Articles
Commentary
IT’s Unexpected Benefits
When you invest in logistics IT, you expect to net the obvious results: implement a TMS and transportation operations run without a hitch; buy a WMS and goods flow smoothly in and out of the warehouse. But when shippers and logistics service providers adopt demand-driven ideas, and implement the technology and/or services to put that […]
Read MoreFiling Claims: Time Is Not on Your Side
Q: My company imports ceramic products from around the world. One shipment arrived at our warehouse filled with crushed boxes – inside, the contents were completely shattered. It appeared that the container was mishandled and possibly dropped during transit. We took inventory of the damaged items and submitted a claim to the ocean carrier. We […]
Read MoreRumble in the IT Jungle: ERP vs. Best-of-Breed
If the logistics software world held a heavyweight championship fight, it would feature ERP systems such as Oracle, SAP, and Infor in one corner, versus best-of-breed providers – Manhattan Associates, i2, and HighJump – in the other. While ERP may be the reigning champ, best-of-breed is a serious challenger, and the fight would go quite […]
Read MoreInland Ports Make “Location” Matter More
It has become a tired axiom that the three most important success factors in real estate are location, location, and location. But this statement has never been more true, especially with global trade and transportation trends driving demand for large, exceptionally well-located distribution and logistics facilities. Consider the reality of U.S. global trade and transportation […]
Read MoreHitting the Asset-Tracking Trifecta: Bet on Visibility, ROI, and Safety
Throughout the transportation industry, losses due to cargo shrink (theft, damage, and spoilage) total an estimated $100 billion annually. Many companies have turned to RFID to help prevent cargo shrink, monitoring assets throughout the supply chain so they can identify when a particular asset enters or departs one facility or another. This method, however, doesn’t […]
Read MoreGlobal Sourcing: The Path to High Performance
Leading organizations on the path to high performance are those that accelerate global sourcing strategies, drive aggressive cost reductions, and look to contract manufacturing to leverage and expand the value of their brand. Most significantly, these organizations plan to double their spend on low-cost country sourcing in the next three years. High-performance businesses are masters […]
Read MorePlaying Politics with Homeland Security: 100-Percent Wrong
If you source or sell anything overseas, you are no doubt aware of Senator Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) efforts to mandate 100-percent scanning of inbound containers through an amendment to the SAFE Port Act. As part of the effort to get the amendment adopted, Schumer, along with eight other Democratic senators—Obama, Clinton, Menendez, Kerry, Kennedy, and […]
Read MoreGlobal Technology Gets Hyperactive
Few people in this industry are better suited to wax poetic about globalization and technology than Supreet Manchanda, executive vice president/chief technology and corporate development officer for Brentwood, Tenn.-based 3PL Ozburn-Hessey Logistics. What Manchanda calls his “weird genealogy”—born in India, raised in Africa, educated in London, and a former resident of New York City, Silicon […]
Read MoreDriver-Shortage Issues: Carriers Get Creative
With trucking demand projected to exceed capacity for the next 15 years, and drivers retiring or leaving the business faster than they can be replaced, trucking companies and third-party logistics providers are scrambling to protect themselves from serious operating disruptions caused by driver-shortage issues. Shippers, in turn, feel the impact of the problem when contracting […]
Read MoreTo Hang On, Let Go of Antiquated Processes
In today’s brutally competitive environment, manufacturers are discovering that the only way they can hang on is to let go. They are realizing they must abandon antiquated business processes and take full advantage of the affordable and sophisticated technologies available to them that automate and enhance processes throughout the plant. Letting go is no easy […]
Read MoreNew Frontiers in Learning
Few logisticians and supply chain managers will dispute the value of practical, real-world, get-your-hands-dirty learning experiences. But the rapidity of global change, the proliferation of new supply chain networks and partnerships, and the velocity of logistics IT innovation challenges practitioners, such as you, to keep pace with the times. Improving your logistics skillset has an […]
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Shifted Contents, Shared Responsibility
Q: My warehouse often receives containers holding cargo that has shifted or collapsed against itself. Apart from any risk we face for cargo damage while unloading the containers, I feel this also presents a hazard to my workers. What can I do to protect my company and my employees? A: Unfortunately, containers often house improperly […]
Read MoreLogistics in the Blogosphere
Say what you will about blogging—that it democratizes information dissemination, or, adversely, that it is killing well-edited, fact-checked journalism—logistics professionals have embraced it. Because of their low-tech, easy-to-use nature, blogs have exploded not only as forums to discuss celebrity and political goings-on, but as a resource tool for finding solutions to real business challenges. While […]
Read MoreLogistics Developers Embrace the ‘P Word’
The real estate development community in the United States has performed a dramatic about-face when it comes to forming development partnerships. Developers have realized the dreaded ‘P word’ may be necessary for certain projects. This new attitude pays off for real estate developers providing build-to-suit logistics facilities because they operate in a changed reality shaped […]
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U.S. Airlines Need an Attitude Adjustment
Airlines in the United States contain a hidden treasure. But through indifference, disinterest, and even disdain, this treasure never will reveal its true worth unless and until senior airline management realizes the importance of freight operations. The passenger side of the industry is doing comparatively well five years after the Sept. 11 attacks—with packed airplanes […]
Read More8 Common-Sense Rules for Inventory Management
Inventory management is a hot topic. Books about the subject abound and there are many detailed techniques and practices, which vary by industry. When looking at the big picture, however, you can reduce much of the philosophizing about inventory management to the following eight common-sense principles. 1. If you don’ t know where you are […]
Read MoreHow Do You Spell Transportation Budget Relief? TSM
The increasingly complicated nature of global shipping, coupled with a shift in transportation budgeting from basic transportation costs to a base plus accessorial charges billing standard, has made managing transportation budgets extremely challenging. The good news? This cloud has a silver lining—it is called Transportation Spend Management (TSM). TSM is the practice of targeting specific […]
Read MoreThe Human Touch (Felecia Stratton)
When was the last time you shared a drink with your WMS, complimented your forklift, or gave your computer a pat on the back? Accidental coffee spills and wishful coaxing aside, probably never, and for good reason. Machines may help get the job done faster and more efficiently, but the real power behind the supply […]
Read MoreHidden Heroes Power the Supply Chain (Keith Biondo)
Some people manage simple logistics systems. Others face logistics complexities that stretch beyond their ability to master them. Some people oversee logistics flows across the globe. Others run a seemingly never-ending closed loop of highly disciplined product flow within the confines of a single state. Some logistics managers operate a transport program that flat-lines for […]
Read MoreVirtual Container Yards Net Real Results
Waste is the sworn enemy of the supply chain. Whether time and money is squandered because of excess inventory, unnecessary cargo moves, manufacturing foul-ups, under-utilized technology systems, or inaccurate sales forecasting, logisticians are tasked every day with avoiding waste and inefficiency. One particularly vexing source of waste for transportation carriers today is empty containers. Thanks […]
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