Commentary

Giving Intermodal the Green Light

Manufacturers and retailers know moving freight by rail and using trucks on the origin and destination ends—a combined service approach called door-to-door intermodal—can help cut logistics costs. What many shippers don’t realize is that, in addition to being a more cost-effective method of transporting goods, intermodal offers significant environmental advantages as well. LAW OF AVERAGES […]

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Transformative Technology

Yes, technology continues to transform transportation. But your demands also transform those providing technology to you. For example, JDA Software’s acquisition of i2 Technologies in January 2010, and their shared roadmap for future integration, serve as a telling bellwether for the logistics technology industry and its customers. From a macro perspective, consolidation among IT companies […]

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Crossdocking: A New Vision for an Old Idea

Manufacturers and distributors know crossdocking—the practice of immediately converting inbound deliveries to outbound shipments—can help create more efficient supply chains. But there’s an obstacle to crossdocking that can undermine those efforts: the need for continuous, real-time shipment visibility. Without the shipper’s ability to track and trace individual parcels, shipments may be delayed, misplaced, or duplicated. […]

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Reducing Risk with Trade Disruption Insurance

Because doing business in the global marketplace has become more risky, U.S. companies need to be their own best advocates. Exporters and importers should take precautions to minimize risks to profitability and viability in world trade. One step is investing in trade disruption insurance (TDI). SMART PROTECTION First written for the London Market in the […]

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Growing Together: Promoting Government and Industry Collaboration

In Michigan, a state that’s undergoing an unprecedented shift in its economy, Governor Jennifer Granholm established a new committee to create opportunities for the logistics and transportation sector. The group, comprised of politicians, business leaders, community organizers, and supply chain professionals, advises the governor and state agencies on supply chain management initiatives to help the […]

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Retail Week at a Glance

Ispent one week last month immersed in retail logistics. After attending Fashion Week in New York, I headed straight to the Retail Industry Logistics Association meeting. Retailers are adapting and evolving at an ever-quickening pace. Here’s the latest: Monday: Emerging Markets. Some global fashion and apparel brands expect emerging markets to drive 70 percent of […]

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Hold Everything: Adopting Protective Packaging Practices

Evaluating a company’s distribution and fulfillment processes can play a major role in reducing its environmental impact while enhancing its corporate image and reducing overall costs. Protective packaging is an important part of this analysis. Packaging supports and balances a company’s broader sustainability goals and initiatives for reducing carbon emissions, creating operational efficiencies, conserving resources, […]

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Getting Off the Bench and Into Benchmarking

While watching the Cubs battle the White Sox last summer at at Wrigley Field, I realized that baseball players and supply chain professionals have a few things in common. For instance, veteran ballplayers might try to get through a game by relying on experience and talent. But, by studying strategies, statistics, and individual players, they […]

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Want a Promotion? Get an Education

Success in any career is often measured by advancement, and logistics and supply chain management is no exception. Advancing to a C-suite job will likely require an MBA or a specialized master’s degree. To earn a degree, you don’t have to quit your job, sacrifice your life, and go away to school. If you have […]

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Web-Based WMS Solutions Drive Automotive Supply Chain Efficiency

The U.S. auto industry is facing the greatest adversity in its history. One segment of the industry, however, has thrived—aftermarket auto parts. This segment has grown exponentially during the economic downturn, as consumers have been forced to repair their aging vehicles instead of buying new ones. In an industry where specialization and customer service are […]

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Building Better 3PL Relationships

Third-party logistics (3PL) providers are tremendously popular with shippers for surface transportation in North America. Freight brokers, forwarders, and intermodal marketing companies offer capacity, expertise, technology, and buying power on a scale no shipper can replicate on its own. Not all 3PLs are the same, however. Here are a few tips to help you get […]

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America’s Got Supply Chain Talent

Every state says it wants to attract logistics business that can keep its workforce employed. Florida is actually doing something about it. The state has gotten behind the Talent Supply Chain, an association of state, local, education, and business organizations whose goal is to boost Florida’s economy by encouraging and expanding workforce development, training, and […]

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Today’s Warehouse Plays a New Role

Warehouses are no longer just for storage. In today’s cost-conscious, efficiency-driven environment, many manufacturers are reevaluating their definition of warehousing. Anything that doesn’t lend itself to a high-speed, highly mechanized, low-labor environment is being sent to the warehouse. Driving this evolution is a desire to take links out of the supply chain and make sure […]

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SIN Centers: An Investment in Ideas

Today’s entrepreneurs are developing new ideas, patents, systems, and technologies that could have a profound and sustainable impact on our ability to promote the next generation of green supply chains. For many of them, however, progress is slowed or halted by a lack of reliable funding and effective economic development programs. Every day, more foreign […]

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Warehouse Metrics: Measure What Matters

Today’s warehouse managers often accrue massive amounts of performance data, but sometimes find they can apply little of it toward making productivity gains or customer service improvements. Instead of becoming overwhelmed with data, managers should identify and focus on the most useful metrics to gather, report, and apply. Tools or modules often found in warehouse […]

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Using Distribution and Fulfillment as Strategic Weapons

Distribution center (DC) assets in the supply chain are often relegated to cost center, necessary evil, or even non-value-added status. But focusing only on costs overlooks distribution and fulfillment’s value to the corporation. In Web retailing, for example, price comparison shopping has neutralized cost advantages to the point where consumers make online buying decisions based […]

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Brought!

In tough times, logistics managers react to demand and respond to adversity. Every day, your customers and CEOs raise new questions and challenges, which you meet through creativity, innovation, and a "bring-it" attitude. A logistician’s resilience is valuable when opportunities are ripe, but it’s invaluable when problems persist. This indomitable bring-it attitude was pushed to […]

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