Articles
Trends
Trends-January 2007
Intermodal transportation is currently under great scrutiny in the supply chain. Pundits debate whether intermodal is a cost-saving method that can help ease supply chain capacity issues, or a second-tier solution fenced in by customer service concerns and a finite supply of railroad track in the United States. Like many aspects of today’s supply chain […]
Read MoreTrends-December 2006
Global trade works in interesting ways, especially when it comes to port activity. While some pundits predict freight will be diverted to alternate ports on the East and West coasts to avoid traffic at the ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, others see continued growth at the Southern California ports, based on stateside and transshipment demand […]
Read MoreTrends-November 2006
Despite the hot and humid San Antonio weather, last month’s CSCMP annual conference served as a refreshing reminder of the breadth and depth of the modern supply chain industry. More than 3,000 attendees assembled from October 15 to 18 to gather food for thought on global logistics, sourcing, supply chain technology, transportation, and warehousing best […]
Read MoreTrends-October 2006
To scan 100 percent of containers entering or leaving the United States or not to scan 100 percent? That was the question facing the Senate last month. After much debate and several amendments attempting to require 100-percent container scanning, the Senate in September approved final passage of the Port Security Improvement Act of 2006. It […]
Read MoreTrends-September 2006
Shippers today face a variety of concerns: high transportation costs; port, rail, and highway congestion; labor shortages; and complex security issues. Despite these challenges, they are finding ways to develop strategies and tactics that improve supply chain efficiency, finds a new report by University of Denver logistics expert Paul Nuzum. Forward-thinking companies are overcoming transportation […]
Read MoreTrends-August 2006
The Supply Chain Planning (SCP) market has stabilized and is poised for compounded annual growth of 2.4 percent over the next five years, according to ARC Advisory Group. The market will grow from $1.05 billion in 2005 to more than $1.18 billion by 2010 (see chart), predicts the Dedham, Mass.-based think tank in its report, Supply […]
Read MoreTrends-July
Put more than 700 supply chain executives in one room for an executive conference, and you’d expect the dialogue to center on such topics as reducing inventory, increasing visibility, speeding global distribution, and other standard best-practices fare. You’d also expect the keynote speaker to be a supply chain luminary or respected old-guard business leader. But […]
Read MoreTrends-July 2006
Global supply chains are becoming longer, deeper, and more connected, but as the past five years have proven, they are also more vulnerable to disruptions that threaten the fluidity of foreign trade. The challenge for global shippers is to create a cross-enterprise blueprint that incorporates security and contingency planning as core business practices, said economist […]
Read MoreTrends-June 2006
Collaboration isn’t just a supply chain buzzword, it’s fast becoming an essential tool for logistics success, according to new research from Boston-based Aberdeen Group. With ever-increasing logistics complexity and global supply chains becoming the norm, it’s more important than ever for supply chain professionals to share information and best practices across their networks, finds the […]
Read MoreTrends-May 2006
While the avian flu virus is clearly wreaking havoc with the world’s bird population, and is being hyped as a potential deadly threat to human health and safety, it could also do a real number on the global supply chain, as a recent simulation by MIT’s Center for Transportation and Logistics illustrated. In an “experimental […]
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