Articles
Viewpoint: Logistics & Supply Chain Analysis
5 Lift Truck Innovations That Will Change Your Warehouse
New developments affect the lift truck market every day, and it’s only a matter of time before you’ll see these features and tools in your own warehouse. Here are five lift truck innovations worth knowing about. Device mounts. When warehouse managers first tried using tablet computers and other inventory devices on lift trucks, it didn’t […]
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How the Changing Chassis Market Affects Your Supply Chain
The change in marine chassis provisioning continues to be of concern to maritime shippers, thanks to a long-term trend of separating ocean transportation from inland logistics. That trend began in the mid-2000s, when carriers limited the inland destinations they would serve. As ocean carriers are disintermediated from the market, chassis users and providers will develop […]
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Maximize Nearshoring Value to Minimize Supply Chain Complexity
Latin America—particularly Mexico—continues to gain favor as a sourcing hotspot. Its close proximity to the U.S. border has always been a draw, but recent developments have shifted the global trade landscape in favor of the Western hemisphere. Nearsourcing may never entirely replace production in Asia, but trading partners in the Americas should be an essential […]
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Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Tackles Track-and-Trace Challenges
New legislation is in the works to prevent counterfeit medicines from entering the pharmaceutical supply chain. These random mixtures of harmful toxic substances are not only illegal; they are extremely dangerous to patients and damaging to the reputations of legitimate pharmaceutical companies. Increased Internet sales, widespread demand for generic drugs, and drug shortages in many […]
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Nearshoring in Mexico: The Benefits of Shared Borders
Offshore manufacturing has been synonymous with the Pacific Rim for decades, and it’s still often the best option for saving a line of business that might otherwise decline because of rising labor costs. As the offshoring trend has progressed, however, the drawbacks of moving production far from demand have become more obvious. For example, the […]
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How Will the Affordable Care Act Impact Shippers?
Companies large and small are assessing the impact the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) will have on employee benefits. The mandates of the act start Jan. 1, 2014, and employers are examining a variety of responses. Shippers must not only face the question of how this legislation relates to their own operations and […]
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Automating B2B Payments: The Next Frontier
When it comes to automation in B2B payments, we have a long way to go. Too often, payments are disconnected from the underlying commercial transaction, creating problems from proper initiation to reconciliation. Automating B2B payments is challenging for many reasons. Selling a product or service and getting paid are often two different processes. Anyone who […]
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When Government Oversight of Motor Carriers Fails, Shippers Pay
While overall truck accident rates have been trending lower over the past several years, avoidable carrier accidents are still common. Comprehensive safety compliance reviews (CRs) by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) protect lives and property. In the year after a CR is conducted, crashes decrease 16.3 percent, according to […]
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New Transatlantic Trade Pact Could Be Favorable “TTIP-ing” Point for Logistics Sector
In announcing the start of negotiations to forge a new trade agreement between the United States and the 27-nation European Union (EU), British Prime Minister David Cameron said at the G-8 summit meeting held in Northern Ireland in June 2013 that there is "no better way to drive growth and prosperity around the world" than […]
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Improving America’s Ports: A Vital Step in U.S. Economic Recovery
In its March 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) included port infrastructure for the first time in its comprehensive infrastructure analysis. ASCE’s reports are instrumental in showing the need for infrastructure investment, and the economic impact of its neglect. Advocating for increased federal investment in seaport-related infrastructure—including both […]
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