Articles

Commentary

5 Steps to Preventing Brand Damage When Your Product Fails

A poorly handled product recall can devastate your company’s reputation, market share, and bottom line. With proper planning and systems in place, however, companies can effectively manage recalls to mitigate risk, as well as prevent brand damage. The key is not to think of a product recall as a singular event, but rather as a […]

Read More

How to Grow a Green Supply Chain

Sustainability impacts everything from how companies approach product design all the way through to customer delivery. In today’s competitive environment, sustainability must improve profitability and reduce risk. An industry standard for what constitutes a sustainable supply chain does not exist. Is being eco-friendly in transportation or manufacturing enough to qualify your company as green? As […]

Read More

Why Aren’t There More Veterans in Logistics?

Approximately 200,000 people transition out of the military each year. Reintegrating into the civilian workforce can be a challenging experience. While many of their skills directly apply to a career in logistics, veterans remain a largely untapped resource for this field. Every position in every branch of the military—from weapons deployment, to combat training, to […]

Read More

Stay Competitive with a Flexible TMS

Lean principles, when used in conjunction with a transportation management system (TMS), can deliver lower transportation costs, reduced inventory levels, and progress toward business goals. New technology is emerging to further improve the efficiency of transportation systems. You must manage and properly control—with complete visibility and great communication between partners—the transportation systems that connect your […]

Read More

How New Technology is Boosting Human Potential in the Supply Chain

Advances in automation are liberating untapped human potential in the supply chain. A new opportunity to significantly improve operational performance is emerging due to advances in robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and prescriptive analytics. These advances are not about technology versus humans, but about how technology will supplement and augment humans in knowledge-intensive areas such as […]

Read More

3 Ways Your 3PL Can Help You Overcome E-commerce Challenges

To meet consumer demands, e-commerce requires adaptable and flexible supply chains, no matter how short the lead time. Companies can support this fast-moving supply chain by leveraging a collaborative 3PL relationship. By collaborating with a knowledgeable third-party logistics (3PL) provider, shippers can add both scale and visibility to their supply chain. With greater control, companies […]

Read More

Reconstructing Supply Chains

I see it every day on my way to work, and if you’re in logistics, you see it too. The demand chain structure that you manage is breaking down and rebuilding itself, just below the surface, and changing into what best serves consumers’ needs. On a major New York artery, I pass a long-vacant big […]

Read More

Do you think self-driving trucks will affect the supply chain in the next two years? How so?

No. I do not believe this is a viable option in the United States. Current research is specific for the European theater on confined and controlled highway systems. The United States will require significant highway infrastructure investment to facilitate self-driving trucks. Bill Carter Vice President of Logistics, CFI Yes. There’s an enormous driver shortage plaguing […]

Read More

Thinking Inside the Unbox

Consumers today judge businesses on many things beyond product performance. Unboxing, for example, is now part of a consumer’s everyday experience. That means daily opportunities for your brand to make a positive impression. Today, 68 percent of shoppers say they are more aware of packaging than they were five years ago, according to a Kantar […]

Read More