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Turn Up the Volume on Omnichannel Fulfillment
Customers are changing the way manufacturers, transportation and logistics firms, and retailers operate, finds the Future of Fulfillment Vision Study conducted by Zebra Technologies with research partner Qualtrics. Among the study’s key findings are these three factors to consider when preparing your company for omnichannel fulfillment: Omnichannel is difficult to attain. If you feel like […]
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Reshoring + FDI = U.S. Jobs
Combined reshoring and related foreign direct investment (FDI) added more than 171,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs in 2017, up 2,800 percent from 2010, according to the Reshoring Initiative’s 2017 Reshoring Report. The total number of manufacturing jobs brought to the United States from offshore is more than 576,000 since 2010. The reshoring and FDI jobs equal […]
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In Brief: New Services & Solutions
Services Supply chain solutions provider Bolloré Logistics USA opened a FTZ facility in Miami. The 200,000-square-foot site consolidates freight forwarding and contract logistics activities previously housed at two different locations, improving cargo turnaround time for shippers with time-critical logistics requirements. DHL relocated its Ontario, California, service center to a larger, $7-million facility to accommodate increased […]
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Lufthansa Expands Access to Capacity, Rates
Speed and reliability play a major role in transportation even when cargo is not in transit. For instance, during the booking request, sometimes every second counts. To address this need, Lufthansa Cargo now offers shippers two new programming apps: GetCapacity and GetRates, which provide direct access to capacity and rate data. Companies can use the […]
Read MoreFinder’s Keepers
Seventy-six percent of transportation industry professionals responding to HireRight’s 2018 Annual Employment Screening Benchmark survey expect to grow their workforce this year, despite the challenges of recruiting and retaining qualified candidates. The survey also reveals planned strategies to overcome these challenges: Respondents plan to invest in developing retention programs (40 percent) as well as training […]
Read MoreDriver Pay and Benefits Rise
Driver pay has climbed as rising demand for freight transportation services raises competition for increasingly scarce drivers, according to data gathered from more than 100,000 drivers in the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) latest Driver Compensation study. "Fleets are reacting to an increasingly tight market for drivers by boosting pay, improving benefit packages, and offering other […]
Read MoreBlockchain Solution Passes the Test
A BLOCKCHAIN SOLUTION that can eliminate the need for printed shipping documents and save the transportation and logistics sectors hundreds of millions of dollars annually has been tested successfully by a consortium comprising AB InBev, Accenture, APL, Kuehne + Nagel, and a European customs organization. The consortium tested a solution where documents are no longer […]
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Rolling on the River
To establish and grow an alliance designed to generate new business by promoting international and inland trade routes at strategic locations along the Mississippi River is the intent of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recently signed by The St. Louis Regional Freightway, Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District located in the State of Louisiana, and […]
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U.S. Imports: It’s a Steel
While the Trump administration introduced tariffs of 25 percent on the import of steel and 10 percent on aluminum, many of the United States’ most important steel trading partners were granted exemptions, at least temporarily. These exemptions apply to the selected major steel exporters shown in the chart below, including the European Union, Brazil, Canada, […]
Read MoreTruck Driver Shortage: When Will Autonomous Trucks Fill the Gap?
Not that long ago, San Francisco-based Embark announced its first cross-country trip by a self-driving truck. Along with Uber, Tu Simple, and Starsky Robotics, Embark is working on the autopilot technology for long-haul trucks. Self-driving trucks will result in disruption; the question is “When?” Given that the economic benefits are enormous, the self-driving revolution is […]
Read MoreSupply Chain Commentary: How to Overcome Technology Roadblocks
The shipping industry has hit a roadblock and can’t expand without overcoming numerous challenges. Talent shortages, increased competition from outside the industry, and slow acceptance of technological advances are just a few of the hurdles that have stagnated one of the most important segments of American commerce. The only way to overcome these challenges and […]
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Georgia Ports: Crane and Able
The first of Georgia Ports Authority’s (GPA) four new Neo-Panamax cranes have come online, bringing its operating fleet to 27. The super-sized crane is tall enough to lift containers 152 feet above the dock. Konecranes of Finland designed these massive cranes, which can work the largest ships now calling the U.S. East Coast, reaching across […]
Read MoreTrucking Challenges Impact SCM
It is no secret that the current state of the U.S. trucking industry has had several negative impacts on logistics and supply chain management. The shortage of drivers and ripple effect from the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate have caused trucking delays and pricing increases across the country, and are now affecting global supply chains. […]
Read MoreManufacturing Reaches Pre-Recession Levels
The U.S. manufacturing sector will regain all of the output lost since June 2009 by April 2019, indicates a recent report from the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI). A global economic rebound, the passage of U.S. tax reform legislation, and the depreciation of the U.S. dollar are the chief components MAPI identifies as […]
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Engaging the Informed Consumer
Retailers and branded manufacturers can differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace by showcasing their most unique assets, according to Kibo’s annual 2018 Consumer Trends report. Based on responses from 3,000 U.S. consumers, the report suggests that while price is still the primary factor in purchasing decisions, consumers are increasingly seeking out a differentiated shopping experience—one […]
Read MoreELDs: Ready or Not, Here They Come
While most owner-operators are ready for the ELD mandate, many are unhappy with the electronic logs, and blame them for a loss of productivity and a resulting decline in income, finds a recent DAT survey of 645 carriers and owner-operators. In addition, it’s harder to find parking for trucks, driver detention remains a problem, and […]
Read MoreUnblocking the Blockchain: Beyond the Hype
For the logistics sector, blockchain is taking center stage in 2018. In the first three months of the year, we have seen Buffett’s BNSF Railway, UPS, and GE among a whole host of others join the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA), which has dedicated itself to developing the industry standards for blockchain use. We have […]
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2018 Business Trends: For Better, For Worse
Investing in new and improved information technology and robotic process automation (RPA), talent shortages, and trade protectionism are predicted to be the top trends in service delivery for 2018 and the next several years, according to the latest quarterly KPMG Global Insights Pulse survey. Respondents predict these trends will have the largest positive impact: intelligent […]
Read MoreRobotic Process Automation: Raising Expectations in Logistics
Digital progress drives service improvements in 3PLs
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