Articles
Thought Leaders
Warehouse Automation Management Goes Mobile
Q: Consumer devices, such as smartphones, are becoming more common in warehousing applications. How is the personal wireless space affecting the industrial/commercial wireless space? A: The form, function, and ease of use industry decision-makers experience when using their personal mobile devices is affecting their expectations of enterprise devices. It is driving demand for smaller and […]
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Making a Business Case for Lean MHE
Q: What are the biggest cost drivers in a distribution center? A: Distribution centers are driven by four primary costs. Labor is usually the largest cost, which is why companies focus on it so much. Second is the building itself. Third are the IT systems necessary to support the operation. Finally, there’s materials handling equipment […]
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Second-Generation Logistics Software: Accessible Anywhere
Q: What is the latest logistics software trend? A: Transportation management systems (TMS) have morphed into communication hubs with Web and mobile access. The PC user interface for employees—while still crucial—is becoming much less important than it once was. Q: How can that be? The first generation of software focused on employees adding and viewing […]
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GTM Solutions Keep Businesses Plugged In
Q: Why is it difficult for organizations to integrate true end-to-end global trade management? A: True end-to-end global trade management (GTM) means managing and optimizing all the functions required to move goods across international borders. Organizations may argue that they are already doing GTM, when in fact they are only undertaking disparate pieces, such as international […]
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World-Class Logistics Operations Require Multi-Party Processes and Technology
Q: How can supply chain technology help businesses improve logistics operations? A: The majority of IT solutions available today constrain logistics operations performance. Most logistics problems are inter-enterprise, but the majority of logistics technology solutions are enterprise-focused. As a result, too much of the coordination still takes place over email and phone, and only involves […]
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Taking Control of Transportation Spend Management
Q: Cloud computing is fast becoming a reality of everyday business life. How can companies get started in leveraging interconnected shared logistics platforms, and why does it save time and money? A: As enterprises strive to show almost-immediate return on investment, they seek solutions that are globally accessible, scalable, and require minimal up-front investment. Maintaining […]
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Maximizing Global Logistics Management Effectiveness
Q: What are the biggest challenges shippers face with globalization in today’s market? A: Many shippers face the challenge of orchestrating an end-to-end process and managing interplay with third parties, such as customers, suppliers, ocean carriers, freight forwarders, customs brokers, and government agencies. Doing so effectively is difficult, regardless of whether the shipper is importing […]
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Bringing Clarity to Visibility Solution Investments
Q: How do you define visibility? A: Visibility is understanding the location and current status of key assets—whether on-time shipments or inventory stockouts. Visibility boils down to three elements: orders, shipments against orders, and inventory. Q: Why is supply chain visibility such a challenge for companies? A: Visibility is hard to quantify. Companies may make […]
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KPI Data Creates Improvement Opportunities
Q: What are the latest logistics software innovations? A: Improving how key performance indicators (KPIs) specific to freight are developed, measured, and managed seems to be a growing theme with leading software providers. KPIs are used to collect and measure actionable data to help improve accurate shipping decision-making and processes. The key word is actionable. […]
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Leveraging Lean and Labor Management
Q: In the context of retail, what is lean labor management and what does it entail? A: Lean has origins in manufacturing, but some of its concepts apply in the retail space—notably, reducing waste and increasing quality. Using these lean components as a foundation for labor management increases productivity and reduces costs in a warehouse […]
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The Right ERP Solution Puts All the Pieces Together
Q: How can today’s manufacturers deal with increasing regulations, demand volatility, and shifting global trade currents? A: Success for manufacturers today depends on agility. The one certainty with global trade currents, regulations, and demand is that they will change, and your ability to adapt defines your growth potential. A well-implemented enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution […]
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Automated Routing: The Path to Optimization
Q: What guidance can you offer firms exploring routing and scheduling technologies for the first time? A: Automation is a great benefit of logistics technology—though not the only one. Technologies that automate time-consuming, repetitive jobs free us up to do what humans excel at: spotting and dealing with change and exceptions. It can take numerous […]
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Collaborative Trade Communities Keep Companies Competitive
Q: What is the primary advantage of Collaborative Trade Communities? A: The way they function is much simpler than how most companies do business today. We spend a significant amount of effort and time tracking what our supply chain partners are doing. This includes sending instructions and entering them into corresponding systems, communicating and updating […]
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Technology Enables You to Be Positively Different
Q: How can logistics technologies be utilized as a competitive differentiator? A: Most companies prefer to attract customers by providing unique brand-driven customer experiences and services rather than competing on price. Strategic and practical use of the right technologies enables sharp pricing competitiveness, creates better customer experiences, reduces expenses, and raises productivity. The evolution of […]
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APIs Enrich Software Users’ Experience
Q: What is an Application Programming Interface (API)? Heine: It’s a software-to-software interface that enables Web-based applications to be part of your transportation management system. You can access outside information without leaving your working application. For all practical purposes, it’s built-in. For example, Google Maps APIs are often built into Web sites. Q: How are […]
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Getting a Handle on Specialized Transportation Costs
Q: Why is controlling fuel and permitting costs important for companies moving heavy equipment? Lowry: Managing these increasing costs is a major task, but it’s essential to gain greater efficiency and profitability. With state governments across the country facing significant declines in tax revenue, many are enforcing new weight restrictions and fuel tax requirements on […]
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Coordinated Transportation Improves Margins for Wholesalers
Q: What are wholesale distributors hoping to achieve with transportation initiatives? Mulqueen: Transportation initiatives are approved and funded based on their track record of delivering quick ROI through freight spend reduction. However, leading wholesalers understand that siloed transportation planning, while beneficial, has limitations. It does not take into account the impact of transportation on the […]
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Technology Provides Visibility into Global Supply Chains
Q: When managing global transportation, how do advanced Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) transportation management systems (TMS) compare to traditional installed-based rivals? Ahearn: As more companies expand overseas and offshore, managing transportation is quickly becoming a challenging factor of globalization. With a true SaaS TMS, multiple organizations—including vendors, carriers, and shippers—are able to work collaboratively in a single […]
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What Makes a Great TMS?
Q: The transportation management system (TMS) market is growing rapidly. What is driving this activity? COMRIE: Growth is coming from both shippers and logistics service providers. 3PLs are recognizing opportunities where they can affect change within their organizations by adopting TMS solutions that have more robust functionality. They now view transportation management technology as a […]
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Cloud Computing: Think Globally, Leverage Locally
Q: What are the elements of a successful cloud-based logistics IT solution? Heimbeck: The “cloud” means different things to many people. I think of it as a highly structured, shared working space with three dimensions that work harmoniously to create a productive alternative to our current bricks-and-mortar-based method of doing business. The three dimensions are: […]
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