Air Cargo Capacity Comes Back

For more than two years, demand for air cargo vastly exceeded supply. But now, at the end of 2022, air freight capacity is approaching pre-pandemic norms. What happens now?

Expedited Carriers Guide 2022

With enterprises running just-in-time and e-commerce accelerating customer expectations, shipment speed is more urgent than ever. From managing time-sensitive medical shipments to meeting last-minute capacity needs, shippers seek fast services, at reasonable costs.

These carriers can answer your need for speed. Offering same-day and next-day options, ground expedite and air charter solutions, to name a few, the carriers on this list can handle tight timeframes, specialized equipment needs, and mission-critical shipments.

GOOD QUESTION: Is supply chain globalization in retreat? Why or why not?

Industry insiders reveal if there has been a pullback on supply chain globalization amidst volatility and disruption.

Devanning: Definition, Process, and Benefits

Devanning is a process of warehouse and logistics management that uses digital technology to systematically unload loose items and shipping containers from a vehicle’s load space.  Container devanning involves loading and unloading cargo using a sealed container and heavy-duty equipment like counterbalance forklifts to manage the entire operation.  When goods devan at the destination, companies […]

Customs Clearance: Meaning and Process

International trade can be complex and time-consuming, but it is crucial for businesses that import or export goods to understand one of the most critical steps in the process: customs clearance. Customs clearance is the procedure you must follow to legally import or export goods across international borders. The process can be daunting, but this […]

Capacity Planning: Meaning, Strategies, and Process

Capacity planning is an excellent way to increase corporate productivity. Capacity planning helps you identify potential areas for growth, which boosts investment returns, and maintains good employee morale. Planning your resource capacity is helpful when you manage several projects because it improves your chances of accomplishing them on schedule and within budget.  Using capacity-based planning […]

Reverse Logistics: All You Need to Know About What It Is

If you’re a retailer or e-commerce seller, you need to know about reverse logistics, also known as reverse logistics flow. Reverse logistics is a supply chain management system used to manage the return of products that were originally sent out with an order. Here’s what reverse logistics is, why it is essential, pros and cons, […]

Pumpkin Spice Pandemonium

Pumpkin spice mania is a fall tradition in the United States. Here’s how seasonality blended with limited supplies jacks up demand.

Business as Unusual

A new IBM survey of 1,500 chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) reveals that supply chain leaders have accepted their fate: Business will continue to be anything but typical for the immediate future. The main focus for CSCOs now is to prepare for what happens next.

Nearshoring Picks Up Steam

All of the global supply chain snafus that have taken place over the past two years have caused many manufacturers to reexamine their supply chain and production networks. The question they all seem to be asking is: Should we bring production closer to consumption? A new report from Accenture indicates that answer is “yes.”

Acquiring Minds Want To Know

A new report by Barclays Corporate Banking finds that nearly half of all UK logistics businesses are likely to make an acquisition in the next 12 months as they look to expand operations and become more competitive—the highest figure recorded in the survey’s 10-year history.

Manufacturers Feel the Disruption Burden

Supply chain disruptions over the past 12-18 months—including shipping delays and parts shortages due to truck driver issues and congested ports—have heavily impacted manufacturers (see chart). That’s the consensus of Deloitte’s new study, Meeting the Challenge of Supply Chain Disruption, which was conducted in partnership with Manufacturers Alliance. (see chart).

How Macy’s Avoids Inventory Glut

Retailers across the country are struggling with inventory pileup due to 2021’s massive supply chain delays. Unloading these previous-season goods has become a top priority for the upcoming holiday and winter season. But Macy’s is singing a different tune: the retailer managed to avoid most of this inventory glut, and reported to the Wall Street Journal that more than half of its offerings for the holiday season will be new.

Land Of The Lost And Other Peak Season Challenges

A whopping 92% of merchants surveyed by UPS Capital report costly impacts to their business as a result of lost, stolen, or damaged shipments. Half of merchants say they lost $50,000+ in the past year.

VERTICAL FOCUS: Automotive Aftermarket

Here’s a look at supply chain trends in the automotive aftermarket space.

Expedited Delivery: Technology Makes it Happen

When customers want it NOW, technology makes it click by delivering increased visibility, optimized loads and routes, data-sharing, and digitized documents.

IN BRIEF: New Services and Solutions

From a lighter refrigerated truck body to a new U.S.-Korea airfreight service, here are some notable supply chain services and solutions that recently hit the market.

Intermodal vs. Multimodal: Definition and Advantages

Shippers save money and time by choosing multimodal and intermodal transportation. While both methods use many transportation modes, they differ in who is responsible for your shipment. Even though it might be easier to work with just one shipping company, it is often more cost-effective to leverage the knowledge and services of more than one. […]

E-Commerce Business Owner Perspective: Joining Forces with Fulfillment by Amazon Businesses

Partnering with firms that leverage Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) helped take our business to the next level.

CEO Interview: Leading With Candor and a Dash of Empathy

While she thrives on the fast pace of transportation and logistics, Nicole Glenn also knows how to slow it down when it comes to growing her company thoughtfully.

Freight Brokers Definition: What They Are and What They Do

If you are a shipper, you know how crucial it is to ensure that your precious cargo moves safely between cities and countries worldwide. There is nothing as stressful as watching your goods get stuck at customs because you don’t have the proper paperwork, or worse, never making it to their destination due to bad […]

NOTED: Supply Chain Highlights

From philanthropy initiatives to recent mergers and acquisitions, here’s what’s new and notable in the supply chain.

Winning in a Contract Market

Freight market volatility keeps us on our toes, and we can expect that to continue. Many carriers are shifting their focus from spot to contract freight, which creates a fantastic opportunity for shippers to optimize their supply chain by adapting their carrier strategy. Here are some proven practices for doing so.

Four Tips to Strengthen Cybersecurity

Supply chain problems continue to dominate headlines across the globe. In response, companies seek ways to increase visibility to help build more resilient supply chains. However, increasing the pace of digital transformation opens up an array of vulnerabilities that cybercriminals actively take advantage of. Shoring up cyber defenses is critical for logistics providers and shippers in particular, where a breach can have significant consequences.

Supply Chain Strain: How to Navigate Disruption

Now that we’ve been in a pandemic for more than two years, it’s funny to look back at our optimism at the beginning. We expected brief supply chain interruptions and thought that things would be back to normal in a few short months. Then we realized it could drag on for a year or more. But almost three years?

Becoming a Demand-Driven Enterprise

The key to becoming more agile when responding to demand signals is overcoming data and decision-making siloes that impact your ability to deliver. Here are 10 ways you can start to optimize your operations to become more predictive and proactive.

Robots: Walmart Advances, Amazon Retreats

When faced with anticipated fall-off in consumer purchases, Walmart leans into new robotic solutions. The retailer also re-tasks existing store infrastructure by attaching market fulfillment centers (MFCs)—compact warehouses inside, or tacked onto, retail stores to help fulfill pickup or delivery orders. It gets inventory closer to the customer and amps delivery velocity to serve consumers […]

Digital Supply Chain Technology Investments Spurred by Disruption

Supply chain leaders can drive impactful, lasting transformation within their organizations. Here are the digital solutions garnering attention and investment.

3PL Warehouse Rapid Deployment and Adaptation

How to easily configure business processes to meet customer-specific requirements.

Why You Should be Spending More on Your Pallets

Sometimes, finding a way to operate more efficiently forces a company to examine processes that haven’t changed for decades. Take the pallet. This simple, but crucial, item ensures stable loads and are essential to moving goods throughout the supply chain. They’re typically made of wood and are inexpensive—maybe about $15 per pallet. This may not seem cost prohibitive, but with up to 2 billion pallets in use in the U.S. alone, businesses must examine ways to reduce this cost without cutting corners.

On Manufacturing Pessimism

“Given current economic trends, it’s understandable that manufacturers’ optimism is declining. Yet, increased demand offers some promising news. To keep up, business leaders should diversify their material suppliers and challenge logistics providers to find ways to tighten delivery times. And, to address employee shortages, companies must revisit their talent strategies and implement comprehensive recruitment and […]

Rail to the Rescue?

When the supply chain turns volatile and the trucking market grows tough, can these alternatives to over-the-road transportation save the day?

NOTED: Supply Chain Highlights

From net-zero carbon initiatives to recent mergers and acquisitions, here’s what’s new and notable in the supply chain.

What’s the Most Valuable Logistics Brand?

The answer is UPS, according to the 2022 Brand Finance Logistics 25 report. With a brand value of $38.5 billion, UPS has held on to the top spot as the most valuable logistics brand in the world. Since last year’s report, the company’s brand value has increased by 28%.

Get Ready for the Hype

Industry buzz usually surrounds the release of a new Gartner Hype Cycle, and the 2022 Hype Cycle for Supply Chain Strategy is no different. The annual findings detail important changes in which strategies, technology, and workflows are making an impact. Along the continuum are these categories: Innovation Trigger Peak of Inflated Expectations Trough of Disillusionment […]

Uncle Sam’s Infrastructure Spending, Explained

With several key federal bills that bring dollars to logistics and transportation infrastructure passing recently, it can be hard to keep track of which funds are going where—and what it all means for supply chain and manufacturing professionals. Commercial real estate firm Savills breaks it down: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Signed into law by […]

Against All Odds, Trade Going Strong

“Resilient” seems to be the key word to describe global trade today. Despite myriad challenges—the aftermath of the pandemic, inflation, the war in Ukraine, a rocky stock market—global trade is persisting at strong levels, according to the latest DHL Trade Growth Atlas, published by DHL and the NYU Stern School of Business. The report maps […]

Full Kitting: Process, Benefits, and Types

Kitting is a beneficial process that brings together individual components for assembly. It’s an essential step in the manufacturing process where every component is gathered for assembly, saving time and money. Kitting processes take place before the assembly line, gathering the components that are used to make the complete product. However, kitting can mean different […]

Consignment Inventory: Definition, Advantages, and Disadvantages

Talk to any retailer and they will tell you without a doubt that there is a certain amount of risk that results from purchasing traditional inventory. This is because when retailers stock their products, they usually hope that they will sell enough to get a profit before their stock expires. However, this will not always […]

Keeping the Supply Chain Running in Ukraine

Since 2020, the business landscape has been full of crises for 3PLs operating in Europe. First a worldwide pandemic, now a war between Russia and Ukraine. Keeping a supply chain operating efficiently is challenging in the best of times, but how can companies best respond during game changing disruptions? Yuriy Ostapyak, a Ukrainian-born U.S. citizen and COO for Logistics Plus joined the Inbound Logistics podcast to discuss his company’s response to these challenges.

IN BRIEF: New Services and Solutions

From a cobot-based palletizer to an AI-driven warehouse management tool, here are some notable supply chain services and solutions that recently hit the market.

What is a Certificate of Compliance? Meaning, Requirements, Examples

A certificate of compliance is a document that certifies that a product or system meets the requirements of a safety regulation or standard. It is typically used in shipping and logistics to ensure that products are safe for transport and meet the destination country’s requirements.  Certificate of compliance examples in logistics include documents such as […]

VERTICAL FOCUS: Agriculture/Bulk Agriculture Commodities

AG Outlook: Mixed Both clear skies and stormy weather are in the forecast for the agricultural sector. That’s the mixed-bag conclusion from a September 2022 panel discussion at the Ag Outlook Forum in Kansas City, Missouri. The panel of experts—including Kip Tom, former ambassador to the U.N. Food & Agriculture Organization, and Daniel Whitley, administrator […]

Becoming a Successful Female Mentor in Male-Centric Industries

Countless published articles talk about the importance and value of mentorship, and we heard many of these voices during Women’s History Month in March. Many of these articles strike home at the essence and reasons why mentorship is especially critical for professional women in the workforce.

The Trucking Industry By-the-Numbers: The Long Haul

As the engine of the U.S. economy, the trucking industry carries around 11 billion tons of freight per year, keeping goods moving and the supply chain humming.

The Future of the Supply Chain is Cloudy

We hear a lot about the cloud these days. The cloud (public or private) refers to software and services that run on the Internet instead of locally on your computer. There is a good chance that the majority of business data will eventually reside in the cloud.

You Can Add Value to Your Brand Through Last-Mile Delivery

Retailers in a post-COVID world know better than anyone that growing their business by diversifying what they offer is a surefire way to solidify customer loyalty. In today’s highly competitive retail environment, delivery as a brand extension is a critical differentiator.

Moving to a Cloud-First Strategy

The benefits of cloud computing are driving many companies to adopt a cloud-first strategy. System migrations can be complex and intimidating, but with some preparation, your transition can be straightforward. Here’s how to start your cloud journey.

Anne Meyrose: Filling the Gap

Anne Meyrose is vice president, logistics control tower with Gap Inc., the apparel company behind the Athleta, Banana Republic, Gap, and Old Navy brands.

IL Good Question: If you could invent one tool to help you do your job better, what would it be?

Readers reveal the yet-to-be-invented tools that would be supply chain game-changers as well as the most recent innovations starting to make their jobs easier.

Tackling Trucking Turnover

Conventional wisdom says that the trucking industry suffers from a driver shortage; however, the real issue might not be a lack of drivers willing to take the job, but rather those who stick with it. Low pay, long hours, compliance concerns, out-of-pocket expenses, and parking scarcity can combine to lead established drivers to say enough is enough and look for new job opportunities.

WMS Enables Automation Orchestration for High-Volume E-Commerce Fulfillment

Case study in leveraging a warehouse management system to get the most out of a substantial, physical automation investment, in an existing distribution center.

Case Study: Maintenance Equipment Maker Paves a Road to Business Intelligence

For more than a century, E.D. Etnyre & Co. and its sister company BearCat Manufacturing have built industrial equipment that helps cities, towns, and other organizations maintain and preserve millions of miles of asphalt roads. You’ll find the companies’ beefy rigs in countries across the globe.

Radaro and NorthStar Digital Solutions Partner to Solve Industry-Wide Process Gaps in LTL & TL Transportation

FR8Focus is a new mobile application on the market representing the next step in the visual, real-time digitization of freight and asset tracking for North American carriers.

Top 12 Importing Do’s and Don’ts

To operate a supply chain that meets today’s global logistics challenges, importers need to rethink some approaches. These 12 strategies can be key components of a comprehensive plan.

Energizing Site Selection

What sparks site selection decisions? From strategic locations to tax incentives to organizations that develop custom solutions, these factors juice the site selection process.

Are Bad Deliveries Ruining Your Last Mile? Here’s How to Flip the Script

While the chaos of supply chains has been tamed from its pandemic peak, new disruptions are being forecast and the holiday shopping season will only compound those issues. 

Shipping Containers: What Do the Cans Tell Us?

What can we learn from the movements of shipping containers, or cans? Plenty. Here’s how they provide clues about future global trading patterns.

What Is Intermodal Transportation? History, Benefits, Examples

Intermodal transportation is not as mysterious or complicated as the name would have it sound. It means transporting one set of goods in a steel container using two or more modes of transportation, such as rail and truck.

Why IoT is Not the Answer

Global supply chain disruption is not caused by a lack of data—more than 10 billion Internet of Things (IoT) devices deployed worldwide add more data every second to already overflowing data stores, yet disruption persists. More IoT is not the answer. The real challenge is creating effective connections between numerous stakeholders performing a range of functions, across multiple enterprise platforms and in different jurisdictions.

What is the # 1 Port in the U.S. Right Now?

What’s the top port in the United States right now? If you said one of the West Coast ports, guess again. Inbound Logistics’ podcast with port leaders tells the exciting story.

Blanket Purchase Order: Definition, Benefits, and When to Use

A Blanket Purchase Order is a legally binding agreement between you, a buyer, and a supplier who has come to a long-term deal to deliver goods or services for a specified period. But what does that actually mean? What are the benefits of using this kind of agreement? And when is a good time to […]

What is FOB Destination? Meaning, Terms, Who Pays?

If you’re in the shipping industry, you need to be familiar with the shipping term FOB destination and all it implies. You should be able to answer the question of what does FOB mean in shipping and convey the fob price meaning. FOB is an acronym that means “free on board,” so FOB destination means […]

ScottsMiracle-Gro: Getting the Right (Logistics) Players in Place for Its Big Game

Winning means shelves are stocked full of ScottsMiracle-Gro products right when spring arrives. Here’s how ScottsMiracle-Gro improved delivery performance and logistics with a strategic partnership approach.

Materials Management: Definition, Process, Benefits

Materials management is an aspect of supply chain management and planning. The primary purpose of materials management is to ensure that manufacturers have all the raw materials they need to make goods. Materials management also focuses on ensuring that no components are wasted and optimizing  inventory maintenance and management. While materials management requires understanding what […]

How You Can Respond to Lingering Port Congestion Problems

We’re not experiencing a traditional peak retail shipping season this year. If you’re a shipper and hoped the decreased volumes would transfer to the ports, hopes are fading that you’ll see relief there.

Good Question: What phrase would you create to describe a supply chain trend or development?

From the “productization of delivery” (think super delivery) to “dot plot mania,” readers get creative and coin terms describing the latest supply chain developments.

Home Construction News and Trends

Suppliers, manufacturers, and other vendors up and down the home construction supply chain can expect to feel the pinch, as demand for new housing units stagnates.

Acing the Back-to-School Season

These stats on school supplies reveal getting straight A’s in back-to-school supply chains is a yearly test.

LeaderSHIP Profile: “I Am Never Giving Up”

Despite the exhausting challenges of helping demanding customers with small but important supply chain problems, Katherina-Olivia Lacey puts on a brave face, holds it together, and constantly drives new solutions.

IN BRIEF: New Services and Solutions

From a scalable automated pickup system to a new last mile solution, here are some notable supply chain services and solutions that recently hit the market.

NOTED: Supply Chain Highlights

From philanthropy initiatives to recent mergers and acquisitions, here’s what’s new and notable in the supply chain.

5 Ways to Step Up Your WMS Game

A play-by-play guide to choosing the warehouse management system that will help you win the supply chain.

“Make, Move, Sell” Companies Shift Business Models: Necessity Begets (Re)Invention

With the adage “necessity is the mother of all invention” as a guide, businesses are embracing change and cultivating innovation in response to continued supply chain turmoil.

Supply Chain Leaders Reconfigure Distribution Networks

Given everything that has transpired across the globe over the past two years, supply chain leaders are evaluating and executing changes to their supply chain/distribution networks as well as their sourcing and manufacturing strategies.

Last Mile Holiday Trends: Ho Ho Ho, Oh No?

Even though summer recently ended, it’s never too soon to think about the holiday shopping—and shipping—season in the retail and e-tail logistics world.

Global Cold Chain Outlook: Cold Is Hot

The global cold chain market is a bright spot in the perishables business landscape. It was valued at $253 billion in 2021, and is projected to reach $437 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 8.1%, according to a SkyQuest Technology Consulting report.

Top 15 Ways to Maneuver in Today’s Trucking Market

Buying trucking services can feel like running an obstacle course — constantly negotiating rates or avoiding capacity hurdles. As 2023 approaches, it’s time for shippers to train for the next challenge.

Freight Bill Audit & Payment: Savings in the Bag

By streamlining supply chain processes, FBAP providers help enterprises gain insights from their freight data and collect bottom-line benefits.

Syfan Logistics Renders Transport Plan on Deadline to Haul Away Foul Mess

Taking on smelly poultry waste and an extremely tight deadline, Syfan Logistics provides a swift solution to a fowl challenge many refused—adding another feather to its cap.

WMS Guide 2022

This short list of leading WMS solutions can help your enterprise react agilely and quickly to meet today’s new customer demands.

Inflation Innovation Stagnation

Achieving demand-driven enterprise status would have been impossible without the innovative technology-driven processes brought to bear on how we source, ship, and fulfill product, all while meeting evolving customer needs and demands.

Ensuring a Sustainable Supply Chain

The Ukraine conflict, COVID-19, and rising inflation have drawn attention to the fragility of global supply chains. With all eyes on logistics, operations leaders have additional reason to examine supply chains from the ground up. Here’s how to start.

5 Ways to Prepare for Supply Chain Disruptions

If we’ve learned anything during the past two years, it has been about market disruptions—even to the point of the disruptions being disrupted. While accurate crystal balls are tough to come by, let’s explore five trends and how they may provide clues to solve for continued supply chain disruptions.

Prioritizing Meaningful and Safe Work

We must create a supply chain—link by link—with working conditions where everyone, from the warehouse employee to the end consumer, wins.

Building Industry-Focused Solutions

Based on the magnitude of challenges that industries face, we need something that incorporates innovation and takes us from just-in-time to just-in-case strategies. It’s time for supply chain reimagination.

2022 Top 100 Truckers

Find Trucking Solutions In today’s challenging and volatile business climate, it’s more important than ever to find carrier partners that best fuel your diverse and demanding needs. Inbound Logistics’ annual Top 100 Truckers list helps you find them. More than 200 trucking companies, including the best-paying truckers, submitted their credentials to be considered for the […]

Warehouse Management System (WMS) Implementation Best Practices

Best practice protocol necessitates that we continue to assess the effectiveness of the solution, as well as consider possible system enhancements, additions, and wish-list items.

Top 5 Mistakes in Transportation RFPs

Executing a smart request-for-proposal (RFP) strategy enables shippers to manage costs, increase service levels, and meet capacity needs. Here’s what to avoid: Shippers can mitigate risk and successfully manage capacity needs by avoiding the most common pitfalls. 1. Unclear Carrier Strategy Instead of sending every lane to bid or rolling every lane over to your […]

Be Prepared for the Complexities of Mexico Cross-Border Logistics

Customs and legal issues, as well as capacity trends, underline the need for a transportation and logistics partner with the knowledge and experience to make the cross-border transition seamless.

Debunking 7 Misconceptions about Logistics Performance Metrics

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are an essential part of sound supply chain management — at least that’s what 83% of your peers think.

Real-time Data Isn’t the Only Thing Supply Chains Are Missing

Before the polar vortex in Texas, the biggest logjams at the Port of LA, and the start of the Great Resignation, McKinsey found that major production disruptions were estimated to occur every 3.7 years. In the months since, it has become clear these incidents are far too common to be referred to as black swan […]

2022 Trucking Perspectives

Inbound Logistics’ exclusive yearly survey of motor carriers and shippers offers a close look at the state of the trucking industry in an era of inflation and supply chain volatility. In 2022, as shippers and their trucker partners have settled into what might or might not become the “new normal,” some are breathing a bit […]

Manufacturing Supply Chains: Solving Workforce Challenges with Output-Based Staffing  

The COVID-19 labor shortage has made hiring and retaining top employees more important than ever as companies scramble to staff up. Employers are hustling to fill enough positions to return to full output, while employees can pick and choose between jobs competing to offer the best benefits and pay. Better wages and quality of life […]

Top 5 Supply Chain Disruptions

New data from Resilinc highlights the top drivers of supply chain disruptions for the first half of 2022. From January through June, Resilinc’s EventWatchAI platform alerted its customers to an astounding 7,929 potential supply chain disruptions (a 46% YoY increase) with the life sciences, healthcare, high-tech, and automotive industries being most impacted. The top five […]

Consumers Go on an Online Spending Spree

Despite current worries about an economic downturn, consumers are still shopping—especially online. And retail logistics companies keep shipping products. As a result, the global retail logistics market is forecast to jump from $231 billion USD in 2021 to $622 billion USD by 2030. That computes to a 12% compound annual growth rate over that time. […]

Warehouse Space: Can you find it?

Need warehouse space? It should be slightly easier to come by into 2023. A recent Prologis report focused on Q2 2022 activity and predictions for 2023 expects a small increase in vacancies. The reason: Demand will drop and supply chain movement will improve, which will get more products into the marketplace. Here are some key […]

Supply Chains Out of Sync

There are some harsh words for the logistics and supply chain sector in the 33rd Annual State of Logistics Report, revealed recently at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. U.S.-based supply chains are “out of sync,” caused by struggles to adjust to short-term changes, the report claims. The good news, though: the industry is […]

Chemical Logistics Market Grows

$317.17 billion That’s the estimated size of the chemical logistics market by 2026, according to The Business Research Company’s Chemical Logistics Global Market Report 2022. The figure represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.9% over the next 5 years. For 2022, the chemical logistics market size will grow to $271.73 billion, up 7.9% from […]