Articles
Commentary

GOOD QUESTION | How should shippers adjust their supply chains in response to the disruption caused by COVID-19?
Keep a daily pulse on supply and customer demand. Daily monitoring on COVID-19 restrictions in supplier and customer locations is essential to understanding when and where to ramp up or down capacity within your supply chain limits. It’s also important to communicate up and downstream projected manufacturing or demand signals so that your supply base […]
Read MoreLabeling Is Key in Keeping Up with Today’s Supply Chain
COVID-19 has created unprecedented challenges for supply chain and logistics management. Products like canned food, toilet paper, and cleaning supplies have seen a significant rise in demand, while the demand for oil and refined products has slowed down. At the same time, e-commerce is booming, and some companies are struggling to meet the demand. Multiple […]
Read MoreCOVID-19 Pandemic: Do Your Shipments Have the Right Protection?
Despite the many events that can disrupt today’s complex global supply chains, shippers too often don’t make cargo risk-management planning a priority for their business. But now, with the emergence of the coronavirus and its disruption of global trade, many shippers are seeing the value in such planning. Shipping delays are a very real possibility […]
Read MoreCOVID-19 Is Supply Chain’s Wake-Up Call
The power of centralized organizations must harness and unleash the strengths of decentralized communities to help beat this crisis.
Read MoreAhora todos lo saben
Keith Biondo es publisher de la revista norteamericana Inbound Logistics. Algunas categorías de búsqueda en la plataforma Inbound Logistics han subido más del 108%. ¿Qué buscan las empresas? Soluciones de logística, transportistas, ayuda de cumplimiento, soluciones de almacén, tecnología de gestión y soluciones 3PL, por nombrar algunas. La lucha por soluciones logísticas y experiencia está […]
Read MoreReplenishing the Fuel Supply Chain During COVID-19
When we head to the gas station, we rarely think twice about whether there will be fuel at the pump. Fuel supply management is never really a concern for consumers until there is a shortage or a pandemic, such as COVID-19. But for supply chain managers, the coordination and smart replenishment of fuel are monitored […]
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Business Intelligence: The Key to Success in Asia Pacific
The Asia Pacific region is becoming the next supply chain battleground. Instead of being a low-cost manufacturing region, it is developing into a significant marketplace as affluence and consumer demand increases. Many multinational corporations are already shifting key business functions to Asia Pacific to better understand the market and position themselves to capitalize on burgeoning […]
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Now They Know
Some search categories on the Inbound Logistics platform are up more than 108%. What are companies looking for? Logistics solutions, such as more carrier lift in certain areas, fulfillment help, warehouse solutions, transportation management technology, and 3PL solutions, to name a few. The scramble for logistics solutions and expertise is on. Everyone needs what you […]
Read MoreWhat supply chain insight would you share with your younger self?
Supply chains are more straightforward than they appear. All the acronyms and industry-specific terms seem confusing, but they’re all in service of moving things from origin to destination. —Ethan Frisch Co-founder Burlap and Barrel Take emotion out of your decision making and always be forward thinking with your long-term strategic plan in mind. Take care […]
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Flexing Muscle on China Trade Compliance
The Trump administration is using a novel approach—e-commerce shipment enforcement—to ensure that China complies with Phase 1 of the U.S.-China trade deal signed in January 2020. Trade compliance intersects with billions of dollars of e-commerce shipments in Operation Mega Flex, which the Department of Homeland Security outlined in late February 2020. Mega Flex targets what […]
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Accounting for Lean
While it’s one thing to have a lean supply chain, it’s another thing to properly account for it.
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4 Steps to Ensure Port Resiliency After a Critical Incident
Across the nation, seaports support more than 30 million jobs and have an economic impact of more than $5 trillion. In my home state of Florida, our ports support nearly one million jobs and have an annual impact of more than $117 billion.
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7 Smart Steps to Minimize Risk
Inherent risks exist in trading globally that businesses don’t have to deal with when they keep things closer to home. But the rewards of expanding to new markets can far outweigh those hazards, especially if you take the following steps to minimize and manage your exposure to risks.
Read MoreEmployee Engagement Is Your New Success Metric
Globally, 85% of employees report that they’re either not engaged or are actively disengaged within their jobs, according to a 2019 Gallup study. This is a big factor in employee turnover, because disengaged team members often feel underequipped, underdeveloped, and underappreciated. Logistics leaders who recognize and further engage their employees will reap long-term and short-term […]
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Inland Ports: An Efficient Alternative
Coastal seaports remain pivotal components of many supply chains. Yet, for U.S. manufacturers and distributors scouting new locations, nearby real estate options are pricey, scarce, and/or stuck in a web of congested roadways. One viable solution is inland ports—intermodal terminals directly connected to seaports by rail or road.
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Preparing for the New World of Work
The first, second, and third industrial revolutions were built around some form of energy: The first was fueled by steam, the second by electricity, and the third by nuclear power. Enter the Fourth Industrial Revolution, powered by smart, autonomous systems that use data and machine learning as their fuel.
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GOOD QUESTION | What Supply Chain Terms Do People Sometimes Confuse?
Carrier vs. broker or 3PL. Shippers often don’t recognize the value difference—and motivations—of an asset owner versus a non-asset player. We’re measured the same, but when the rubber meets the road, it’s the asset provider who has to deliver. The key is to understand where a broker brings value. Greg Orr President, CFI Savings vs. […]
Read MoreThe Global Economic Impact of COVID-19
When the novel coronavirus, now named COVID-19, first crept up in the city of Wuhan, China, in early 2020, no one could have predicted how this new virus would ultimately disrupt the global economy. Now, many around the world are contemplating how global supply chains may be affected and how things will play out in the next few months.
Read MoreLast Mile Delivery Strategies During COVID-19 and Other Supply Chain Disruptions
Supply chains and carriers keep the global economy working amid the unprecedented conditions resulting from COVID-19, but they can seize up under extreme strain.
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AI Powers Sustainable Manufacturing
One of the greatest potential benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) is helping the world become more sustainable. This includes addressing the three P’s of sustainability—people, planet, and profit—in manufacturing.
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