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Old Processes Impede New Inventory Strategies

Old Processes Impede New Inventory Strategies

Few businesses use new technologies to tackle supply chain issues caused by the pandemic due to tighter costs and dependence on legacy work processes, says a recent survey from intelligence platform Verusen. This results in lost revenue and increased inventory costs. Global supply chain executives responding to the survey cite poor data quality, siloed materials […]

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Groceries Give Warehouse Automation A Lift

Groceries Give Warehouse Automation A Lift

The global warehouse automation market will grow from $29.6 billion in 2020 to $69 billion in 2025 (see chart), says an Interact Analysis report, largely driven by e-commerce retailers that sell groceries and general merchandise, such as JD.com, Amazon, and Target. Fixed automation, such as automated storage and retrieval systems, conveyors, and conveyor-based sorters, will […]

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Dashing Through Soaring Holiday Sales

Dashing Through Soaring Holiday Sales

E-commerce holiday sales will grow 11% to 15% in 2021 versus 2020, says Deloitte’s forecast, with e-commerce sales growing 34.8% in November 2020 to January 2021. E-commerce sales will keep growing as consumers continue to buy online across all categories, the report says. Deloitte predicts a 7% to 9% increase in overall holiday sales compared […]

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Idaho Sprouts Its First Intermodal Terminal

Idaho Sprouts Its First Intermodal Terminal

Pocatello, Idaho, recently welcomed the Savage Rail Port of Southern Idaho, the state’s first intermodal hub, to the area. The new terminal helps local farmers export their goods to global markets. Agricultural products, such as hay and produce, are loaded into shipping containers and brought to the rail yard, where a machine stacks them on […]

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Young Professionals Remain Positive

Young Professionals Remain Positive

About 99% of professionals aged 30 and younger say that working in supply chain is a quality career choice, according to a Penske survey, with 58% pursuing a supply chain career due to its beneficial societal impact delivering essential goods during the pandemic. Key findings from the survey reveal: 95% of young professionals express excitement […]

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North American Ports Runneth Over

North American Ports Runneth Over

With consumer confidence increasing and economies opening, goods are moving through North American ports at an unprecedented rate, with imports through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach swelling 41.1% year over year through the first half of 2021 (see chart). Delays continue. Due to pent-up demand, major ports such as New York/New Jersey […]

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IL Exclusive Report: 5 Significant Service Trends

IL Exclusive Report: 5 Significant Service Trends

Which services are shippers buying, and what does that say about the current supply chain landscape? Take a look at five significant trends based on data from shippers responding to Inbound Logistics’ audience survey from July 2016 to July 2021: 1. Drop in site selection: The number of respondents making site, port, and facility selection […]

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Acing Your Stress Test

Acing Your Stress Test

Facing more frequent disruptions—from natural disasters to the pandemic—supply chain professionals are shifting their focus to mitigate risk and assess resilience. Post-pandemic, 93% of executives responding to a McKinsey survey say they expect to increase resilience by rebalancing their supply chains, an increase from 70% before the pandemic. A supply chain resilience stress test is […]

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EVs Get a Charge Out of Aluminum-Ion Batteries

EVs Get a Charge Out of Aluminum-Ion Batteries

Aluminum-ion rechargeable batteries charge 10 times faster than lithium-ion batteries, recent test results show in a study by Australia-based Graphene Manufacturing Group. Although their energy density is about 60% of the energy per weight of the best lithium-ion batteries, they provide other benefits: Speedy charge. A smartphone running an aluminum-ion battery could charge fully in […]

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E. Coli Eats Up Plastic and Churns Out Vanilla

U.K. scientists used E. coli to transform plastic waste into vanillin, the molecule responsible for the characteristic smell and taste of vanilla. This means it’s possible to transform plastic into a highly useful material for cosmetics manufacturing. Researchers used genetic engineering to create a strain of E. coli that converts one of the chemicals used […]

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