Articles
Commentary
Safeguarding Your Supply Chain Against Rising Fuel Prices
Rising fuel prices have affected most supply chains through fuel surcharges or increased component and operating costs. By planning ahead and evaluating where your supply chain activities are performed, as well as your current processes, you can face these challenges head-on and reduce the impact on your operations and the bottom line. Prepare your supply […]
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@Home With Demand-Driven Logistics
I recently got into a discussion with a reader about the most important developments in logistics during the past decade. “Mainstreaming of the term ‘logistics’ by UPS ranks right up there,” he said. “Civilians” just don’t understand what you do, the complexity of the challenges you face, or the intelligence, dedication, and hard work you […]
Read MoreAre You Certifiable?
Deciding what role supply chain and logistics certifications and designations play in the hiring process is enough to drive you crazy.
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Shipper’s Choice: One Freight Forwarder or Many?
Many shippers rely on forwarders as key building blocks in creating and implementing a logistics program. Some use a single forwarder or third-party logistics provider to forge and maintain supply chain links. Others choose a multi-forwarder approach. Which is best for your team? GOING SOLO Advantages of using a single forwarder include: Accountability. Mistakes can […]
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RFID and Supply Chain Visibility: You Can’t Manage What You Can’t See
Smart companies are striving to reduce costs, improve service, and increase return on investment throughout the supply chain. Automation-based solutions can play a crucial role in meeting those goals, and many organizations consider radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology a major force in transforming global supply chain automation and visibility. It’s hard to manage what you can’t […]
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Strengthening International Cargo Security
The global supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Shippers and service providers face a dynamic security landscape subject to government regulations and evolving risks. They need to focus on identity verification as a key first step to strengthening cargo security. Positively identifying who is sending a package provides vital data. Not […]
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Intermodal: A Means, Not an End
Intermodal transportation has always been an integral part of the supply chain. Around U.S. ports, it’s a capacity aggregator and transshipment accelerator for imports and exports flowing through congested hubs. On the domestic side, intermodal is a freight economizer, reducing transport costs by rationalizing long-haul bulk moves between road, barge, rail—and occasionally air. For many […]
Read MoreReading the Signs
When forecasting the future, it’s easy to be distracted by external indicators that sound significant. In supply chain management, indicators external to your enterprise, but internal to your supply chain, deserve your attention
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Rails Give Agricultural Industry Seeds to Grow
Freight railroads represent a critical supply chain link for agricultural product shippers. It’s not enough that railroads haul a ton of freight nearly 500 miles on a single gallon of diesel fuel—the equivalent of a standard mid-sized car getting 200 miles per gallon. To provide agricultural product shippers with the best value and service, freight […]
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Is Intermodal Right For You?
Capacity and driver shortages plague the over-the-road (OTR) trucking sector, prompting shippers to consider the merits of other transportation modes. Intermodal freight shipping combines the resources of different transportation modes, such as trucking and rail, to move products from manufacturing site to final destination. Offering economic and environmental benefits, intermodal freight shipping provides an attractive […]
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Building Operational Excellence Through EDI
While many companies leverage EDI (electronic data interchange) to comply with trading partner requirements, few take advantage of EDI to drive operational excellence. Limiting EDI use to fundamental transactions, such as purchase orders and invoices, leaves money on the table and misses an opportunity to strengthen customer service and overall competitiveness. Companies achieve the greatest […]
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Refrigerated Trucks Haul More Than Just Perishables
It may come as a surprise that “perishable goods” include items more diverse than fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, frozen foods, and dairy products. Today’s truck and trailer refrigeration systems, known as reefers, also keep other high-value loads at ideal temperatures and humidity levels so they arrive safely at their final destinations. Prompted by regulations […]
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Freight at Rest is Freight at Risk
Today’s stressful economic conditions are driving thieves to steal everything that’s not nailed down—from railroad tracks to copper wiring. Truckers and their customers have had to deal with the cargo security issue for as long as the five-finger discount has been around. As part of our special Trucking Safety issue, we asked motor freight carriers […]
Read MoreIt’s Time for Freight Classification Reform
If the volatile economy hasn’t made the case, demographics might. The motor carrier pricing structure needs an overhaul.
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Drawing Value from Managed Drayage Solutions
Many shippers view drayage (the service offered by a motor carrier for pickup and delivery of ocean or rail containers) as a necessity and a fixed cost. But new approaches to drayage can bring significant savings and benefits to both shippers and drayage carriers. Traditionally, shippers have either relied on steamship lines to secure drayage […]
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Inventory Intelligence: The Key to Unlocking Omni-channel Retailing
Omni-channel retailing–providing shoppers a seamless experience through all channels–combines the flexibility of cross-channel and mobile shopping with the revenue- and loyalty-building capabilities of a face-to-face retail experience. Because keeping availability promises is vital to omni-channel success, retailers depend on integrated IT systems. Retailers who succeed at integrating their inventory intelligence can cut costs, accelerate turns, […]
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A Career That’s Never Boring
Supply chain professionals are increasingly being asked to drive change outside their daily responsibilities of expanding to new countries, overcoming current economic challenges, and satisfying customers while keeping inventory and transportation costs low. Here are two examples. A recent article described the closing of Chrysler Plant 6 in Windsor, Ontario. This could be one more […]
Read MoreResponding to the Past
We may need to remove all the mirrors in Washington, D.C.—not to shrink the egos of lawmakers and regulators, but to keep them from looking back and solving the problems of the past.
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Cloudy Days Ahead for Global Logistics
Cloud-based systems are innovating the way businesses connect by optimizing functionality and establishing networks that serve as global business process hubs. They bring order to the chaos created by the hundreds of processes that occur within a supply chain each day, coordinating real-time information being shared across relevant trading partners. Without a standard business-to-business communications […]
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Managing the Three V’s of Logistics
As the logistics sector’s impact continues to broaden across geographies and industries, a variety of factors are adding pressure on companies to improve logistics efficiencies. Three of the most prevalent supply chain challenges are: Timed temperature control. With goods now being transferred across greater distances than ever before, temperature control is a growing industry concern. […]
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