Articles
Commentary
Supply Chain Integration + Collaboration = Time Travel?
Debunking these five myths helps retailers and manufacturers see the real value of dedicated returns management.
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Four Reasons Retailers Should Pay Attention to Reverse Logistics
Many retailers have long emphasized agility and cost-efficient movement of freight to stores or customers. However, they often neglect reverse logistics, resulting in missed opportunities for the entire consumer goods supply chain. The multi-channel model—which enables consumers to buy anytime, anywhere—has significantly impacted the retail industry and given rise to the following reasons why retailers […]
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The Ins and Outs of Crossdocking Solutions
Crossdocking—immediately converting inbound deliveries to outbound shipments—has become popular among shippers and third-party logistics (3PL) providers, because it reduces inventory costs and improves delivery times by eliminating intermediate warehousing activity. Effective crossdocking requires continuous real-time visibility of shipments from supplier to end customer. Unfortunately, typical enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems don’t provide granular details specific […]
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Five Key Questions to Ask a Vendor Before Buying Supply Chain Software
Cloud-based systems have changed the game for software in the supply chain, and their benefits are being applauded at every level of the spectrum. It puts software development into the hands of technology professionals and allows supply chain providers to continue focusing on their core competencies. This means that supply chain providers have access to […]
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Ensuring Business Sustainability During Disasters, Disruptions, and Service Failures
We have seen horrific natural disasters in recent years that taxed both supply chains and our core businesses. Approximately 85 percent of global supply chains experienced at least one significant disruption during 2013. This affects both an organization’s bottom line and its ability to be there for customers. Businesses that survive natural disasters, operational interruptions, […]
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Avoiding Christmas Past: Use Technology to Ensure Timely Holiday Deliveries
The holiday season is quickly approaching, and that means it’s only a matter of time before Santa’s sleigh is filled up with presents from online orders and cross-country relatives. FedEx is anticipating an increase in holiday shipments of 8.8 percent, and UPS is anticipating an 11 percent increase over 2013. Will UPS and FedEx be […]
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Adapting Your Supply Chain for the Future…Now
Supply chain practitioners are adept at identifying and adapting to changes in the real world, both in the long and short term. Two examples: One company is preparing its supply chain process for an anticipated explosion of products that don’t exist yet, and many logistics and supply chain practitioners are dealing with satisfying consumer demand […]
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Why BYOD Can Actually Cost You Money
Millions of people have fallen in love with the same object—their smartphone. Many users build their personal lives around mobile devices, but smartphones have made their mark in the professional world as well. The transportation and logistics sectors are no exception. The bring your own device (BYOD) movement has been a major consequence of the […]
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3PL Partnerships Can Ease Burden on LATAM Manufacturers
Latin America is fast becoming the destination of choice for companies looking to expand their global footprint. The significant increase in companies establishing manufacturing facilities and distribution centers there over the past several years showcases the impact the region is having on the global economy. Many Latin American governments have orchestrated multiple free trade agreements, […]
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Why Retailers Put Their Sleighbells on in May
The sun is shining and the weather is warm, yet the world’s top retailers are humming holiday tunes and preparing for the busy season ahead. Retailers often prep for holiday delivery logistics months in advance, but 2014 saw them beginning preparations earlier than ever—in May. And who could blame them? We all remember last year’s […]
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Three Ways a WCS Can Improve Your Operation
Just as customer expectations have become more diverse and specific over the past few years, retailers are evolving in the way they fulfill those orders. There just doesn’t seem to be a one-size-fits-all solution for distribution in the current landscape. Big retailers are automating as much of their facilities as possible and are adopting new […]
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Intermodal Transportation’s Solution to Our Evolving Supply Chain Demands
One of the top supply chain trends impacting the transportation industry today is intermodal transportation. Over the past few years, capacity has been squeezed with driver shortages, increased demand, increased fuel prices, and heightened government oversight. All these extenuating circumstances affect everything from pricing to timing of loads, and executives are looking for the answer […]
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Modal Harmony in a Discordant Market
When U.S. gas prices hit all-time highs in summer 2008, surpassing $4 per gallon and $140 per barrel, shippers felt the pinch. For some, it pushed the needle in a new direction. Shippers such as Welch’s used the 2008 gas crisis as a burning platform to test intermodal solutions in certain lanes. It was a […]
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A Lean and Agile Supply Chain: Not an Option, But a Necessity
In today’s global, dynamic economy, it is beneficial for companies to operate a supply chain that is both Lean and agile. Using Lean and agile in combination is known as having a hybrid supply chain strategy. A hybrid supply chain strategy may be appropriate for a company attempting to become a "mass customizer"—producing progressively smaller […]
Read MoreLogistics Sector Leads the Internet of Things Revolution
The Internet of Things (IoT) has been hailed for years as the technology wave of the future. But while we were waiting for refrigerators that order from the store when we’re low on milk, the logistics sector has been making the first tangible forays into a real IoT environment. Using connected devices such as sensors […]
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Making Hazmat Regulation Compliance Less Hazardous
Hazardous material (hazmat) transport regulations can often seem like a foreign language. An abundance of unique terms leaves many shippers perplexed. Even the phrase "hazardous materials" can be confusing because the term "dangerous goods" is standard outside the United States. And with regulations constantly shifting and changing, it gets increasingly harder for shippers to remain […]
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The Spot Market – And How Not to Use It
Many shippers don’t realize that they are sabotaging themselves in the spot freight market. It is standard rationale that competitive bidding achieves a lower price. However, our application of that principle distorts Adam Smith’s law of supply and demand by creating a false demand “bubble” that results in higher prices and less profit for shippers. […]
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Challenges for Today’s Global Supply Chain: Cost, Profitability and Personalization
When market research firm PWC put out its Global Supply Study in 2013, the concerns of the 500 surveyed executives were mostly what one would expect: profitability, cost management, and customer satisfaction. A fourth concern, however, indicates a shift in global supply chain realities. PWC’s study participants are worried about flexibility – and they should […]
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How to Determine Whether Your Freight Broker Is Legitimate
Wouldn’t it be great if you did your business trusting all of the parties involved without a shadow of a doubt? Sometimes this is indeed possible – when you’ve worked with the same partners for years, and you’ve managed to build a work environment of mutual trust and cooperation. Most of the time, however, it’s […]
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Regulation as an Opportunity
Manufacturers are facing an increasing number of regulations in a variety of areas from increasing food safety to meeting specific ground-level ozone policies. The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010, signed into law in 2011, is just one example of recent legislation. Resulting from widespread cases of tainted eggs and peanut butter, the sweeping […]
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