Articles
Thought Leaders
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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Managing the Logistics Lifecycle
Q: Cloud computing has become an industry buzzword. How will this technology influence the way companies approach logistics management? Hubert: Enterprises have long sought solutions that deliver immediate value, are easily accessible and scalable, and require minimal up-front investment. Unfortunately, the traditional delivery models of installed software, or dedicated Web-based systems, fell short of those […]
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The Perfect Time to Optimize Labor Management
Q: A confluence of issues related to rising fuel costs, compliance challenges, and lost capacity is currently impacting the logistics industry. Why is now the perfect time to optimize labor management? O’Connor: Driver shortages, rising fuel prices, and legislative changes related to Hours-of-Service (HOS) and Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) are increasing operating costs and will […]
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Mobile Robots Expand Warehouse Automation Options
Q: Warehouse managers are tasked with making investment decisions about systems that must scale for growth, often leading to unnecessary spending based on faulty five- and 10-year plans. Are there equipment options that can help mitigate this risk for warehouse management? Mountz: Mobile-robotic solutions offer a whole new approach to warehouse automation. Using features such […]
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Upgrading Order Fulfillment Systems Boosts Warehouse Efficiency
Q: Is it possible to speed product flow in response to customer demands and cut inventory processing costs at the same time? Hartman: Many automated systems installed several years ago were not designed to handle escalating customer requirements, such as higher accuracy, more complex traceable orders with multiple SKUs, and more on-time deliveries. Nor did […]
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Tracking Warehouse Inventory on the Move
Q: Despite technology advances in end-to-end supply chain visibility, the warehouse is still a “blind spot” for many companies. What can be done to improve visibility within the four walls to bring the same level of excellence achieved in other areas of the supply chain? Van Wormer: Over-the-road transportation fleets have gained tremendous productivity through […]
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RFID Delivers the Power to Transform Markets
Q: The business cases for achieving improved visibility throughout the supply chain have been identified. What technologies should logistics providers consider to get there? Pappu: Physical objects are becoming coupled with a myriad of radio technologies to drive a communications revolution. For instance, location information from GPS satellites 16 miles above the earth is being […]
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Data in a Flash: Utilizing EDI
Q: Where did EDI come from? Heine: Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) has been used in various forms since the 1960s. Today, all Fortune 1000 companies use EDI, as do millions of other businesses. In the transportation field, big retailers led the way in implementing EDI. In the mid-1980s, EDI standards emerged, and each type of […]
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Third-Party Services Can Simplify Global Trade Complexity
Q: Why do companies have such a hard time embracing global trade management? Hazen: Companies may not understand the complexity behind constantly changing regulations. The diversity of individual governments and cultures presents difficulties in embracing global trade management. Companies spend significant resources dealing with basic needs to ensure a successful, seamless process with each trading […]
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