Articles
Commentary
It’s Time to Implement Cross-Border Trucking
When the United States signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which included a commitment to open our roads to Mexico’s cargo trucks, we were paving the way for economic opportunity, job growth, and prosperous foreign investment. Unfortunately, the United States has never fully complied with NAFTA’s cross-border trucking program, costing our country billions […]
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What We’ve Got Here is Failure to Communicate
Remember that great line from the movie Cool Hand Luke, “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate”? That’s what popped into my head as I reviewed the more than 4,700 responses from readers and 3PLs participating in our annual third-party logistics survey. We asked both 3PLs and their customers the same question: What is […]
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Are You Talkin’ to Me?
Some results from our annual third-party logistics survey caused the publisher of this magazine to quote a line from Cool Hand Luke: “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” When 3PLs and their customers were asked the same question, but provided diametrically opposed answers, the publisher suggested that more shipper/3PL communication may be called for. […]
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Managing Labor Boosts Warehouse Operations
When up against competition, service is the name of the game, and your labor force is the most important tool you have to win business and increase profitability. Labor management tools help you determine whether your workforce is able to perform at the level necessary to deliver cost-effective service to your customers. With the data […]
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Digitizing the Global Supply Chain
At one point, we all had a rabbit-eared TV or a clunky cell phone that took muscle to carry. Numerous electronics innovations have made life not only easier, but also more productive. So why are so many international supply chain professionals still living in the dark ages when it comes to supply chain efficiency and […]
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How to Run a Logistics Job Fair
A stressed economy and tight financial market have forced downsizing and job cuts in nearly every industry. In the logistics sector, jobs have been disappearing at two ends of the spectrum. At one end, highly paid positions have been displaced in an effort to cut costs; roughly one executive position equals 10 operating jobs. At […]
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10 Paths to Supply Chain Innovation
Leaders ask, “How can businesses be more innovative?” But successful innovation is rare. It requires hard work and creative thinking, and its value as an activity is often viewed skeptically. To move your business along the road to supply chain improvement, take a journey down the following paths to innovation. Borrowing. Many of the past […]
Read MoreDemanding Response
Inexpensive transportation and sophisticated IT tools allowed us to operate extended supply chains. But that tide may be turning.
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Freight Forwarders: The Vital Link in Logistics Communication
Building a logistics system for today’s sourcing needs requires a quantum leap from past shipping practices, in which companies too often neglected transportation in their strategic planning. A poorly constructed or outdated supply system with inadequate communication can create unnecessary delays and expense caused by information snags, missing or ill-prepared shipping documents, and inappropriate cargo […]
Read MoreDeregulation Amended and Upended
Dust off your legal textbooks. It’s time to revisit transportation deregulation’s rocky history and defend what we have.
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Shading Green
We know the positive arguments for embracing green. This magazine regularly demonstrates how shippers and service providers are developing sustainability practices across their supply chain touchpoints. Reducing fuel, cube, weight, packaging, waste, and power consumption in the supply chain blends the two shades of green—sustainability and profits. You’ll find measurable examples of both in this […]
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Greening the Supply Chain Through Warehouse Automation
As part of the trend toward greener warehouses, businesses are seeking more efficient materials handling tools. Automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) and their accompanying warehouse management systems (WMS) help achieve this goal by maximizing storage space while reducing operating costs. Flexible, hybrid AS/RS designs use one or more cranes in an aisle. They can […]
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The Power of Flexible Transportation Management
A primary concern for shippers today is how the recent economic downturn will increase transportation expenses. Capacity will continue to shrink as the economy strengthens. Many carriers are no longer in business, and with 3PL and carrier consolidation, there is concern that service offerings will be less flexible. Shippers want to reduce transportation costs and […]
Read MoreStrengthening Your China Operations
The consumer goods industry has been hurt by the economic chill on both sides of the Pacific. In the United States, declining sales, inventory cutbacks, and limited credit are affecting demand. In China, the decline in exports has caused significant instability, widespread factory closures, and growing unrest among a labor force that has lost millions […]
Read MoreAct of God or Act of Government?
International airlines expect to lose more than $2 billion due to disruptions resulting from the recent volcanic eruption. And, they are setting the stage to ask for government support.
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Deere Customer
Any devoted demand-driven logistics practitioner might take issue with the catchy headline on a recent Bloomberg BusinessWeek article: "Low Inventory Angers John Deere Customers." The article quotes unhappy dealers who can’t get equipment from Deere as quickly as they want. One reports losing "half a dozen deals a month." Farmers aren’t happy, either. The culprit, […]
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Crack the WIP for a Leaner Supply Chain
As the nation begins to emerge from the economic downturn, companies are focusing efforts on reducing costs and streamlining work to prepare for the increased demand recovery will bring. Implementing a lean culture to eliminate waste in every area of the value stream will be a key focus for many operations. At the core of […]
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Why You Should Vest With Your Outsourcing Partners, Now!
We hear and read constantly about the critical need for lean, green, transparent, collaborative, efficient, and cost-effective supply chains and logistics partners. But how have your partnerships fared lately? How have things progressed over the past three or four years? Are your outsourcing and logistics contracts living up to their initial promises and premises? Do […]
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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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