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The Three P’s of Sales & Operations Planning Success
The formula for business success varies greatly from industry to industry. However, most business leaders believe when you focus on the right areas and create a winning culture, success will follow. Marcus Lemonis, the star of The Profit, a CNBC reality show about saving small businesses, says the three keys to business success are people, […]
Read MoreProduct Spotlight: Materials Handling Innovations
inVia Picker: Picking items as small as a pack of gum or as bulky as a case of soda, this robot provides a solution for e-commerce fulfillment centers through a Robots-as-a-Service platform. Pickers operate as an automated storage and retrieval solution, picking totes, bins, and boxes weighing less than 40 pounds from warehouse shelves. The […]
Read MoreChewing the VAT
“Filing VAT returns on time is crucial to your business,” warns Mohammed Fathy, general manager of Al Dhaheri Jones & Clark. “A delay can not only cause a huge amount of stress, but also threaten your entire business should you fail to comply.” Value-added tax (VAT) is a consumption tax that applies to all goods […]
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DP World Extends Services to Europe with Unifeeder Acquisition
To expand its presence in Europe, Dubai port operator DP World acquired Danish logistics company Unifeeder from Nordic Capital Fund VIII and certain minority shareholders for $765 million. The aim is for DP World to boost its presence in the global supply chain and broaden its product offering to shipping firms and cargo operators, according […]
Read MoreE-Commerce Supply Chains in 2018: Millennial Consumers Most Concerned With Speed and Affordability of Deliveries
For today’s millennial consumers, timeliness of deliveries ranks high on the list of requirements for customer satisfaction. In fact, in a study of 3,000 consumers in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, conducted by e-commerce company Radial, over one-third — 39.7% — of respondents ages 18 to 24 said that speed of delivery […]
Read MoreHow to Know if Your Freight Broker Is Legitimate
Freight brokers act as intermediaries in moving shipping and logistics forward, and in recent years, more brokerage operations have flooded the scene, making it easier to secure a partnership that is beneficial to your overall business. While having more options for freight brokers is beneficial in finding the best fit intermediary for the best price, […]
Read MoreSetting New Standards: Six Key Trends Reshaping Enterprise Software User Experience
Businesses are increasingly realizing that user experience (UX) correlates closely to user engagement. The implications of a successful UX make it way more than just a satisfaction ranking. Here are six key trends that I see reshaping enterprise software UX. Mobile is the new norm: The increased use of mobile devices has raised the bar […]
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Anatomy of Hospital Supply Chain Disruptions
The aftermath of Hurricane Irma, which hit Puerto Rico in September 2017, created a severe shortage of IV bags in the continental United States. The reason: Baxter International, one of the major suppliers, manufactures the products in the U.S. territory and was crippled by the loss of electricity to the island. As a result, many […]
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U.S. Seaports Need Multimodal Funding
U.S. port authorities identify more than $20 billion in projected multimodal port and rail access needs over the next decade, while one-third cite pressing rail project needs costing at least $50 million for each of their ports, according to a new American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) survey, The State of Freight III. Funding and […]
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Disruptive Technologies Shake Up Supply Chains
When efficiency is the primary focus in integrated supply chain management, every little bit that helps to tighten both front- and back-end processes helps. Increasingly, companies in a variety of verticals are achieving such efficiencies by leaning on disruptive technologies. These envelope-pushing solutions could take the form of artificial intelligence used in automation software, robotics, […]
Read MoreBridging the Gap Between Women and Funding
Thirty women have become small business owners in the trucking industry thanks to the efforts of Expediter Services (ES), in conjunction with the Women in Trucking Association. To bring more women into the transportation industry, ES set a goal of supporting 150 total women-owned small businesses through the 150 Business Challenge within 12 months. Through […]
Read MoreItaly’s Ritrama Sticks a Landing in SC
Ritrama, an Italian multinational self-adhesive materials producer, chose Ferretto Group’s technological solutions for its new automated warehouse located in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The structure spans an area of more than 5,000 square meters, and is equipped with six stacker cranes with different pick-up tools. Currently in use for about 70 percent of the warehouse, the […]
Read MoreThe Supply Chain in Brief
Shovel Ready Work is underway on a multipurpose cargo berth project at Florida’s Port Canaveral that will provide the infrastructure and capabilities to handle a wider range of heavy and oversized cargo, including commercial spacecraft components. Scheduled for completion in mid-2019, North Cargo Berth 8 on the port’s north side is designed and engineered as […]
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Fleet Operators Get No ELD Satisfaction
Slightly fewer than half of fleet operators responding to a Coretex Electronic Logging Device (ELD) satisfaction survey say the mandate is good for the transportation industry. Coretex surveyed 303 U.S. trucking companies of various sizes. More than two-thirds (69 percent) of responding companies say ELDs do not improve driver satisfaction, and 33 percent indicate it […]
Read MoreA Sweet deal: Nestlé, XPO Build Digital Warehouse
Nestlé, the world’s largest food and drink company, and XPO Logistics, a global provider of transport and logistics solutions, are co-creating a 638,000-square-foot distribution center at the new SEGRO East Midlands Gateway Logistics Park in Leicestershire, UK. Nestlé will predominantly occupy the facility, a digital warehouse of the future, for its consumer packaged goods. The […]
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Fresh Fish Shippers Breathe Easy
The world’s only approved airfreight oxygen delivery system will revolutionize live seafood transportation throughout continental Europe and the UK through an agreement between FloatPac, the owner of FishPac live seafood oxygen transport systems, and LipFish AS, based in Troms, Norway. Lipfish currently has its first 42 units on the water for delivery to Norway, with […]
Read MoreTest Riding to Reduce Carbon Emissions Along The Supply Chain
When it comes to sustainability, consumer demand doesn’t always align with reality. Consumers want their orders to arrive within days, but with minimal environmental impact. Finding ways to incorporate nimble, zero-carbon emission vehicles throughout the supply chain is often the first step in meeting both of these expectations. One solution is electric cargo bikes (ebikes) […]
Read MoreManufacturers Take on Amazon
In response to the “Amazon effect” and today’s consumer demands, manufacturers are reprioritizing and focusing their technology investments on inventory optimization solutions (43 percent) and integrated planning and execution technologies (41 percent), according to findings from JDA Software’s 2018 Intelligent Manufacturing Survey. The survey suggests manufacturers are embracing a new retail-like role and willing to […]
Read MoreSouthwest Goes Tex-Mex
U.S.-based low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines flies into the international freight transportation field with the launch of a new Houston-Mexico City route. The carrier plans to add Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas to its network by end of summer 2018. The airline is starting with four roundtrips per day between Mexico City International Airport […]
Read MoreTo 3PL or Not to 3PL?
Retailers may face significant challenges when expanding further into the online/e-commerce business. Some challenges may involve supply chain management issues. One of the largest obstacles is developing an effective fulfillment strategy. When it comes to making this decision, it is advisable to review the possible benefits of using a third-party logistics (3PL) provider. Self-performing fulfillment […]
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