Articles
Trends
Intermodal Delivers in 2017
Intermodal freight volumes posted a fourth-quarter growth rate of 5.8 percent year-over-year, according to the Intermodal Association of North America’s (IANA) fourth quarter and year-end Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics report. International volume increased by 7.7 percent; domestic containers grew by a modest 2.5 percent; while trailer loads increased by 12.2 percent. "The imbalance between […]
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You Can’t Control Mother Nature, But You Can Be Ready For It
For senior financial executives at large U.S.-based companies with operations in Texas, Florida, or Puerto Rico, the 2017 hurricane season served as a risk management wake-up call. Commercial and industrial property insurer FM Global surveyed these executives at companies with more than $1 billion in revenue and found: Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of respondents say […]
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A Slap on the Wrist
Amazon has received two patents for a wristband system that monitors how warehouse workers move their hands. Currently, when a product order is received, the details are transmitted to the handheld computers that all Amazon warehouse staff carry. The workers must then rush to retrieve that product from one of many inventory bins on shelves, […]
Read MoreGuarding Your Business Against Data Loss
Data loss is every company’s nightmare. In fact, most companies that do experience a mass disappearance of vital, computer-kept information never turn their lights on again. It comes down to the idea that how you protect and treat your data is commensurate with how important you think it is, says Penny Garbus, co-founder of Soaring […]
Read MoreMan vs. Machine
Business leaders are divided in how they envision the future of human-machine partnerships, according to global research from Dell Technologies. Half of the 3,800 global business leaders surveyed forecast that automated systems will free up their time, while the other 50 percent believe otherwise.Similarly, 42 percent believe they’ll have more job satisfaction in the future […]
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Supply Chain Needs More Accurate Costing Information
Supply chain professionals need more accurate and effective cost information to help their decision-making, highlighting the need for supply chain and finance departments to work more closely together. They also need to adopt progressive costing practices that are focused on informing internal decisions. That’s according to a joint research report from APICS, the professional association […]
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Shopper Expectations Outpace Retail Investments
Overall shopper satisfaction has significantly improved over the past decade, although shoppers are still not thrilled with retail staff availability and customer service. While four in 10 shoppers surveyed in Zebra Technologies Corporation’s 2017 Global Shopper Study cite being better connected to consumer information than store associates, more than half believe store associates armed with […]
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Acquiring Shipt Will Bring Target Shoppers Same-Day Delivery
Target recently acquired Shipt to leverage the same-day delivery company’s proprietary technology platform and community of shoppers, and quickly and efficiently bring same-day delivery to customers across the country. What does this $550-million deal mean for Target and other retailers? "We are now at a point where same-day delivery service is becoming the rule for […]
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E-Commerce Warehouses: SuperSize Me
Thanks to e-commerce, the average footprint of warehouses built in the United States since the early 2000s has more than doubled. The largest expansions are in metro areas with the big populations that online sellers covet and the ample land that developers need, according to a new CBRE report. The real estate firm analyzed the […]
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Three Supply Chain Trends You Need to Know
The pace of supply chain and logistics transformation shows no signs of stopping in 2018, and changes in commerce, technology, demographics, and regulation will have huge implications for the sector. Three trends to keep top of mind are: 1. The electronic logging device (ELD) rollout in the United States, combined with previously introduced Hours of […]
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Lease Me a Loan: Transport Financing on the Upswing
Today more businesses rely on leases, loans, and equipment lines of credit to finance increased spending on new equipment. Businesses have increased their capital equipment spending for the seventh consecutive year, with overall new business volume growing by 2.5 percent, according to a recent Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) study. The equipment-financing sector outperformed […]
Read MoreIntermodal Volumes Best in Nearly Four Years
Total intermodal volumes climbed 7.2 percent year-over-year in the first quarter of 2018, the strongest gain since Q2 2014, according to the Intermodal Association of North America’s (IANA) Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics report. Domestic containers increased 6.2 percent, international intermodal volumes grew 7 percent, and trailers led overall growth at 14.5 percent. “Drivers for […]
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10 Ways To Play IT Safe
State-sponsored and individual bad actors will escalate supply chain cybersecurity risks. Here are 10 threats and trends to look out for across business, governmental, and personal arenas: 1. Software updates—the new Trojan Horse. Criminals use the normal software update process to get companies to infect all their clients, which then affects everyone down their software […]
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Fraud Goes Broad
The use of analytics to mitigate third-party supply chain fraud, waste, and abuse risk jumped to 35 percent in 2017 from 25.2 percent in 2014,according to a Deloitte poll. Between 2014 and 2017, an average of 30.8 percent of poll respondents report at least one instance of supply chain fraud, waste, and abuse in the […]
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Multi-Stop Steps
If you suspect that carriers reject multi-stop truckloads more often than single-stop loads, you’re only partially right. While carriers dislike specific factors about multi-stop, you can employ some strategies to make multi-stop freight more attractive to carriers and better control your costs. Here are four ways shippers can reduce rates and increase acceptance of multi-stop […]
Read MoreTracking Trucking
Data scientists at fleet management solutions provider Omnitracs recently conducted some research into what the trucking industry looked like in 2016 vs. 2017. The main findings revolved around Hours of Service (HOS) and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) metrics. HOS takeaways, based on data from January to October for 2016 and 2017 Drivers on average drove […]
Read MoreThe Human-Centered Supply Chain
The fashion supply chain is moving toward a human-centered model, which shifts from a sequenced approach of siloed operations to a flexible network of participants and partnerships that will enable agile and adaptable supply chain operations (see chart). That’s according to a new report developed by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, which worked […]
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Meet a New Breed of Procurement Professionals
In a workforce being transformed by the rise of the gig economy and industry restructuring, what attitudes and behaviors do procurement professionals need to climb the career ladder? The first global survey from Procurious.com reveals some answers. From developing vital mentoring relationships, to building social media profiles that have eclipsed the importance of resumes, to […]
Read MoreManufacturing IT: Investing for the Future
A continuum of change and digital transformation is swirling within the manufacturing industry and global economy. In this fluid environment, it can be tough for manufacturers to nail down IT planning stategies. IDC’s FutureScape: Worldwide Manufacturing 2018 Predictions can help. The study provides manufacturers the following 10 predictions and underlying drivers expected to impact technology […]
Read MoreAddressing Expedited Delivery Expectations
Amazon and other large retailers set customer expectations by offering expedited delivery at low or no cost. Retailers of all sizes must compete on the same turf, yet lack the negotiating power that could net meaningful discounts with commercial carriers. And private carriers often assess charges such as delivering to a residential address, penalties for […]
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