Articles
Commentary
5 Steps for Improving Your Logistics Training
Training is often viewed as an employee benefit, rather than an investment in the business. That’s why in difficult economic times, training and employee development are among the first budget items to go. To avoid these cuts, you must align educational programs with your company’s business objectives, and position them to drive results. Here are […]
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How to Profit from Outsourcing
More companies outsource the reverse logistics function than any other part of the supply chain. In fact, most Fortune 1000 retailers and consumer goods manufacturers outsource part or all of their reverse logistics processes, and experts expect this trend to continue growing globally over the next 20 years. Why do companies such as Walmart, Dell, […]
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Benchmarking Career Development
When a professional discipline evolves at hyper speed, career development follows. But actually, it should lead. Keeping up with change—often precipitated by new generations of talent, innovation, and technological know-how—instinctively raises expectations, and inspires personal growth and enrichment. That’s particularly true of supply chain management. In a literal sense, learning on the job is part […]
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How the Changing Chassis Market Affects Your Supply Chain
The change in marine chassis provisioning continues to be of concern to maritime shippers, thanks to a long-term trend of separating ocean transportation from inland logistics. That trend began in the mid-2000s, when carriers limited the inland destinations they would serve. As ocean carriers are disintermediated from the market, chassis users and providers will develop […]
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Collaborative Programs: Not a Chore But an Opportunity
Many corporate executives view the supply chain and logistics function as a source of savings through cost reduction. Their position is understandable, as supply chain and logistics costs can represent 50 to 70 percent of a company’s sales dollars. Making these operations more efficient and effective can have a great impact on the bottom line. […]
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Using Operational Analytics to Achieve a Digitized, Visible Supply Chain
To assure a succcessful future, companies must add value to their customers and organizations, and drive competitive advantage. The best way to achieve this is by developing a system based on operational analytics. Operational analytics come from analyses done on the fly as part of standard business processes. Planning, inventory management, and control are examples […]
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Weathering Climate Change and Supply Chain Risk
Companies have become more aware than ever of the considerable risks that climate change poses to their businesses and supply chains. A current or future risk related to climate change was identified by 70 percent of the 2,500 companies responding to Reducing Risk and Driving Business Value, a 2012 survey conducted by the Carbon Disclosure […]
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Five Ways to Drive Efficiency In International Logistics
If your international supply chain partners aren’t able to operate at optimal efficiency, they pass increased pricing on to your company. When partners don’t meet your expectations, it’s difficult to standardize the logistics flow, which reduces efficiency and decreases their level of commitment to your goals. Add the extra time your personnel spend working through […]
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Maximize Nearshoring Value to Minimize Supply Chain Complexity
Latin America—particularly Mexico—continues to gain favor as a sourcing hotspot. Its close proximity to the U.S. border has always been a draw, but recent developments have shifted the global trade landscape in favor of the Western hemisphere. Nearsourcing may never entirely replace production in Asia, but trading partners in the Americas should be an essential […]
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Creating Meaningful Logistics Training Programs on a Budget
Training costs are often among the first budget items to be reduced or eliminated. Smart companies, however, recognize the vital role logistics training plays in keeping their teams ahead of the competition, and choose to manage their training budget carefully. To effectively manage training dollars, every department should distinguish between essential and recommended training. Essential […]
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Minimizing the Financial Impact of Peak Season Returns
As the supply chain world settles in for a long winter’s nap, the reverse logistics world is shifting into overdrive to handle peak returns season. Both retailers and manufacturers report that the percent of returns for 2014 is roughly the same as it was by this point in 2013. The rate of returns for holiday […]
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Brokers Are Commoditizing LTL Carriers… And That’s a Good Thing
Much discussion in the transportation industry centers around how less-than-truckload (LTL) resellers, or brokers, are commoditizing the LTL carrier marketplace. While carriers don’t claim that brokers are packaging up their contracts and listing them on the Chicago Board of Trade to be exchanged like pork belly futures contracts, some do believe resellers are stripping the […]
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Supply Chain Analytics: Overcoming Obstacles to Stay Ahead of Your Competitors
Leveraging data analysis and technology integration can generate powerful insights to transform today’s supply chains. Companies continue to struggle, however, with the best techniques to get the right information in the hands of their decision-makers. Many manufacturers and shippers report their organization is not aligned around key performance metrics. Simply including analytics in your strategy […]
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Year of Uncertainty?
2014 is shaping up as a year of uncertainty. Retail sales are off, the stock market is skittish. Healthcare, energy, and regulatory policies are in flux, and unemployment levels and consumer confidence are scary. Uncertainty reigns for many. In the face of all this, growth is assured for some of us. The others are tasked […]
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Well, There’s One Thing That’s Certain…
If there’s one certainty, it’s that some things never change—sometimes for the worse, but often for the better. Consider this issue you are now thumbing or clicking through. The 2014 Logistics Planner marks Inbound Logistics‘ 20th anniversary of publishing what has become an industry standard. Such longevity is validation that our mission-based focus remains as […]
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Achieving True Mobility in Supply Chain and Logistics Operations
Mobile technology is pervasive and disruptive. It has made huge strides in the consumer market. But, when we look at mobile technology adoption in enterprises, it is still in its infancy. True mobile technology means commonly available smartphones and tablets that run standard operating systems such as iOS, Android, and Windows. There are a number […]
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A New Paradigm in Vendor Partner Management
Leading companies are moving from traditional vendor compliance to vendor partner management — a competitive differentiator in how companies manage their inbound purchase orders (POs) and transportation to increase sales and customer service. Historically, vendor compliance has revolved around chargebacks — the practice of making deductions from the purchase price when vendors break an agreed-upon […]
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Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Tackles Track-and-Trace Challenges
New legislation is in the works to prevent counterfeit medicines from entering the pharmaceutical supply chain. These random mixtures of harmful toxic substances are not only illegal; they are extremely dangerous to patients and damaging to the reputations of legitimate pharmaceutical companies. Increased Internet sales, widespread demand for generic drugs, and drug shortages in many […]
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Seeking Innovation? Stop IT Overspending
Today’s supply chain is one of the most exciting arenas for business innovation. Mobility, cloud computing, big data, and new production techniques such as 3-D printing are breaking down barriers between retailers, consumers, manufacturers, and suppliers. The technology trends driving supply chain innovation are also driving IT costs through the roof. Eighty-nine percent of IT […]
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Visions of Customer Service
Tighter links are being forged between customer service and logistics in the retail supply chain. As competition between traditional and online shopping choices heats up, expedited transportation offerings and blended supply chain networks play a pivotal role. Simply put, delivery speed and logistics agility provide the customer service levels needed to win. The main advantage […]
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