Articles

Feature Stories

The Evolution of the Paperless Railroad

The same goals that railroads hoped to achieve in 1883 by transitioning to Standard Time—accountability, reliability, better customer service—are now coming full circle as today’s smaller railroads are integrating with Class I’s and shippers to provide time-definite services and seamless supply chain visibility. “Real time” rather than “Railroad Time” is driving freight railroads into the new century.

Read More

Trust Me! The Human Side of Collaboration

How business partners can conquer their fears of intimacy by learning to collaborate, share forecasts and plans, and build the kind of trust that supports successful supply chain operations.

Read More

Washington Briefing 2004: Enemies at the Gate

The practical implications of the 24-Hour Rule and C-TPAT will reverberate in 2004. Here’s an update to help you meet the requirements and responsibilities of being a logistics partner in Homeland Defense.

Read More

Forward Thinking: Forecasting Logistics for the Year Ahead

The ever-present logistical challenges of matching supply to demand, meeting customer service levels, and combating pricing pressures continue to plague logistics service providers as they plan their business strategy for 2004. Add a troubled economy and the complexity of an increasingly global marketplace, and it is easy to see why the past year has presented […]

Read More

Revving Up Returns

Optimizing reverse logistics can result in cost reductions and service level improvements of up to 50 percent.

Read More

Understanding Incoterms

Here’s a handy guide to Incoterms, a set of international rules for the interpretation of the most commonly used trade terms. Applying Incoterms to sale and purchase contracts makes global trade easier and helps partners in different countries understand one another.

Read More

Fast Food: SCM Feeds the Need

Whether by increasing inventory turns or compressing order cycle time, food companies are looking for ways to reach maximum speed.

Read More

Retail Roundup: The End of the Supply Chain

It’s all about what happens at the cash register. So how do retailers and their partners efficiently match demand to supply with good customer service, and still ring up profits? Eleven industry observers offer their perspective on what retailers can do to survive and prosper.

Read More

Don’t Even Think About Outsourcing Until You Read These Success Stories

From Fortune 50 organizations to startup operations, a growing number of companies are outsourcing components of their logistics and supply chain functions to third-party logistics providers. Take the New England operation of Greenleaf Automotive Recyclers, a distributor of recycled auto parts. Last year the company decided to outsource its local customer deliveries to improve operations […]

Read More