Articles
Commentary

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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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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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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How Supply Chain Drives Business Value
World-class companies such as Apple, Cisco, Amazon, and Unilever have found a way to foster strong collaboration between their supply chain and commercial teams to execute business strategy, and this is a key driver in their success.
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Incoterms 2020: Embracing the Rules
International Commercial Terms, commonly known as Incoterms®, standardize the responsibilities of the buyer and seller in an international transaction and are now used frequently in domestic transactions in the United States.
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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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Navigating Amazon’s Move into Freight
Amazon’s quiet but successful launch of a full-service freight brokerage has a number of implications for supply chain professionals—some obvious and some not so clear.
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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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The Secret Behind the Best Supply Chain Transformations
Even the most well-oiled supply chains have room for improvement. But what if you want to do more than just improve; what if you want to transform? Data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) can disrupt—and, yes, transform—your supply chain.
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Tips for Shipping Across the Mexico Border
Does your business have the knowledge and resources to manage cross-border shipping effectively? Review these five critical questions to ask before booking your next load across the Mexico border.
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