Articles

Commentary

Keith Biondo
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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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Employee 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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Michelle Comerford
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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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GOOD QUESTION | What Supply Chain Terms Do People Sometimes Confuse?
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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. […]

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The 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.

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Keith Biondo
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Robot Return Ratios

More robots are on the way to Walmart, says John Crecelius, the retailer’s vice president in charge of in-store innovations. Walmart will add shelf-scanning Bossa Nova robots to 650 more U.S. stores in 2020, for a total of 1,000 or more by the fall. Either Bossa Nova or Simbe robots will be in “the majority” […]

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Christoph Seitz
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Transporting Cars: RoRo or Containers

The automotive supply chain is global and complex. The integration of smart solutions such as containerization maximizes the safety of the product, no matter how far it will travel to the final destination. Using containerization in place of traditional roll-on roll-off, or RoRo, transportation offers many advantages to the driver, the automotive supplier, and the consumer.

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Bernhard Simon
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Can the New Silk Road Compete with the Maritime Silk Road?

The more I hear and read about the New Silk Road, the more grand the expectations. Politically, the trade corridors between China and Europe, as well as Africa, seem to be China’s key to becoming a leading global power in the 21st century. Logistically, infrastructures and networks are emerging on an entirely new scale, taking a gigantic economic area—representing 60% of the world’s population and 35% of the global economy—to the next level. The New Silk Road could act as a high-speed internet for transporting goods.

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How Is Coronavirus Impacting E-Commerce?
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How Is Coronavirus Impacting E-Commerce?

The number of people infected by the new coronavirus globally surpassed those infected in China as of February 2020. As the virus continues to spread, new ramifications are revealed daily. How is the coronavirus impacting e-commerce operations, and what can retailers do in response to those challenges?

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