Articles
Commentary
U.S./Canada Border Clearance: It’s Not as Easy as You Think
Many U.S. companies underestimate the complexity of shipping to Canada, thinking of it almost as an extension of their own country. Geographic proximity, shared language, and common culture leave the impression that sending goods across the border should be a breeze. Yet increasingly stringent security mandates, bureaucratic customs requirements, and a battery of taxes, tariffs, […]
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Discovering the Value of Reverse Logistics
Some people think of reverse logistics—the process of removing assets from their primary use channel to a secondary channel to maximize the assets’ value—as only handling customer returns or defective goods. But defective items account for only about 25 percent of the total value of all assets processed in reverse logistics operations. Recalled product, overstocks, […]
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The Five New Rules of E-commerce and the Path to Successful B2B Online Sales
Does business-to-business e-commerce figure prominently in your organization’s strategic plans? If not, you are missing a key inflection point emerging in the market today. Industry analyst firm Forrester estimates the B2B e-commerce market is expected to reach $559 billion by the end of 2013. This significant opportunity has been recognized by Internet heavyweights Amazon and […]
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Moving Logistics Technology to the Cloud Dispels the Fog of Uncertainty
Cloud computing offers democracy to logistics and transportation providers, putting small and mid-sized providers on the same playing field as large global companies. With a strong technology platform, cloud computing can serve as a logistics company’s differentiator for its intellectual capital and other critical information and data. The advantages for logistics companies of moving to […]
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Expecting the Unexpected: The True Test of Leadership
Regardless of whether you run a global organization or are just starting your logistics career, you already know that no two days in this business are ever alike. Every day is unique depending on what customers are being served, and where their goods are being shipped. Some days require more fortitude than others, however. Issues […]
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Three Top Myths About Foreign Trade Zones Dispelled
When supply chain and logistics managers think Foreign Trade Zone—the program that allows companies to defer paying customs duties, fees, and taxes on merchandise imported into the United States until consumed, used in construction, or leaving the zone—several adjectives come to mind. Usually those descriptors are not: smooth, cost-effective, and easy to manage. Instead they […]
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We’re All in This Together: Teamwork in a Lean Workplace
While some Lean practitioners focus on manufacturing pioneer Taiichi Ohno’s Seven Wastes (transportation, inventory, motion, waiting, overproduction, overprocessing, and defects), many add an eighth waste: behavioral waste, or under-utilized employees. It takes a real change management effort to successfully implement a Lean program—especially when it involves changing workers’ habits. Someone who has been doing a […]
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When Government Oversight of Motor Carriers Fails, Shippers Pay
While overall truck accident rates have been trending lower over the past several years, avoidable carrier accidents are still common. Comprehensive safety compliance reviews (CRs) by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) protect lives and property. In the year after a CR is conducted, crashes decrease 16.3 percent, according to […]
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Consumer Electronics and Reverse Logistics: Play It Again
Shoppers return between 11 and 20 percent of consumer electronics devices, according to industry experts. While returns are the beginning to device recovery, all the steps in the reverse logistics process, including repair/refurbishment and remarketing, can be improved. Recognizing the importance of reverse logistics in maintaining and growing profit margins, many consumer electronics manufacturers and […]
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Keeping Track of Time
If your average day is anything like mine, you face an endless barrage of internal emails, corporate memos, newsletters, and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to refinance a home loan. Spam filters, email notifications, and custom preferences help organize this self-perpetuating info soup, making it easier to manage communications—then act according to priority. Complicating matters is the reality […]
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Get Airborne with Asset Tracking
In today’s complex global supply chain, transportation delays, security issues, and spoiled or lost cargo too often disrupt the distribution process. In air transportation, cargo often travels via multiple airports, airlines, ground handlers, and across geographies, creating ample opportunity for problems to occur. While other transport modes have had the benefits of GPS technology to […]
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New Transatlantic Trade Pact Could Be Favorable “TTIP-ing” Point for Logistics Sector
In announcing the start of negotiations to forge a new trade agreement between the United States and the 27-nation European Union (EU), British Prime Minister David Cameron said at the G-8 summit meeting held in Northern Ireland in June 2013 that there is "no better way to drive growth and prosperity around the world" than […]
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Business Process Improvement? Flexibility.
In his futile search for the Fountain of Youth, Ponce de León walked right past untold riches. If you are not evaluating your third-party logistics providers for their ability to drive strategic improvements in your enterprise, you may be doing the same thing. Thirty-three percent of respondents to our annual 3PL Perspectives market research survey […]
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Finding Supply Chain Feng Shui
Business process improvement is especially important in today’s economic climate. Businesses are sensitive to fixed costs when the economy is swinging like a pendulum. There’s shared recognition that they have to stick to their principal business to grow out of the recession; and logistics execution and supply chain excellence is too important to ignore. That’s […]
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3PLs Can Provide Soft Cost Savings for Small Businesses
Shipping is the second-largest cost many small businesses incur, after labor. Despite the challenges they face—including high gas prices, advancing technologies, and competitive markets—small companies must continue to move products from Point A to Point B. To keep productivity high and customers happy, some small businesses seek ways to cut shipping costs, including engaging third-party […]
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Preparation: Your Best Asset in Managing Supply Chain Disruptions
Supply disruptions occur daily, caused by delayed deliveries; weather impacts on inbound supply; and prolonged standstills associated with natural disasters, port labor strikes, or critical supplier failures. Whatever the reason for the disruption, supply chain managers prove their value by delivering—no matter the circumstances. An active risk management process helps identify a range of possible […]
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Improving America’s Ports: A Vital Step in U.S. Economic Recovery
In its March 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) included port infrastructure for the first time in its comprehensive infrastructure analysis. ASCE’s reports are instrumental in showing the need for infrastructure investment, and the economic impact of its neglect. Advocating for increased federal investment in seaport-related infrastructure—including both […]
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Adopting Online Training To Enrich Your Workforce
The popularity of online training is skyrocketing. Many companies are discovering the benefits of using online training to help supply chain employees boost their knowledge and add cross-functional value to the organization. The advantages of online training include: Reducing the travel and tuition costs associated with training. Training more employees at less cost. Reinforcing alignment […]
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10 Trends Driving Greener Supply Chains
Many businesses today are seeking smart ways to reduce supply chain waste and carbon impact. Over the next several years, the following trends could transform logistics operations, particularly in emerging markets. 1. Creative, collaborative planning. Logistics providers and shippers can find simple ways to better manage schedule requirements, such as building slow-steaming into overseas shipment […]
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C-TPAT: Building Safer Supply Chains
The growing security concerns companies face in the global market make it critical to understand potential supply chain risks, and establish a managed, proactive approach to security. One significant step companies can take to protect their supply chains is becoming a member of the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program. As C-TPAT members, organizations […]
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