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Commentary
Know Your Freight Costs
Warehousing and distribution continue to be the hottest sectors in site selection. In fact, when researching a five-state region for a client to determine the most active industry sectors, warehousing and distribution topped the list. This location pattern is taking place nationwide. It is a trend that will continue as retail expansion drives more and […]
Read MoreWeb Services Add Sizzle to Shipper-LSP Integration
Emerging Web services promise to revolutionize the way companies and logistics service providers (LSPs) integrate. I am not talking about accessing a Web site using a browser, but secure system-to-system service requests sent over the Internet that can link enterprises, allowing a company to utilize third-party Web services as a seamless part of its own […]
Read MoreThe Shipper Empire Strikes Back
Sitting in the cab of a Class-8 truck provides a great real-time view of the country’s landscape, as we saw in the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) recent ad campaign. Sitting across the table from a present or prospective shipper, however, may present the best view of the future for both carriers and shippers. Today, transportation […]
Read MoreRailroad RXR?
The nation is at a crossroads on how to handle the rail industry in the coming decades. While much attention has been paid to the state of the nation’s highways in light of the I-35 bridge collapse, a new Association of American Railroads study indicates that U.S. railroads need an overhaul, too. The National Rail […]
Read MoreYour Services Are Expanding…Are You Covered?
Q: I am the risk manager for a global logistics company that provides complete door-to-door service. A large part of our operation involves shipping goods by air. While we do have partners, our own employees perform most of our services, including airport consolidation and warehousing. We are insured through a global program that covers most […]
Read MoreSix Essential Strategies for Selecting a Global 3PL
Today’s complex global business environment – with its rapidly advancing technologies, emerging world markets, and vastly extended supply chains – places increasingly critical decision-making demands on logistics professionals. In a world gone global, the challenges of providing seamless supply chain solutions across geographical and cultural boundaries have increased exponentially. Overall logistical requirements, vendor choices, and […]
Read MoreHelping Truckers Survive and Flourish
What is the biggest challenge facing carriers today? Pick one: the driver shortage, fuel prices, insurance costs, new equipment costs, shipper and consignee demands, customs delays, border delays, technology demands. And the list goes on and on. Ask our company that question and we’d answer “drivers.” Insurance companies want us to only hire drivers who […]
Read MoreData Fuels the Supply Chain
When struggling to implement international supply chain management software, it helps to focus on the importance of clean and usable data. Failing to get good data into and out of your supply chain management IT system is like filling a Lamborghini with nail polish remover and expecting it to win the Grand Prix. How do […]
Read MoreWhat North American Retailers Can Learn From Their European Counterparts
On a recent trip to a local grocery store, I noticed the organic produce section had doubled in size. I also noted the challenges this expansion presents to the retailer—the produce section had to be redesigned, produce bags specifically for organic foods had to be developed, and a little band with the word “organic” hugged […]
Read MoreManaging Inbound: The Time Is Right
Most readers of this magazine know the value of managing the inbound flow. “But most companies would readily admit they have less control over inbound shipments than outbound shipments,” notes Dan Cushman, chief marketing officer, Werner Enterprises. That is changing, according to readers interviewed for this annual trucking issue. By managing inbound, companies aim to […]
Read MoreTake a Deep Breath Before Diving Into Global Outsourcing
Over the past two decades, production pioneers at automotive and high-tech companies turned outsourcing into a baseline capability, significantly enhancing profitability and productivity. Today, manufacturers of all sizes in every industry are properly exploring outsourcing options as they grapple with the urgent need to reduce costs, enhance profitability, and increase competitiveness. This is especially true […]
Read MoreBouncing Back When Disaster Strikes
When natural disasters strike, businesses often must frantically search for essential items to deliver to beseeching customers. Adept use of sophisticated information tools can help retailers and suppliers “weatherproof” their supply chains. Diverting shipments, moving inventory to forward locations, and anticipating potential spikes in demand, can help moderate the effects of natural disasters. The following […]
Read MoreCreating an Agile Transportation Enterprise
Due to an increasing number of enterprises involved in global logistics, and a growing number of logistics processing points, supply chains have become less agile. In response, manufacturers and retailers are developing demand-driven supply chains, in which suppliers manufacture products in the shortest possible time using the least amount of inventory. To achieve this goal […]
Read MoreHitting the Infrastructure Snooze Button
Folks in our business didn’t need the Minneapolis I-35 bridge collapse to serve as a wake-up call; we talk about maintaining infrastructure constantly. Just one morning before the collapse, I exchanged e-mails with Doug Grane, president of Central States Trucking, who, in a recent guest editorial, wrote: “Most trucking company owners would agree that as […]
Read MoreSeeing the Value in ‘Seaworthy’ Packaging
Q: My company is a logistics service provider. We recently shipped a container of machine parts to Brazil under an arrangement that included the packing and stuffing of six crates. We received instructions from the customer that the packaging needed to be “seaworthy,” and we hired a subcontractor to perform the packaging and stuffing. When […]
Read MoreComplex Technology Optimizes Basic Concepts
As supply chains continue to increase in scope and complexity, the technology powering those supply chains likewise becomes more complex, specific, and compartmentalized. Some companies, however, are realizing that in the quest for ultimate technology sophistication, they may be overlooking some very basic business concepts. Take working capital, for instance. A business can boast cutting-edge […]
Read MoreReal Estate, Logistics, and Politics Converge
Legendary baseball philosopher Yogi Berra once said, “90 percent of the game is half mental.” In the development world, 90 percent of real estate is half logistics. As shippers increasingly examine ways to make their global supply chains reliable and diversified, they look to infrastructure improvements to support their plans. Because globalization has added length […]
Read MoreSqueaky Wheels Get Political ‘Oil’
In March 2007, I was fortunate to travel to Washington, D.C., as a delegation member of the Illinois Trucking Association. I spent several days discussing issues such as diesel prices, alternative energy, taxes, and toll roads with members of Congress. In every instance, these issues directly correlate with the financial well-being of the trucking industry. […]
Read MoreVisibility: Seeing is Believing
Take a look at this list of avoidable logistics problems: Time wasted manually scheduling shipments and tracking products from channel to channel. Missed opportunities from not knowing the exact quantity of inventory in transit and stock availability. Strained relationships after shipments fail to make their destination on time. The common element is a lack of […]
Read MoreGetting Government to Understand The New Science of Transportation
A freight transportation revolution has taken place in the past 25 years. Consumer demand, technology, expanding population centers, and vast global enterprises have combined to make intermodal the international standard for moving goods. Unfortunately, when it comes to U.S. government policy-making, ignorance of intermodal freight transportation is almost universal. The nation’s government agencies have not […]
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