Articles
Commentary
5 Ways to Cut the Risk of Cargo Theft
Risk models provide a key advantage to firms operating globally, and are the first step in identifying key trade lanes, business partners, and the areas most likely to cause harm. The more you know, the easier it is to manage the risk. While risk modeling is an important part of the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism […]
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We’ve Been Together for 35 Years
This month marks my 35th anniversary of serving readers as editor of Inbound Logistics. That milestone gave me reason to look back while developing and editing the content for this annual logistics technology issue. Three decades ago, logistics technology primarily consisted of typewriters, pens and pencils, ledgers, paper maps, and hand-typed bills of lading and […]
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GOOD QUESTION | What movie/TV show/song title best describes your job?
Readers pick the song/movie/TV show title that best describes their job.
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Blockchain Set to Shake Up Shipping
International trade is a maze of regulations, and mostly manual, inefficient processes that lack transparency. This is all about to radically change with blockchain technology. Shipping today is riddled with documentation, regulations, and policies that require certificates of origin, letters of credit, bills of lading, vessel manifests, and customs declarations. Blockchain converts documents, such as […]
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3 Steps to a Demand-Driven Supply Chain
The on-demand economy means customers expect instant gratification via immediate access and convenient delivery options. Companies must adapt and start optimizing their supply chains to stay competitive. Many companies are still supply driven, constrained by resource capacity, archaic scheduling technologies, and inefficient decision-making. Typically, these businesses match demand by increasing the supply and infrastructure to […]
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Turn to Technology to Attract the Next Generation of Workers
Supply chain stakeholders have to acknowledge the shortage of workers in the supply chain sector. An estimated 600,000 manufacturing positions in the United States are going unfulfilled due to a lack of qualified workers, according to the 2016 MHI Annual Industry Report. Additionally the survey showed that 58 percent of respondents face a significant challenge […]
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Truck Driver Health Should Drive Business Decisions
Truck drivers are vital to the flow of the supply chain yet this key resource is being drained at an alarming rate. The average life expectancy for long-haul truck drivers is 61 years. As the current truck driver workforce ages and with fewer young people choosing a career as a truck driver, it leaves the […]
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Transparency to Efficiency: How IoT Can Increase the Productivity of Your Transportation (Sponsored)
The evolution of business has rapidly increased over the last 25 years. The speed of technological advances has impacted all aspect of business, including the last bastions of manufacturing and transportation operations. Every business has looked to capitalize on technology to increase productivity and leveraging that into higher profit margins. With the Internet of Things, […]
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5 Hacks for Recruiting in Supply Chain Management
Supply chain and logistics requires innovative, logical thinkers to be recruited in order to compete with rapid technology advancements and global expansion. Finding the right candidate for your business is a challenge that requires broad advertising, rigorous interviews, and ultimately some give and take from both sides. Not only does the individual need to be […]
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Redefining Globalism?
Not long ago, Deutsche Bank, Thomas Friedman, and many economic experts announced that globalism is dead. Even technology visionary Peter Thiel recently said, "The tide on globalism is going out." Deutsche Bank chief strategist George Saravelos frames globalism’s death notice this way: "The world has been on a ‘globalizing’ trend since the end of World […]
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GOOD QUESTION | What part of working in supply chain do you find the most rewarding?
We have a material impact on the experience our clients deliver for their customers. The convergence of technology and physical movement makes supply chain automation exciting and rewarding. The ability of leaders in the space to use logistics as a competitive differentiator has made it even more interesting. Chris Lingamfelter President, White Systems For me, […]
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Predictive Analytics Takes Forecasting to a New Level
Technology users in 2012 generated 2.5 exabytes of data per day, three-quarters of which is text, audio, or video messages. That’s a lot of data for companies to review and potentially leverage, and is one reason for the increasing use of predictive analytics, a cost-effective way to filter through and utilize large amounts of data. […]
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Today’s Competitive Supply Chain: Digital, Smaller, More Resilient
Historically, the supply chain and manufacturing industry has been relatively slow to embrace the opportunities presented by the digital revolution. Technology is advancing quickly, and it’s time to buck this trend. Whether it’s recognizing the crucial strategic strength and impact offered by the Internet of Things (IoT), taking advantage of the dramatic increase in automation, […]
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Defending Your Supply Chain Against Hackers
As organizations continue to outsource, form partnerships, and share data with third parties, a strong vendor risk management (VRM) program that stays ahead of risks in the information supply chain has to be a top priority. Hackers stole confidential data from tens of millions of Target customers during the height of the holiday shopping season. […]
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Walmart’s ShippingPass Has Ended. What Retailers Should Do Next.
The shipping wars between Walmart and Amazon are heating up. On Jan. 31, 2017, Walmart halted its ShippingPass delivery service in exchange for free two-day shipping—signaling their latest move against Amazon. As more retailers offer free shipping, today’s consumers now expect online purchases to be delivered “fast and free.” Evolving customer expectations for delivery are […]
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The Whole Industry Is Struggling to Define TMS. Here’s My Take.
I’ve been in the transportation sector for more than 30 years and wrote the first transportation management system (TMS) as a developer back in the ’80s. Since then, the term “TMS” has come to mean many different things. Today, it covers different product classes; many transportation software vendors refer to themselves as a TMS provider […]
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Why the ‘Shareconomy’ Is the Future of Logistics
The idea of a global shared economy—which has given rise to businesses such as Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb that share resources among user bases—is projected by PwC to generate revenue of at least $335 billion by 2025. An increasingly popular concept made possible by new technology platforms, fueled by the idea of collaborative consumption, the […]
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Weighing In on the Latest Trends in Weighing Technology
Professionals involved in logistics, transportation, and the supply chain can attest to the weighty role that weighing technology plays and how it has evolved to help organizations achieve commercial goals and stay competitive. Weighing systems play a critical role across the gamut of industry, providing companies with vital information that enables them to improve their […]
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Find the right solutions, carriers and partners to drive efficiency in your supply chain operations and enable your enterprise to navigate the twists and turns, ups and downs of the coming year. The Logistics Planner, 25 years strong, is updated this month with profiles of leaders in transportation, technology, logistics, supply chain management, education and […]
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Supply Chain in the Cloud: How Tech Is Reshaping Logistics
In warehouses, on roads, and in corporate offices, technology is evolving every facet of logistics. From basic improvements like streamlining operations and increasing process efficiency to fully automating delivery trucks, technology is enabling much smarter, simpler supply chain management. Below are three emerging technologies reshaping the logistics industry: RFID Technologies The replacement of traditional barcodes […]
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