Articles
Feature Stories
Coming (Back) to America
A decade ago, garment manufacturing in the United States was practically dead as apparel companies flocked to low-cost countries. But then came the economic downturn, and the realization that the time merchandise spends traveling in a container is time not spent on store shelves. Suddenly, America is the new global hot spot.
Read MoreLock, Stock, and Barrel: How Secure is Your Cargo?
When it comes to protecting shipments from theft, businesses have an arsenal of tools at their disposal. From high-tech tracking and monitoring to basic intrusion prevention, these devices and technologies, combined with common-sense security practices, can help thwart cargo thieves.
Read MorePassport To Knowledge: Gaining a Global Perspective
The sun never sets on the global supply chain. Advanced education programs at a variety of universities offer logistics professionals a world tour unlike any other.
Read MoreWhy Comply?
Understanding the latest CBP programs and requirements involves homework and headaches. So…
Read MoreRediscovering The Classics, Volume I: Prologue
Logistics fundamentals are oft cited but more often overlooked or misread. Mastering these basics builds a foundation for supply chain sophistication. So grab your slippers, pull up a chair, and stoke the fire—get comfortable. Join us as we retire to Inbound Logistics’ library of logistics best practices and dust off some classics.
Read MoreRediscovering The Classics, Volume II: Committing to Core Carriers
Romancing lowboys and spread-axle hotshots might not sound appealing, but developing Unconditional relationships with core carriers REAPS long-term advantages. Core carrier programs capitalize on matching a ratio of trucking partners to shipment volumes, based on pre-determined service and pricing coefficients. When the trucking market is squeezed, businesses use these partnerships to find capacity; when demand […]
Read MoreRediscovering The Classics, Volume III: Truckload Consolidation
In this classic tale of economy by scale, businesses tackle truckload shipments head-on to capture returns in countless ways. The moral? Don’t count your shipments until they’re matched.
Read MoreRediscovering The Classics, Volume IV: Inbound Routing Guides
All the supply chain’s a stage so why not command top billing? When businesses actively enforce inbound routing guides and dictate shipment instructions, efficiencies fall into place and economies run wild. Ensuring vendors comply with your transportation requirements is as simple as putting instructions in writing. That’s why a routing guide is an essential tool […]
Read MoreRediscovering The Classics, Volume V: Transloading
In today’s lengthening supply chain, a mode alone is a road less traveled. Businesses shift gearS and mix transportation options to account for fluctuations in capacity and freight costs. When shipments switch track, transloads take center stage. The growing importance of intermodalism in the United States raises the stakes for efficiently managing transportation at key […]
Read MoreRediscovering The Classics, Volume VI: Crossdocking
Waste not. Want not. Store not. The shortest and fastest distance between supply and demand is in one door and out another. Enterprises rocking high-velocity crossdocks wield greater power flowing visibility and freight through the supply chain. In a perfect world, inventory would never remain static. Product would flow from manufacture to consumption in a […]
Read MoreRediscovering The Classics, Volume VII: Labor Management
Managing labor in dynamic supply chain environments forces businesses to “sense” demand shifts to better match resources to need. It also requires “sensibility” in properly training and incenting employees to be productive, and engaging third-party expertise when internal objectivity is lacking. When companies are in periods of flux—experiencing growth or reduction in business, scaling resources […]
Read MoreRediscovering The Classics, Volume VIII: Forklift Utilization
Time is money and in a warehouse the forklift is a time saver and a money guzzler. Companies that pay attention to how they use and maintain their fleets can lift economy and efficiency to new heights. In warehouse and distribution facilities, it doesn’t get more basic than using forklifts to move product around. All […]
Read MoreAsk The Big Wheels
Inbound Logistics asked seven leading trucking executives to tackle some tough questions about the challenging year ahead. Their advice, words of caution, and strategic vision can help you face the challenges of using motor freight in the short term and beyond.
Read MoreChannel Surfing
Click…Click…Click…. Consumers’ short attention spans demand greater shopping flexibility. For some retailers, that means it’s time to flip the supply chain processes behind their sales channels.
Read MoreHow’d That Get On My Plate
With a nod to the Food Network, and a toast to the Chef, join us as we cut from the table and go straight to the source.
Read MoreA Day in the Life of a Transportation Manager
Spend some time with the professionals who get business in gear.
Read MoreBusiness Guide to Tax Evasion — relax…it’s perfectly legal!
Companies can avoid import duties and other fees by shipping through and manufacturing in a Foreign Trade Zone.
Read MoreGrowing Together
It only takes a brief look at how quickly global economic dominoes fell in unison recently to understand that national economies are more inter-related than ever before. The trading bloc in our hemisphere—NAFTA—is as good an example as any, and one worth probing deeper. It has been more than 15 years since the United States, […]
Read MoreCaptains Of Industry
When Don Dickey retired from the U.S. Navy after a 25-year stint with its Supply Corps, he knew he wanted to do something different. That was, after all, what his Navy experience prepared him for: doing something different at the drop of a hat, every day. Since leaving the Navy in the mid-1990s, Dickey has […]
Read MoreSupply Chain Visibility: Now You See It
The more transparent the supply chain, the more easily you can spot ways to squeeze value from your operational data.
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