person behind those applications—David Simchi-Levi, LogicTools CEO and president. In addition to running LogicTools, Simchi-Levi is a professor of engineering systems at MIT and the author of two books, including the prize-winning Designing and Managing the Supply […]
Rand McNally Keeps Going the Distance
Rand McNally barrels ahead with new mileage and route optimization tools.
Ensuring Cargo Security
Special containers, locks and alarms are well utilized by shippers to protect goods in transit. But in many cases the best insurance against cargo theft starts with the documentation process, says Lou Tyska, security consultant to Pinkerton Logistics Services, and chairman of the Transportation Security Council of the American Society for Industrial Security. Here are […]
VMI Heals Distributor/Manufacturer Mistrust
Imagine if your doctor had real-time information about your blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol level, blood sugar, and brain wave patterns and could intervene remotely at any time. Medical technology hasn’t developed quite to that point yet, but enterprise software has. It’s called vendor-managed inventory (VMI). A Healthy Dose of VMI VMI has a healthful […]
Economic Recovery: Grains of Sand
It is as if grains of sand had been sprinkled in the mechanism of the American economy in the aftermath of Sept. 11, a skilled writer in Business Week wrote recently. But sand eventually grinds machinery to a halt, so perhaps that was a little overstated. While the costs of 9/11 are great, there is […]
Making Dollars & Sense Out of Logistics
Treating logistics as a profit center can expand both revenue and profit, and build your leverage base. But this approach is still a brave new world.
Phil Saracin: Whatever it Takes
Phil Saracin, global logistics manager at Kemet Corp., enjoys the challenges of finding new ways to reduce cost and cycle time, and developing new tools to improve information flow.
Logic Tools Addresses Network Design, Decision Support
The key to doing good business when providing supply chain solutions is to have a handle on network design and decision support. This means having support systems in place that have the functional clout and services required to sustain these applications. Network design and decision support are strategic components of any company’s long-term and tactical […]
SupplyWorks’ Supply Side Suite
SupplyWorks’ Supplier Relationship Management solution promises closer, more profitable ties with vendors.
Improving Employee Efficiency Through Education
Providing superior customer service is a fundamental goal of every successful business. The manner in which employees provide value-added service is key not only to maintain, but also to attract, additional business. To be successful service providers, companies need to focus on variables such as improving employee efficiency and productivity through focused training and education […]
Navigating the Virtual Marketplace
Within the logistics online marketplace operates an aggregation of companies acting on behalf of shippers that purchase transportation from a diverse group of logistics services providers. These providers include trading exchanges; logistics solutions providers; trucking, rail, ocean, and air carriers; and companies specializing in ancillary logistics services such as supply chain event management. Over the […]
Logistics Education: Homegrown Distance Learning
Today’s business logistics professionals need to continually upgrade and improve their supply chain skillsets. Besides the expected benefit of administering logistics responsibilities more effectively, the effect on your paycheck’s bottom line will be dramatic. Yet who among us has the luxury to stop work and take off for the nearest college campus, whatever the personal […]
Logistics Education: Beyond the B.A.
A graduate degree plus executive education can help you be more competitive in the job market, and improve your paycheck’s bottom line.
Service Parts Logistics: Taking it Outside
Companies outsource service parts logistics to focus on their core competencies.
Michael Beaver: Leave it to Beaver
Michael Beaver recently started learning Spanish, and he wishes he had mastered a few more languages earlier in his career. As a supply chain executive with a global corporation, Beaver knows communication is the key to forging profitable relationships. Speaking to colleagues and partners in their own languages helps to assure them that the company […]
The Search for e-Business Enlightenment
A zen approach to logistics? It’s not as far-fetched as you might think. In an industry where the quest for perfection is persistent, if fleeting, an enlightened approach to e-business and supply chain management has some merit. In their book The Seven Steps to Nirvana (McGraw-Hill, 2001) Mohan Sawhney and Jeff Zabin draw on this […]
Playing Tag with Pallets and Containers
A pallet-leasing firm uses RFID technology to monitor equipment so customers can track shipments through the supply chain.
Maximizing LTL Efficiency
How efficient are you at less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping? The solution to reducing freight costs and lag times could lie right at your own docks. Here are 10 tips to maximize your LTL efficiency from Jon Winkler, vice president, operations at Chicago-based J&A Freight Systems, a logistics solutions provider. 1. Accurate information is key. When obtaining […]
Creating New Avenues for Cost Reductions
To significantly reduce logistics costs, look beyond network optimization and rate reductions from your carriers. Transportation providers have limited opportunity left to cut costs, yet significant savings opportunities—in managing inbound inventory, reducing static inventory, and increasing supply chain velocity—often go untapped. The challenge in achieving these benefits is to replace traditional thinking with a new […]
Reading the Logistics Radar Screen
Private network proliferation and the Internet’s global commercialization improve productivity in manufacturing and customer-facing business operations. But at the interface between information technology and the physical world of transportation and logistics, we still have a long way to go. The flip side of the IT revolution is that the quality of data fed into logistics […]
Producing the January Issue: Making Planners
While the publisher is thinking about making waves, I am busy editing and producing this Logistics Planner issue. It’s what I look forward to most each year. I guess I love pain, because I am writing this—the last page to go to the printer—in the office late Sunday afternoon. But it’s worth the effort. My […]
How Logistics Shaped Our Nation: Making Waves
New York, it turns out, achieved its “Empire State” status, at least in part, because of the canals that linked New York City to the Midwest and the west. That point was made in a recent PBS special on New York State and the integral role transportation played. Products, people and ambition flowed west. Raw […]
Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
Logistics innovations take courage, resources, and time—but the payback can be great. Here’s a look at key logistics developments over the years, what companies are doing today, and how to become a logistics innovator.
Crossborder Transport 2002: It’s a Whole New Ballgame
Moving the products that make up billions of dollars in NAFTA trade poses new transportation challenges for shippers and carriers alike. Security enforcement and delays in this time of uncertainty are raising the bar on many compliance issues. How best to deal with it? Here’s some advice. New Year’s Day marked the eighth anniversary of […]
Reader Profiles
This new column featuring logistics professionals who’ve been around the block a few times and have volunteered to share their experiences with readers. This debut installment features three profiles; future issues will carry one profile each.
Getting Started in Reverse Logistics
An integrated approach to reverse logistics can improve customer satisfaction, reduce costs, drive continuous improvement, and maximize return on assets.
Keeping Pace with Logistics IT
Supply chain management practices are tough to integrate with ERP. Executive Editor Robert Malone assembled a panel of four logistics IT experts to benchmark the state of the supply chain ERP integration challenge.
3PL Liabilities Exposed: Who Gets Stuck With the Bill?
3PL usage is increasing. Along with that are corollary increases in liability. Just what are the limits of liabilities for all partners—transport buyer, intermediary, carrier? Legally who is responsible for what? This feature explores 3PL liability limits as seen through the eyes of a top logistics legal expert. While the term 3PL may be relatively […]
8 Steps to Info Systems Happiness
Before you go looking for an ERP solution, you must define an information systems architecture for your company. Follow these eight steps and turn that IT frown upside down.
Mergers & Acquisitions: Disparate Measures
Integrating disparate supply chains demands a holistic approach, with careful detail to every core function. From IT compatibility to corporate culture clashes, this article sorts out complicated pieces of supply chain integration to find out where they fit in today’s M&A puzzle.
9-11: A Supply Chain Call to Action
Amid tighter security restrictions, businesses in all sectors are struggling to find the proper balance between speeding product flow and ensuring security compliance. Here’s how three industry sectors integrate safety and security concerns to ensure a smoother, safer supply chain.
A Strong Sense of Security
How to keep imports moving amidst fears of future terrorist attacks.
Web Portal Delivers Ocean Freight Connectivity
Despite some wavering in the e-commerce industry, web portals are not only here to stay, they have great potential to be a B2B growth area, and for good reason. Portals allow companies to take advantage of immediate, online access to trading partners, suppliers, and service providers. This access can lead to greater levels of collaboration, […]
Elogex: Holistic Logistics
A web-based TMS looks at inbound and outbound, within and beyond the enterprise, for opportunities to optimize freight.
Outsourcing from the Buyer’s Side of the Table
Since as long as I have been in the business, experts have debated the pros and cons of outsourcing logistics services as well as strategies for successful outsourcing. With logistics service providers claiming they can cure everything but world hunger, it is important to remember these 10 fundamental rules when you are on the buying […]
Hiring the Perfect Logistics Manager
“You can have the best sales and marketing groups, the finest accounting department, the latest technology, and top-notch customer service, but if you have a weak logistics team and you can’t get your product out and delivered on time to the right destination, you are dead in the water,” says William Conroy, president of Tyler […]
Creating a High-Velocity Supply Chain
Performance improvement over the past 10 years has been largely based on internally focused enterprise systems that integrate functional processes and promote internal efficiencies. With ERP and various flavors of supply chain planning and transportation management tools, manufacturers and distributors have been successful at achieving a first level of benefit, but often at the expense […]
Drilling Down to Core Competencies
With increased competition in a sluggish economy, many companies are getting back to basics by re-focusing on critical operational elements and recommitting themselves to the principles on which their businesses were built. Have you taken a step back to examine your company and determine what truly makes it better than the competition? Not in terms […]
Transportation Performance: The Measure of Success
Measuring transportation performance is a critical link in Joann Stores’ supply chain strategy.
A 2001 Supply Chain Odyssey
Had science-fiction guru Stanley Kubrick been a logistician, even he would have been hard-pressed to envision or even script an odyssey as surreal and unimaginable as 2001. Californians spent the beginning of the year in the dark—literally—as gas and oil prices skyrocketed and fuel surcharges became an added burden. If ever there was a doubt […]
2001: Year-End Roundup
Terrorist attacks. War. An uncertain economy. Despite these challenges, 2001 also will be remembered for innovative logistics strategies, significant gains in logistics collaboration, and a new respect for the critical role supply chain management plays in U.S. competitiveness.
Ensuring Security Through Visibility
We have all become more security conscious in the last few months. Keeping tabs on processes has never been a bad idea, but under today’s circumstances better visibility, closer attention to procedures, and tight recordkeeping make the flow of information about personnel and goods all the more useful within the supply chain. Supply chain video […]
Warehouse Wizardry
A new warehouse management system sends game maker’s goods flying to retail stores.
Making an Online Community Work
Online communities allow large groups to get together to solve problems and share information. Whether you are building a community, selecting technology, or simply a participant, these tips from Joseph Cothrell, vice president research, Participate.com, Chicago, Ill., can help you make the most of your online connection. 1. Define a business purpose and let the […]
Paying Attention to the Whole Logistics Package
Lance Armstrong doesn’t know it, but when he won the Tour de France this year, he provided a powerful business parable for our times. His come-from-behind victory demonstrated an important, but often overlooked, competitive concept: No matter how impressive your start, you must have a strong finish to win the race. Nowhere is this more […]
Ports Play Role in Homeland Defense
Rizak Amid Farid was arrested in Italy on Oct. 18 after police found him hiding in a container bound for Canada. The container was equipped with a satellite phone, two cell phones, a laptop, a bed, a bathroom, and enough food for an extended trip. Farid carried falsified passports, and documents identifying him as an […]
Many Happy Returns
Recent events have compelled many businesses to narrow their focus on specific components within the supply chain. But in terms of product recalls, the potential impact a product defect might have on other manufacturing, distribution, and transportation processes demands that companies take a broader view of the supply chain. This past year, several widely publicized, […]
Software Speeds Border Crossings
International trade software improves data access, creates better audit trails, and flags shipment-stopping errors before they cause delays.
When Should You Outsource Transportation?
Outsourcing non-core competencies has now become a widely accepted practice across many industries. One company may outsource IT hosting capabilities while another outsources customer service and yet another fulfillment needs. Consider the many retailers who have outsourced their fulfillment to third-party logistics (3PL) providers the past few years. A retailer’s strength is in selling directly […]
Maximizing Intermodal Transportation
Intermodal transportation involves endless service options and possibilities. Navigating through this tangled web of choices can be mind-boggling, especially for newcomers. To simplify the process for new intermodal users and overwhelmed veterans, here are some suggestions from Paul Kromberg, principal of Rail and Intermodal Consulting Services, Springfield, Va. 1. Explore all supplier alternatives. Check out […]
Bringing Logistics Out of Medieval Mode
At the end of the quarter, as salespeople demand that items move off the dock and into revenue status, logistics specialists find their faxes humming, phones ringing, and desktops overflowing with paper. The struggle to meet the transportation needs of customers and move products across international borders would be easier were it not for the […]
CLM Shows Resolve
Shortly after the tragic events of Sept. 11, we received reports of several logistics industry events being cancelled. There was also some question as to whether one of the most important logistics meetings of the year would take place. The Council of Logistics Management made the right call deciding to proceed with its annual conference. […]
In A Down Economy, Can Consultants Help?
During a down economy, logistics execs often turn to consultants to help boost supply chain efficiency. If you’re thinking of tapping into professional help, read our advice on choosing the right consultant, avoiding pitfalls, and achieving off-the-chart results. MORE TO THE STORY: Are You Ready to Hire a Consultant? Choosing the Right Consulting Firm Setting […]
VMI: Managing Supply Based on Demand
Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) is not a new application, but its role in today’s supply chain is attracting more and more interest. Driven by a need for greater competence in supply chain processes, the roles some supply chain partners play are shifting away from traditional inventory management. Now, the vendor tracks the quantity of products […]
Online Routing Guides: Who Wants Yesterday’s Paper?
Electronic routing guides promise timely information, easy distribution, and widespread access.
September 11, 2001
I don’t have the ability or, at this time, the inclination to craft the correct words that describe to you what happened on September 11, 2001 in New York City. Let me just relate what I saw, thought, and felt on that day. The morning was clear and bright, with perfect weather. My routine was […]
On the Economy: Good Thing Johnny Can’t Read
It’s back to school time, when some folks’ thoughts turn to the lack of educational excellence in America: “Why Johnny can’t read.” But there could be a side benefit: “Johnny” is not reading the bad press about the economy. He and Mrs. Johnny keep right on going to the mall. While it’s true certain segments […]
Inventory Trendspotting: Qualifying Suppliers Online
One common way to identify emerging technology trends is to follow the trails of strategic partnerships between companies. While these agreements often result in the implementation of a new technology, at the very least they can enhance a technology that in turn augments a service to some customer within the supply chain. One such partnership […]
Web Solution Delivers Best of Two Worlds
Double Click: a web-based service offers do-it-yourself optimization and 3PL support.
Do-It-Yourselfers Need Help Too
I once worked with a fellow who cut his own hair. Every few days or so he gave himself a new hairstyle—he justified it by saying it was more economical. The only problem was his hair looked like he had cut it himself! It was difficult for anyone not to notice, what with the uneven […]
Dealing With Customs
Many importers admit that understanding the U.S. Customs Service (USCS) process is like navigating a bureaucratic labyrinth. Here are some useful tips from importers familiar with USCS and its processes. 1. Know thy import specialist. In order to successfully negotiate the intricate parameters USCS uses to measure the import process, it is important to build […]
Boosting Supply Chain Agility for a Competitive Edge
The recent downturn in the high-tech economy is leading companies to scrutinize their supply chains more closely. With profits falling, staffs shrinking, and doors closing, it becomes even more imperative that companies foster supply chain agility to retain a competitive edge in the face of highly volatile demand. Companies can improve supply chain agility in […]
Moving Furniture the Right Way
The online furniture community recently has seen its share of well-publicized supply chain failures. From my perspective as a transportation provider to this specialized niche, these online firms did not seriously consider product distribution issues. Granted, other customer-related consequences contributed to the difficulties, but it is impossible to overcome critical distribution problems. Most of these […]
A Fresh Look at the Supply Chain
If you’ve ever received a gift basket of prized comice pears, you can appreciate the attention to detail that defines a homegrown supply chain.
Jack the Giant Killer
In the fabled tale of old, Jack the Giant Killer, a smaller, more wily competitor (who also has a friend with special powers) whips a larger, more powerful foe. It can happen in modern times too, logistically speaking. Let’s consider a real-world example of how using a 3PL helps a company operate successfully against competitors […]
SCM Software: An Intelligent Response to a Complex Need
Our current set of ERP applications grew out of an array of MRP and MRP II applications and their extensions. ERP took its cast from MRP and therefore was created first and foremost for transaction processing, data collection, and reporting of that data. Its motivation and structure came out of the financial world and naturally […]
Ricardo Sends Logistics Problems Packing
Custom-tailored software cuts transport costs by thousands of dollars a month for a leading luggage manufacturer.
Strikepoint: Part Three
"I won’t let it happen!" Gan McManus slapped the table, rattling the espresso cups. "Dammit, we had the prize in our hands—manufacturing capacity, a bridge solution to our supply chain dilemma, the works! And now it’s all whisked away by Ike Boone and his checkbook!" "Bravo!" Ed Combs said from across the table. "I’ve been […]
Gan’s the Man
As editor of Inbound Logistics, I get plenty of mail from readers. This month, I was bypassed. All your mail went straight to Gan McManus, the fictional hero of Strikepoint . It’s only fair to turn this column over to Gan and let him talk to you directly. —Felecia Stratton, Editor Wow. I want to […]
SCEM: Managing Problems Before They Happen
The recent advent of trading communities, trading partners, and the resulting issue of collaboration strategies has placed a new emphasis on supply chain web applications. As if the supply chain market needs additional heat, the economics of the time call for increased monitoring of business processes. Supply chain managers want that monitoring to anticipate problems […]
Strikepoint—Part Two
Mary Ann Dugan had left the meeting supercharged, rushing off to delegate everything so she could plunge into crisis mode—with Gan McManus, Ed Combs and anybody else in the hierarchy of Cornelius Footwear they decided to grab. "It’s going to be a long day—and probably night," she’d told Gan. "Which reminds me, I’m going to […]
Negotiating With Your Railroads
Rail mergers and acquisitions have shaken up the industry, leaving behind a tangled web for consignees and shippers to navigate. So how do you avoid getting snagged in the web of management hierarchy and get the best bang for your buck when negotiating a shipping deal? It may take a little research and some homework, […]
Practicing Enlightened Leadership
With employers facing labor shortages and unprecedented worker mobility, a stable, productive workforce of drivers, owner operators, and support employees is unusual in the rapidly changing trucking industry. It has been my experience in this industry that workforce stability—with low employee turnover—follows enlightened leadership. Enlightenment arrives when leaders elevate their game to a higher level. […]
Inventory Theft: Is Your Company Easy Prey?
The logistics industry has grown dramatically in the past few years and inventory loss has kept pace. Estimates now range in the $80-billion area for cargo and warehouse related theft. One reason that so many warehousing and transportation companies have incurred loss is that they often rely on ineffective security safeguards. This can prove to […]
What’s So Great About Page 43?
Turn to page 43 of the May 2001 issue, and read part one of Strikepoint, a fictional tale of one man’s quest, in the face of a growing product demand, to find a logistics solution and save his company from financial ruin. Why should you spend your time reading “make-believe?” Because Strikepoint is a celebration […]
DSC Logistics: Focusing on the Process
Over the years, many fine voices—W. Edwards Deming, Eliyahu Goldratt, Taguchi, Michael Hammer and James Champy—have emphasized examining and improving business management processes. The reason they, and others, place such importance on process is to counter some companies’ tendencies to fixate on disparate details, personalities, or other matters peripheral to their essential business interests. That’s […]
Picture This: Freight Info at a Glance
With location-based software, a quick look yields a wealth of knowledge.
Strikepoint—Part One
IT CAME LIKE A BOLT OUT OF THE BLUE THAT FRIDAY. Rob Wylie, a defector to Cornelius’ humongous rival, Zip Athletic Wear, had called, offering Gan a "real" logistics job. For more money. Plus stock options that could actually mean something. And, probably the clincher, a chance for Gan finally to use some of the […]
Selecting a Warehouse Management System
You don’t have to be a software guru to select a good warehouse management system, but you better know what you want to accomplish. Don Dalton, president of Columbus, Ohio-based ScanData Systems. Inc., says companies need to clearly identify their operational requirements before asking a software company to provide a solution or respond to an […]
Extending Efficiencies Beyond the Four Walls
Most companies that have successfully streamlined the internal links of their supply chain have not been able to extend those efficiencies outside their own four walls. Inside, they’ve found many ingenious ways to squeeze time and complexity from supply chain processes. Outside, where the supply chain branches out to myriad partners who help move goods […]
Handling Returns: Just Tell Me Where it Hurts
Our economy has experienced tremendous growth cycles over the past several years. As a result, manufacturers are making more stuff, retailers are buying more stuff, and consumers are spending more money on stuff than ever before! Inevitably, mistakes are made, resulting in product defects, bad merchandising decisions, or over-optimistic sales projections. No matter how good […]
Peace and Tranquility
In light of the Chinese government’s reaction to the recent spy plane incident, prudence dictates that readers of this magazine—inbound logisticians and supply chain managers with crucial assets and supply lines stretching across China—seriously consider contingencies now. The treasure you have invested in China is at some risk. The spy plane incident reminds me of […]
Simple Collaboration: The Focus is Transportation
Reduced to its base element, supply chain management is the transportation of goods from Point A to Point B. At this core, the fundamental players are shippers, receivers, and transport providers. How well they perform together is the basis for creating wealth in companies and nations. Goods efficiently sourced and manufactured, but not shipped, have […]
Your Dream Logistics Job: Make it Happen!
The new breed logistics professional has a four-year degree, analytical and technological skills, supply chain knowledge and line management leadership. There’s a shortage of these professionals at all levels, creating tremendous career opportunities. If you are looking to capitalize on this opportunity, you need to review your career aspirations and develop a game plan to […]
Becoming A Change Agent for Marketplace Success
Two important premises exist in the business world: if we don’t change faster than the changes taking place outside our own walls, it’s just a matter of time before we lose our competitive edge. the future will be inherited by the fastest learning organization. How do leaders drive change so that we’re not left in […]
Unlocking the True Value of e-Marketplaces
E-marketplaces have earned tremendous interest and participation in almost every industry, from chemicals to office supplies. However, e-marketplaces are only now reaching a level mature enough to evaluate the benefits. Surprise! The main reasons used to lure participation—such as lower product prices for buyers and increased access to new customers and markets for suppliers—are not […]
Is Logistics Boring?
Recently an assistant editor left Inbound Logistics to take a job with a consumer publication. Reason? Even though she was a young, bright, talented editor, she said she found logistics “boring.” That brought me up short. I never found logistics boring. In fact, changes in the transportation industry, especially these past five years, have been […]
Leading Logistics to the Fourth Dimension
This past year has brought growth, mergers, and a steady move toward collaboration among supply chain suppliers and users. The supply chain community is growing up—and boldly—in a not-so-confident e-commerce world. There is a big difference between B2B supply chain organizations and standard fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pants e-commerce companies. The strong will survive and the poorly thought through […]
Selecting A Supply Chain Management System
Choosing supply chain management (SCM) software can be the single most important decision a logistics manager can make. This solution can be one that drives your business to 99.8-percent fulfillment levels or drives it into the ground. Blinco Systems Inc. (www.blinco.com) offers this 10-point checklist to use when interviewing vendors and evaluating SCM software packages. […]
e-Commerce Change Is in the Air
In 1995, a major financial services firm said, “our customers will never go on-line to trade.” Five years later, the landscape of that sector has changed significantly with a whole new way of doing business and with a cadre of new companies that are formidable competitors. To some degree, the transportation sector, and specifically air […]
Choosing Technology Over Nuts and Bolts
Picture this Information Technology (IT) department of a transoceanic shipping company: Hundreds of programmers sitting in front of computer screens. Managers training employees on outdated systems in use for 20 years. Phone calls from business unit heads wondering why legacy work is delaying project deadlines. This was Sea-Land in 1992, when I became CIO. Yet […]
Cross-Pollination and Excellence
Remember way back in high school bio class when you learned about J. Gregor Mendel’s experiments with peas? I bet you said to yourself, “What am I learning this for? I’ll never use it. I’m not gonna be a farmer.” Guess again, Mr. Greenjeans! You’re all grown up now, and you are the world’s finest […]
Dot.com Fever
No doubt about it. Throughout 1999 and early 2000, Dot-coms were hot, hot, hot! The opportunities offered by the Internet were seized by a whole new breed of entrepreneurs—bold and brave, innovative and uninhibited. Often their ideas—and their businesses—went from conception to realization in a matter of months. Their companies were unencumbered by the overhead […]
New Logistics Portal Saves Money on Every Shipment
Supply chain portals are growing in number, uniqueness, and breadth of service to all partners. They will continue to grow, given the ever-increasing usefulness of conducting supply chain management on the web and the constant growth of new technologies in this area. One new portal, which went live in November 2000, is worth noting. LTLNET.com, […]
Transportation Software: A Guide for the Perplexed
Making the right transportation software choice is harder than ever. More than 60 Internet transportation dot.coms have launched in the last 12 months alone. If you’re like most people, you’re wondering: “How can I make sense of all these companies?” The good news: the Internet can provide enormous productivity gains for transportation and logistics companies. […]
Get Customer-Centric or Get E-liminated
Ask three people to define e-commerce, and you’ll end up with three disparate answers. The problem is that companies use e-commerce to define varying degrees of involvement in e-business. Some companies think they conduct e-commerce because they have e-mail. Some believe that the mere presence of a web site constitutes an e-commerce approach. The fact […]
Carpe Diem Logistica
For purists, 2001 is when the new millennium really starts. For this magazine, 2001 marks the beginning of our 21st year of publication. It also marks the beginning of the third decade of championing the inbound approach that advanced the idea of traffic management from its humble, if not important, beginnings to an engine of […]