Articles
IT Matters: Logistics & Supply Chain Technology
Successfully Managing Long-Tail Inventories
The concept of the long-tail retail environment refers to the extended downward slope of a unit sales curve that, when illustrated graphically, depicts a “long tail” as demand wanes toward zero. Introduced by Wired Editor in Chief Chris Anderson in 2004, the term originally described Internet-based companies, such as iTunes or Amazon.com, whose environments are […]
Read MoreCan You Afford to Ignore Supply Chain Risk?
As companies gravitate toward a “build anywhere, source anywhere, sell anywhere” mind-set, supply chain risks—entering into long-term contracts at unfavorable prices or sub-optimal quality, excessive dependence on one geography or supplier, lead time variability, and supply disruptions caused by natural disasters—assume greater proportions. Any supply chain setback could negatively impact average operating income and return […]
Read MoreReal-Time Location Systems Cover Your Assets
The ability to track assets in a broad geographic area, typically outdoors, is key to transportation management. Satellite and cellular network-based technologies are often used for real-time asset tracking outdoors. But to track assets indoors—in factories, warehouses, or other controlled environments—Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and cellular-based systems lack sufficient signal strength. Alternative techniques employing low-cost […]
Read MoreE-Commerce Tools Can Speed Ocean Trade
In the days before e-commerce, the only way to orchestrate an ocean container shipment was to call and fax every party to the shipment. This world still exists, but it’s fast being superseded by e-commerce tools that free shippers to manage supply chain risk and efficiently serve customers instead of chasing down details and coping […]
Read MoreGTM Technology: Why Not?
Global trade management (GTM) software simplifies trade compliance, provides visibility across the supply chain, and offers effective manufacturing cost sourcing. Yet the international supply chains of large companies are 50 percent automated at best, according to Aberdeen Group. This statistic begs the question: Why aren’t more companies investing in GTM software? Some businesses develop their […]
Read MoreImproving Fleet Management Performance
The nation’s trucks hauled 10.7 billion tons of freight in 2005, according to the American Trucking Associations’ truck tonnage index. This figure represents nearly 70 percent of tonnage, including manufactured and retail goods, carried by all domestic freight transportation modes. Yet many in the trucking industry have been slow to recognize the strategic importance of […]
Read MoreSelecting the Right Warehouse Management System
The typical warehouse buzzes with activity every day. Products arrive at the loading docks, forklift drivers shift pallets around the floor, automated retrieval systems pull goods for shipment. Warehouse management systems (WMS) provide tools for keeping track of all that action. Today, dozens of technology vendors – from well-established to relatively new – offer warehouse […]
Read MoreLocation-Based Services Put Efficiency on the Map
Enhanced productivity. Cost savings. Revenue increases. Improved customer relations. These are among the most important – and most widely acknowledged – benefits of deploying location-based service (LBS) tools such as geographic positioning systems (GPS) and street-level routing (SLR). Add one more benefit of emerging importance that will have significant impact over time: reduced emissions. Corporations, […]
Read MoreWith SaaS, You Make the Rules
Most companies spend 40 to 80 percent of their annual transportation budget on moving inbound shipments from suppliers. Despite these whopping costs, businesses boast relatively little control over their selection of inbound carriers or their service levels. Instead, most depend on suppliers to correctly assign carriers, then provide tracking information to the buying organization. This […]
Read MoreTracing the Genealogy of a Food Recall
Anyone who has ever tried to trace their roots back more than a few generations knows how challenging that task can be. Unless you’re of royal lineage, the path back through history tends to be lined with false leads and dead ends. If you do find any information, it’s often on handwritten notes that you […]
Read MoreThe Case for a Global Trading Partner Network
America’s appetite for imports continues to grow—in 2006, the United States imported a record $1.6 trillion of goods, according to U.S. Customs. But today’s global trade practices are highly fragmented. A typical overseas purchase, for example, requires the various parties in the logistics process to trade more than 60 different documents across partners, countries, languages, […]
Read MoreTechnology Collaboration Enables Visibility and Security
Complete Document and Shipment Visibility (CDSV) is a concept that enables trading partners to have 100-percent visibility to the condition, status, and location of international shipments in a paperless environment. The concept allows shipment stakeholders to know the exact status of inventory and finished goods in the pipeline. CDSV also contributes to eliminating supply chain […]
Read MoreWeb Services Add Sizzle to Shipper-LSP Integration
Emerging Web services promise to revolutionize the way companies and logistics service providers (LSPs) integrate. I am not talking about accessing a Web site using a browser, but secure system-to-system service requests sent over the Internet that can link enterprises, allowing a company to utilize third-party Web services as a seamless part of its own […]
Read MoreData Fuels the Supply Chain
When struggling to implement international supply chain management software, it helps to focus on the importance of clean and usable data. Failing to get good data into and out of your supply chain management IT system is like filling a Lamborghini with nail polish remover and expecting it to win the Grand Prix. How do […]
Read MoreBouncing Back When Disaster Strikes
When natural disasters strike, businesses often must frantically search for essential items to deliver to beseeching customers. Adept use of sophisticated information tools can help retailers and suppliers “weatherproof” their supply chains. Diverting shipments, moving inventory to forward locations, and anticipating potential spikes in demand, can help moderate the effects of natural disasters. The following […]
Read MoreVisibility: Seeing is Believing
Take a look at this list of avoidable logistics problems: Time wasted manually scheduling shipments and tracking products from channel to channel. Missed opportunities from not knowing the exact quantity of inventory in transit and stock availability. Strained relationships after shipments fail to make their destination on time. The common element is a lack of […]
Read MoreRestricted Party Screening: Who Are You Doing Business With?
Exporters and financial institutions historically used Restricted Party Screening (RPS) solutions to determine whether the names and addresses of their consignees appeared on any “denied parties” lists. Today, companies recognize that they may not deal in any way with certain blacklisted parties. Since Sept. 11, 2001, regulatory agencies have made clear their expectations that companies […]
Read MoreTMS Shopping Made Simple
During my 15 years as a transportation technology professional, I have stood on both sides of the trade show aisle—shopping for and selling transportation management systems (TMS). Navigating the technology marketplace, as I have learned, is no easy task. It can make purchasing a TMS downright frustrating. If you are in the process of selecting […]
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 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 […]
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