Articles
Knowledge Base
The Lean Supply Chain: A Field of Opportunity
Businesses all around the world are familiar with the value of lean principles. The current conditions of globalization and competitive environments require operating a lean business now more than ever. Lean principles teach to eliminate waste and focus only on those things that result in customer value—ultimately building business cultures that focus on problem solving. […]
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Outsourcing for Newbies, and a Refresher for All
While Fortune 500 companies routinely outsource everything from distribution centers and transportation management to packaging, freight audit/payment and other functions, your up-and-coming company may only need to outsource a single function of its operations, perhaps a combination. It’s rarely an easy decision process, but the objective is always clear. Growing companies need access to better […]
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Using Strategic Acquisitions to Satisfy Your Customer Base
Global shippers continue to face supply chain challenges that seem to change more often and more dramatically than ever before. They require logistics partners who can react to these changes and help them navigate the complexities of global trade. Shippers want 3PL partners that not only responsively evolve service networks and capabilities to flex with […]
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Visibility is the Key to Mitigating Supply Chain Risk
As last year’s tsunami in Japan and massive floods in Thailand demonstrated, natural disasters and other events a world away can wreak havoc on supply chains, forcing sudden and major disruptions in business operations. While it may be impossible for a company to entirely escape the consequences of a widespread deluge, volcanic plume or labor […]
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Understanding the Implications of Related Party Transactions and Transfer Pricing
Many multinational organizations are embracing tax-effective supply chain management to reduce costs and increase margins. Supply chain managers need to understand the ramifications of these tax-based strategies when it involves the transfer of tangible goods to their own foreign subsidiaries or parent companies. Reducing taxes is a desirable outcome, but not when it runs afoul […]
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Calgary, Alberta: Western Canada’s Distribution Hub
What makes a great distribution hub and logistics center? Access to markets, availability of serviced land and logistics parks, cost-effective business environments, and a highly skilled labor force, to name a few. Hong Kong, Amsterdam and Los Angeles are prominent cities that have been demonstrating leadership over the past decades, but Calgary, Alberta, Canada has […]
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Think Outside the Border
Companies of all sizes are benefitting from international trade, and those that don’t are getting left behind. Whether your company is small, mid-sized or a global multi-national, there is a way for you to get in the global trade game. Global Solutions For Global Companies For large North American companies operating in multi-national markets, moving […]
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Proper Care and Nurturing of a Supply Chain
Supply chain can be complicated, but managing it effectively doesn’t have to be. Creating a superior supply chain is like parenting a baby through adulthood. It requires continual focus, monitoring, and care. Taking your eyes off your baby can be costly! But with proper care and nurturing, you can grow something that performs beautifully—even in […]
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Hey! Your Numbers are Trying to Talk to You!
I run across many companies in my travels. For a while, I’ve been centering a bit on different companies’ methodologies for the continuous quest of supply chain network optimization, amongst other things. Some do quite a bit of planning and research, even hiring consultants, while others, it appears, do not. Particularly, the methodology for the […]
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Understanding INCOTERMS 2010
An Inbound Logistics article in October 2003, “Understanding Incoterms,” does an excellent job of explaining the concept of Incoterms, why they are necessary and how they work. We’d like to bring this article up-to-date with a discussion of the changes to Incoterms that began in January 2011. To recap, Incoterms are an internationally accepted set […]
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Software as a Service: Changing the TMS Landscape
In 2009, a major cable manufacturer was faced with rising LTL costs, a disorganized supply chain, and a severe lack of reporting capabilities. The recovering freight market forced carriers to raise rates, and the manufacturer was told by its LTL carrier base it was at a "less than optimal operating ratio." The shipper needed a […]
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Global Supply Chain Strategy: Decision Points
As a former sea captain, I will never forget the first time I approached a junction buoy. This buoy is essentially a fork in the road, floating on the water, which marks where a waterway splits into two channels and indicates the preferred channel to transit. The options were: steer to the preferred channel and […]
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Responsive and Flexible Logistics Management Solutions for 2012 and Beyond
For many companies, the biggest challenge is that the world is changing, and they are asking, "How should we respond to the rapid growth in Asia and other emerging markets and manage the longer supply chains? And, how do we react to volatile fuel pricing and unpredictable demand, security issues and changing regulations affecting the […]
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The Role of Cloud-Based LTL Content in Smarter Supply Chains
Cloud computing is quickly coming into its own: Its virtual, service-oriented, location-independent architecture is used across a whole host of industries to provide on-demand content for accurate decision making. The U.S. freight industry is quickly catching on to the value of actionable content delivered via the cloud, which easily lends itself to supporting effective supply […]
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Tough Economic Times Require LEAN Logistics Solutions
With economic pressures rising, companies must seek ways to evaluate their current state, and design a future state that surpasses their strategic goals and their customers’ expectations. Manufacturers, retailers and distributors are constantly working to improve their performance in quality, cost, delivery and service. With those goals in mind, forward-thinking organizations are pursuing LEAN assessments […]
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Joplin is Rebuilding and Open for Business
On May 22, 2011, the most devastating, deadly single U.S. tornado in six decades ripped through the city of Joplin, Missouri and the neighboring village of Duquesne. With winds of nearly 300 miles per hour, the tornado carved a path 10 miles long and nearly one mile wide through the two communities. The death toll […]
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The Panama Canal Expansion Will Be a Supply Chain Game Changer
The upcoming Panama Canal expansion is much more than just a story of bigger ships and increased trade for East Coast ports. It will also have a substantial impact on the U.S. supply chain and its efficiencies. By lengthening, widening and deepening the locks, the Canal will accommodate much larger ships. In fact, the largest […]
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Reverse Logistics: The Untapped Revenue Stream
Reverse logistics has become an area of high priority for companies looking to reduce costs, add efficiencies and improve the customer experience. As a result, manufacturers are uncovering the hidden value of returned assets and streamlining return, repair and product reallocation processes. Once a supply chain afterthought, reverse logistics has evolved into a highly complex […]
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3PL Capability is Key to Logistics Cost Reduction
MORE TO THE STORY: How to Find a 3PL-Third Party Logistics Provider Logistics, inventory and transportation costs continue to climb, according to the 2011 State of Logistics report released by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP). Although overall economic conditions improved slightly in 2010, internal supply chains continue to account for double-digit cost […]
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Excellence in Supply Chain Execution
Our clients in industries such as automotive, aerospace, hi-tech, retail and consumer goods are emerging from one of our nation’s most trying economic times. Faced with serious pressures to cut costs and boost profits, many companies have re-examined how they source, store and deliver their products. Flexibility, innovation and the ability to operate with virtually […]
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