Articles
Commentary
Public-Private Partnerships Fund Progress
With credit harder than ever to get and Congress casting a sometimes critical eye toward public-private partnerships (PPPs), some say combining public and private resources for the public good has become outdated, if not obsolete. In truth, the use of PPPs and private sector resources to address our nation’s public infrastructure needs continues to be […]
Read MoreThe Benefits of Reducing Your Carrier Base
You’ve heard the adage, “Focus on the journey, not the destination.” In the transportation business, you must be relentlessly focused on both. This is where carrier relationships come into play. Allocating individual shipments haphazardly across a large number of carriers limits both operational efficacy and economies of scale. Too many touch points in the supply […]
Read MoreUnloading Trouble at the Loading Dock
Most or all of a shipper’s inventory eventually passes through the loading dock, so it’s essential that the area be configured correctly. Two common loading area problems are inadequately sized dock openings and rough terrain around the dock area. Where either of these conditions exist, load damage and costly delays are likely to occur. Understanding […]
Read MoreMeasure for Measure
You don’t have to dissect Shakespeare to understand that what you put into something you redeem in equal measures—and often more. But in these Dickensian times, businesses are tasked with squeezing out costs and cinching their purse strings. Putting together this year’s Logistics Planner issue, we took William’s advice ≠- investing more time, more resources, […]
Read MoreSuccess’ Measure?
Success has many fathers, failure is an orphan, as the saying goes. Economic news in many quarters is grim. The economy is in tatters, failure abounds. Who is at fault? Everyone else it seems. Those still standing look over their shoulders to see if the economic Grim Reaper lurks behind them. How then do we […]
Read MoreFacing the Challenges Ahead
During the past year, global events created new concerns for logistics operators. For some, finding insurance coverage has become increasingly difficult, as insurance companies need to balance the likelihood of a significant loss against the prospect of recovering their payout—a trying task in times of financial uncertainty. Purchasing insurance may well become costlier in the […]
Read MoreWho Will Strike the New Golden Spike?
When U.S. railroads first managed to connect from East to West, crews drove a golden spike to commemorate the completion of our first transcontinental railway. It happened at Promontory Summit, Utah, in 1869, soon after the Civil War ended. The iconic photograph of Union Pacific’s No. 119 and Central Pacific’s Jupiter No. 60 meeting face […]
Read MoreWhy You Don’t Want an Obedient 3PL
What is an obedient third-party logistics provider (3PL)? It is one that doesn’t share responsibility for its customers’ success and simply does what it is told. It keeps quiet when it knows the shipper’s request is misguided, and doesn’t offer new ideas for re-thinking project goals. When a shipper views its 3PL simply as a […]
Read MoreEstablishing a Successful Industrial Park
Despite a rocky start, the North Carolina Global TransPark (GTP), a state managed and financed multi-modal transportation park, is thriving today. Conceived 20 years ago as an aviation-centered global assembly and distribution point, the 2,400-acre business park, located in the state’s southeastern quadrant near Kinston, encountered its share of problems before landing its first significant […]
Read MoreDo Your Logistics Partners Value Customer Service?
The most dreaded phrase in the English language just might be: “Please hold for the next available operator.” Good customer service experiences have become few and far between, with more companies either entrusting their customer outreach to computerized voice-prompted systems, or worse, outsourcing to call centers that have little knowledge about the companies they represent. […]
Read MoreMacro? No, Micro Economics
“The economy is bad so we’d better make cuts that hurt customer service.” OK, no business would set out with this goal, but often the results are the same. And the consequences of poor service in today’s economic climate are irrevocable. While the macro economic news is bad, customer service is all about managing micro […]
Read MoreManaging Data One Byte at a Time
Increasing connectivity, largely a result of the Internet and the facility with which we collect data, has changed the pace and relationships of business. To a great extent, local business no longer exists, as all commerce and trade is tied together by information. This is evident as the world’s economy stumbles. Business is, quite simply, […]
Read MoreSuccessfully Managing Long-Tail Inventories
The concept of the long-tail retail environment refers to the extended downward slope of a unit sales curve that, when illustrated graphically, depicts a “long tail” as demand wanes toward zero. Introduced by Wired Editor in Chief Chris Anderson in 2004, the term originally described Internet-based companies, such as iTunes or Amazon.com, whose environments are […]
Read MoreGreen Transportation: On the Road to Sustainability
In the past, transportation efficiency concerns primarily focused on areas such as route optimization, capacity planning, and partner collaboration. Today, efforts to improve service and reduce costs include an additional element: environmental impact. As new and aggressive social, environmental, and political pressures evolve, shippers and carriers must adopt and act upon “green” opportunities. Failure to […]
Read MoreGetting All, Like, Demand-Driven
Did you know that a 16-year-old girl in Spain is the logistics genius behind one of the most sophisticated and effective retail supply chain operations on the planet? Neither does she. The typical Zara demand signal—to buy or not to buy—sets in motion a demand-driven process that has the global apparel chain retailer, based in […]
Read MoreSigned, Sealed, Delivered…But to Whom?
Q: I am a warehouse operator. An insurance company recently refused to provide me with coverage for the wrongful delivery of goods stored in my warehouse, citing the Uniform Commercial Code as the reason. Can you explain the problem? A: The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) is a body of law that has been accepted, with […]
Read MoreCurve Appeal
The efficient delivery of goods requires a thoughtful way to negotiate curves and arcs to find the optimal route.
Read MoreCan You Afford to Ignore Supply Chain Risk?
As companies gravitate toward a “build anywhere, source anywhere, sell anywhere” mind-set, supply chain risks—entering into long-term contracts at unfavorable prices or sub-optimal quality, excessive dependence on one geography or supplier, lead time variability, and supply disruptions caused by natural disasters—assume greater proportions. Any supply chain setback could negatively impact average operating income and return […]
Read MoreCommunity Service: Supporting Logistics Education
Manufacturing jobs are leaving American shores at an increasing rate. While this presents challenges for manufacturing companies, it also boosts demand for distribution and logistics professionals. Because many products manufactured overseas are ultimately consumed in the United States, the need for warehouses and distribution centers to move those materials from port of entry to point […]
Read MoreBoeing, Boeing Gone?
When times get tough, supply chain/logistics redeployment grows increasingly important. Part of evaluating site locations for your manufacturing and logistics facilities involves considering fundamentals such as proximity to sources and customers, and transport infrastructure. But there is a “softer side” of site selection. As I write this, Boeing is in the midst of a strike […]
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