Articles
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How to Select a Transportation Management Solution
MORE TO THE STORY: The TMS Revolution Selecting a new transportation management solution (TMS), whether fully outsourced, hosted, or internally installed, requires much due diligence to pair functional need with strategic vision. Shippers can get the most out of their TMS solution and service provider by following five progressions. Know what you need before you […]
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How to Ship Air Freight in Alaska
MORE TO THE STORY: 4 Air Freight Takeaways Spanning 570,374 square miles of land mass— more than twice that of Texas— Alaska has the third-lowest population in the United States and the lowest population density at approximately one person per square mile. North to south, the state covers 1,400 miles, compared to 2,700 miles side […]
Read MoreHow to Standardize Fuel Surcharges
MORE TO THE STORY: DRILLING DOWN FREIGHT SPEND A wise person once stated that if you have two watches, you never know what time it is. When considering the effects of fuel surcharges on line-haul rates, this analogy is appropriate. If both are allowed to fluctuate, making sense of total freight spend and the intrinsic […]
Read MoreHow to Outsource Wind Logistics
As demand for renewable energy sources grows and green best practices take root, the wind energy industry keeps blowing across the United States. Regardless of whether wind turbine components are sourced globally or domestically, the demands placed on shippers and transportation and logistics service providers are extreme. Planning, organizing, and executing wind turbine moves requires […]
Read MoreHow to Gain Reverse Logistics Efficiency
Forward thinking companies increasingly need to consider reverse. With so much attention, time, and capital spent on exploring ways to move the enterprise in new directions, what’s left behind is often overlooked and under-controlled. Reverse logistics covers a wide array of services—from inspection, repair, and remanufacturing to consumer returns and aftermarket recycling. It can reduce […]
Read MoreHow to Create a Lean Warehouse Culture
MORE TO THE STORY: Lean in Principle There are three core parts to orchestrating lean tactics in a warehouse: tools, methods, and culture. Most companies have the equipment and processes to embrace lean. Culture, however, is often missing. Crafting an organizational culture that empowers lean concepts is a recurring challenge for companies, yet it yields […]
Read MoreHow to Capitalize on Importer Security Filing (10+2)
MORE TO THE STORY: MAKE 10+2 WORK FOR YOU Sometimes opportunities present themselves in the unlikeliest places—in the bureaucracy of Customs compliance, for example. When U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) introduced the idea of Importer Security Filing (10+2) early in 2008, many global shippers and consignees greeted the proposal with reservations. The mandate requires […]
Read MoreHow to Manage Risk Among Logistics Partners
MORE TO THE STORY: SAFEGUARDING AGAINST RISKY BUSINESS Businesses face their own unique challenges in today’s waffling economy, with credit largely frozen, consumerism measured, supply lines lengthening, and transportation-related costs reaching record thresholds. Aside from these internal and market-driven obstacles, companies also encounter considerable risk partnering with carriers, forwarders, and third-party logistics providers laying down […]
Read MoreHow to Develop Infrastructure to Support Mission-Critical Logistics
MORE TO THE STORY: 6 STEPS TO SUPPLY CHAIN ENLIGHTENMENT here are critical logistics requirements and then there are mission-critical demands. The difference is end-user impact: a lost customer because of a late shipment, or a lost product line—and countless lost customers—because a critical part can’t be replaced in time. When companies move high-value shipments […]
Read MoreHow to Negotiate Ocean Carrier Contracts
MORE TO THE STORY: WHEN YOU APPROACH THE TABLE What you put into contract negotiations dictates what you get in return. So begin by putting together a prospectus of your industry and your company and where it is moving—with input from all departments and levels of management within the extended enterprise. Assess and understand where […]
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