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How to Select a Returns Management Partner
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How to Select a Returns Management Partner

As retailers turn over stones looking for ways to reduce costs, eliminate waste, become greener, and raise the bottom line, returns management is an area ripe for picking. What was once written off as a lost cost has now become a can’t-miss opportunity—and for good reason. In 2011, U.S. consumers returned more than eight percent […]

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George Prest
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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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J. Anthony Hardenburgh
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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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Howard Finkel
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Trading Partners Work Together to Secure Maritime Cargo

Q: How are ocean carriers and shippers addressing security standards? A: When U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) introduced the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) initiative after the Sept. 11 attacks, it gave government, shippers, carriers, port authorities, and other transportation and logistics intermediaries a platform to build better security protocol into the supply […]

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Erv Bluemner
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SaaS-Based Transload Management Systems Enable Transport Efficiencies

Q: Why are rail shippers turning to transload facilities to ship products to receivers? A: Transload facilities bring significant economic advantage to shippers who are not directly served by railroads, but desire the cost-effectiveness of rail shipping. Transloading operations provide the capability to transfer products between transport modes—primarily truck to rail. Typically, products are transported […]

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Krishna Rallabhandi
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Shared Technology Resources Hold the Key to Supply Chain Optimization

Q: How can value chain partners cooperate to create and share efficiencies? A: While it is understandable for each supply chain partner to maintain its own information technology, many companies rely on more than one IT system—along with spreadsheets and email—to manage supply chain operations. To further complicate matters, every transaction in the complex global […]

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Gregory Bellows
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Information Access Differentiates Transportation Providers

Q: What are the most important elements of an information technology (IT) strategy for participants in the transportation chain? A: Strategically, there is only one IT goal: to differentiate your service from your competitors. Tactically, you need to figure out how to deploy mobile computing for customer- and employee-facing iPad and smartphone applications. Today, information […]

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Tom Dixon
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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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John Reichert
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Collaborative Visibility for Optimum Efficiency and User Experience

Q: Why is collaborative visibility important? A: Supply chains have become extremely complex and fluid. The number and variety of products has exploded, lifecycles have shrunk, and interdependencies between organizations are at an all-time high. Natural disasters such as Japan’s tsunami in March 2011 showed that a major global event can have a far-reaching impact […]

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Nick Weaver
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For Truck Financing, Bank on a Transportation Expert

Q: What is the current market for financing and leasing commercial trucks and equipment? A: Generally, the trucking industry is experiencing a favorable banking and finance market as most commercial banks continue to show relatively healthy interest in financing revenue equipment. Borrowing rates are near all-time lows, so locking in equipment financing today is appealing […]

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Ralph Hess
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With WMS, Small Businesses Can Do It All

Q: How can smaller companies respond to the supply chain demands of their large customers? A: The best way for suppliers to respond is to manage their own segment of the supply chain as efficiently as possible. They must optimize their inventory and distribution operations by applying the proper resources—human, financial, and technological—to drive excellence […]

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Terrence M. Gilbert
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Asset-Based Carriers Give Shippers an Advantage

Q: What are the advantages of sourcing supply chain solutions directly through asset-based providers? A: When capacity becomes tight, maintaining relationships with asset-based carriers gives shippers—and non-asset solution providers who partner with us—the peace of mind of knowing their supply chain and service will remain seamless and fluid. When capacity is constrained, communication is essential […]

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Kevin Reader
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Choosing the Right WMS For Your Business

Q: The WMS selection process seems to be based on spreadsheets and feature-driven lists of requirements. Is this the best place to start? A: Many consultants and professional organizations suggest companies can select a WMS by reviewing standard feature lists, conducting a conference room pilot, and adding customization as needed to deliver the design and […]

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Matthew
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Available Capacity Brings Value to Today’s Logistics Buyers

Q: From your perspective as a truck capacity provider, where is the balance between demand for trucking services and the currently available truck capacity? A: It has been reported that up to 20 percent of truckload capacity that existed in 2007 is gone. Some carriers are failing to deliver on time, and the day may […]

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