Articles

IT Matters: Logistics & Supply Chain Technology

Ralph Lieberthal

RFID and Supply Chain Visibility: You Can’t Manage What You Can’t See 

Smart companies are striving to reduce costs, improve service, and increase return on investment throughout the supply chain. Automation-based solutions can play a crucial role in meeting those goals, and many organizations consider radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology a major force in transforming global supply chain automation and visibility. It’s hard to manage what you can’t […]

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Chad Collins

Building Operational Excellence Through EDI

While many companies leverage EDI (electronic data interchange) to comply with trading partner requirements, few take advantage of EDI to drive operational excellence. Limiting EDI use to fundamental transactions, such as purchase orders and invoices, leaves money on the table and misses an opportunity to strengthen customer service and overall competitiveness. Companies achieve the greatest […]

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Karen Bomber and Jim Caudill

Inventory Intelligence: The Key to Unlocking Omni-channel Retailing

Omni-channel retailing–providing shoppers a seamless experience through all channels–combines the flexibility of cross-channel and mobile shopping with the revenue- and loyalty-building capabilities of a face-to-face retail experience. Because keeping availability promises is vital to omni-channel success, retailers depend on integrated IT systems. Retailers who succeed at integrating their inventory intelligence can cut costs, accelerate turns, […]

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Doug Waggoner

Cloudy Days Ahead for Global Logistics

Cloud-based systems are innovating the way businesses connect by optimizing functionality and establishing networks that serve as global business process hubs. They bring order to the chaos created by the hundreds of processes that occur within a supply chain each day, coordinating real-time information being shared across relevant trading partners. Without a standard business-to-business communications […]

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Jordan Kass

Maximizing TMS Resources Helps Achieve Sustainable ROI 

These days, logistics managers need to achieve higher productivity levels and deliver better customer service at a lower cost, faster than their competition. Some wonder if they can achieve their goals with the resources available to them. Many organizations turn to a transportation management system (TMS) for the answer. Thanks to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) technology, shippers […]

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Danny Halim

Navigating Global Supply Chain Risks

Risk management is an essential ingredient in global logistics planning. Unexpected events such as natural disasters, political unrest, regulatory constraints, and product recalls can disrupt the supply chain and, in turn, negatively impact sales, profit, and a company’s reputation in the market. Many companies, however, are still in reactive mode when it comes to adapting […]

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Jason Howton

Crossdocking: A New Vision for an Old Idea

Manufacturers and distributors know crossdocking—the practice of immediately converting inbound deliveries to outbound shipments—can help create more efficient supply chains. But there’s an obstacle to crossdocking that can undermine those efforts: the need for continuous, real-time shipment visibility. Without the shipper’s ability to track and trace individual parcels, shipments may be delayed, misplaced, or duplicated. […]

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Jim Burleigh

Web-Based WMS Solutions Drive Automotive Supply Chain Efficiency

The U.S. auto industry is facing the greatest adversity in its history. One segment of the industry, however, has thrived—aftermarket auto parts. This segment has grown exponentially during the economic downturn, as consumers have been forced to repair their aging vehicles instead of buying new ones. In an industry where specialization and customer service are […]

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Eric Allais

Warehouse Metrics: Measure What Matters

Today’s warehouse managers often accrue massive amounts of performance data, but sometimes find they can apply little of it toward making productivity gains or customer service improvements. Instead of becoming overwhelmed with data, managers should identify and focus on the most useful metrics to gather, report, and apply. Tools or modules often found in warehouse […]

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