Articles
Checking In
The Human Touch (Felecia Stratton)
When was the last time you shared a drink with your WMS, complimented your forklift, or gave your computer a pat on the back? Accidental coffee spills and wishful coaxing aside, probably never, and for good reason. Machines may help get the job done faster and more efficiently, but the real power behind the supply […]
Read MoreHidden Heroes Power the Supply Chain (Keith Biondo)
Some people manage simple logistics systems. Others face logistics complexities that stretch beyond their ability to master them. Some people oversee logistics flows across the globe. Others run a seemingly never-ending closed loop of highly disciplined product flow within the confines of a single state. Some logistics managers operate a transport program that flat-lines for […]
Read MoreAll the News…?
Walking past the newsstand last weekend, a New York Times headline caught my attention: As Trucking Rules Are Eased, A Debate on Safety Intensifies. I picked up the article, hoping to learn about safety concerns and actions the industry is taking to address them. Sandwiched between the first and last paragraph of the article, both […]
Read MoreTis the Season to be Shipping
The peak season for holiday shipping used to start in September, but carriers now say November is their busiest month, thanks to manufacturers and retailers better matching demand to supply. You can make the case that demand-driven logistics practices drive retailing excellence by speeding inventory and slashing the sourcing-to-sales cycle. You might even say that […]
Read MoreSAFE, At Home
The shipping community, with government assistance, is the defensive line protecting us from threats caused by nuclear proliferation. Where’s the global anti-nuke movement? They must be sitting this one out, waiting for the next power plant to open. We know exactly where Congress is, however. The Security and Accountability for Every Port Act (SAFE) offers […]
Read MoreRising Costs? Lateral Thinking May Help
There are two sides to the rising trucking costs issue—the carriers’ and the shippers’. Carriers say the confluence of rising diesel prices; the driver shortage; government mandates reducing gas mileage on new equipment and driver productivity; higher taxes, insurance, and compliance costs; and increased security costs for better background checks creates a “perfect storm” for […]
Read MoreInbound We Trust
If I had a dollar for every time a reader asked me, “Why inbound? Why demand-driven?” I’d be living in a nice little house by the beach. And considering the number of new readers asking that question, it soon might be a nicer little house by the beach. Who are these new readers? Last year, […]
Read MoreGoing Above & Beyond: The Norm for Top 3PLs
Whether a third-party logistics provider receives enough reader votes to win an Inbound Logistics Top 10 Excellence Award (page 100), or is chosen by the editors for the Top 100 3PL list (page 128), they share one common attribute—they go above and beyond the norm to meet, exceed, and in some cases anticipate their customers’ […]
Read MoreSelf-Criticism and Shared Pain
Jeff Shane shares our pain. Who is he and what is the cause of our shared transportation weltschmertz? Shane is the Undersecretary for Policy at the Department of Transportation and appeared to be thinking out loud at a recent speech to National Industrial Transportation League members. Shane was right there with us when we spent […]
Read MoreLess is Less and Less is More
Two important trends will impact your warehouse operations in the near term. First, retailers will seek to trim inventory even further to increase profits without reducing customer service standards. Wal-Mart, for example, recently announced its intention to cut $6.5 billion in inventory off an already lean 2:1 inventory-to-sales ratio. The goal? “Theoretical Zero Inventory.” The […]
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