Articles

Takeaways

How Macy’s Avoids Inventory Glut
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How Macy’s Avoids Inventory Glut

Retailers across the country are struggling with inventory pileup due to 2021’s massive supply chain delays. Unloading these previous-season goods has become a top priority for the upcoming holiday and winter season. But Macy’s is singing a different tune: the retailer managed to avoid most of this inventory glut, and reported to the Wall Street Journal that more than half of its offerings for the holiday season will be new.

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On Manufacturing Pessimism
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On Manufacturing Pessimism

“Given current economic trends, it’s understandable that manufacturers’ optimism is declining. Yet, increased demand offers some promising news. To keep up, business leaders should diversify their material suppliers and challenge logistics providers to find ways to tighten delivery times. And, to address employee shortages, companies must revisit their talent strategies and implement comprehensive recruitment and […]

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What’s the Most Valuable Logistics Brand?
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What’s the Most Valuable Logistics Brand?

The answer is UPS, according to the 2022 Brand Finance Logistics 25 report. With a brand value of $38.5 billion, UPS has held on to the top spot as the most valuable logistics brand in the world. Since last year’s report, the company’s brand value has increased by 28%.

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Get Ready for the Hype
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Get Ready for the Hype

Industry buzz usually surrounds the release of a new Gartner Hype Cycle, and the 2022 Hype Cycle for Supply Chain Strategy is no different. The annual findings detail important changes in which strategies, technology, and workflows are making an impact. Along the continuum are these categories: Innovation Trigger Peak of Inflated Expectations Trough of Disillusionment […]

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Uncle Sam’s Infrastructure Spending, Explained
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Uncle Sam’s Infrastructure Spending, Explained

With several key federal bills that bring dollars to logistics and transportation infrastructure passing recently, it can be hard to keep track of which funds are going where—and what it all means for supply chain and manufacturing professionals. Commercial real estate firm Savills breaks it down: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Signed into law by […]

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Against All Odds, Trade Going Strong
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Against All Odds, Trade Going Strong

“Resilient” seems to be the key word to describe global trade today. Despite myriad challenges—the aftermath of the pandemic, inflation, the war in Ukraine, a rocky stock market—global trade is persisting at strong levels, according to the latest DHL Trade Growth Atlas, published by DHL and the NYU Stern School of Business. The report maps […]

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Global Cold Chain Outlook: Cold Is Hot
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Global Cold Chain Outlook: Cold Is Hot

The global cold chain market is a bright spot in the perishables business landscape. It was valued at $253 billion in 2021, and is projected to reach $437 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 8.1%, according to a SkyQuest Technology Consulting report.

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Top 5 Supply Chain Disruptions
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Top 5 Supply Chain Disruptions

New data from Resilinc highlights the top drivers of supply chain disruptions for the first half of 2022. From January through June, Resilinc’s EventWatchAI platform alerted its customers to an astounding 7,929 potential supply chain disruptions (a 46% YoY increase) with the life sciences, healthcare, high-tech, and automotive industries being most impacted. The top five […]

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Consumers Go on an Online Spending Spree
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Consumers Go on an Online Spending Spree

Despite current worries about an economic downturn, consumers are still shopping—especially online. And retail logistics companies keep shipping products. As a result, the global retail logistics market is forecast to jump from $231 billion USD in 2021 to $622 billion USD by 2030. That computes to a 12% compound annual growth rate over that time. […]

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Warehouse Space: Can you find it?
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Warehouse Space: Can you find it?

Need warehouse space? It should be slightly easier to come by into 2023. A recent Prologis report focused on Q2 2022 activity and predictions for 2023 expects a small increase in vacancies. The reason: Demand will drop and supply chain movement will improve, which will get more products into the marketplace. Here are some key […]

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Supply Chains Out of Sync
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Supply Chains Out of Sync

There are some harsh words for the logistics and supply chain sector in the 33rd Annual State of Logistics Report, revealed recently at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. U.S.-based supply chains are “out of sync,” caused by struggles to adjust to short-term changes, the report claims. The good news, though: the industry is […]

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Chemical Logistics Market Grows
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Chemical Logistics Market Grows

$317.17 billion That’s the estimated size of the chemical logistics market by 2026, according to The Business Research Company’s Chemical Logistics Global Market Report 2022. The figure represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.9% over the next 5 years. For 2022, the chemical logistics market size will grow to $271.73 billion, up 7.9% from […]

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Do You Use KPIs Effectively?
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Do You Use KPIs Effectively?

Most businesses today collect data to set and track key performance indicators, or KPIs. Logistics companies are no different. And with the industry in turmoil these days from the pandemic and global economic stressors, KPIs may be more important than ever. But do supply chain executives truly understand and fully utilize the KPI numbers they […]

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Freight Is Fraught
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Freight Is Fraught

The double-whammy of skyrocketing fuel prices and out-of-control inflation has put a hurt on the freight industry. So have flattening modal growth trajectories, seasonal factors, and softening demand. So says the new edition of the Cowen/AFS Freight Index, which provides predictive pricing tools for such sectors as less-than-truckload (LTL), truckload (TL), and parcel shipping (separately […]

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