Articles
Viewpoint: Logistics & Supply Chain Analysis
Get Customer-Centric or Get E-liminated
Ask three people to define e-commerce, and you’ll end up with three disparate answers. The problem is that companies use e-commerce to define varying degrees of involvement in e-business. Some companies think they conduct e-commerce because they have e-mail. Some believe that the mere presence of a web site constitutes an e-commerce approach. The fact […]
Read MoreThis Land is Your Land: Real Estate Cuts Costs
As competition among 3PL firms continues to increase, finding new ways to reduce your operating costs and maximize supply chain efficiencies becomes increasingly important. A 1999 analysis of the logistics industry found that an estimated eight cents on each dollar spent on logistics can be allocated to the warehouse with the majority, or 59 cents, […]
Read MoreSecuring America’s Future by Riding the ITS Wave
Ocean liner service is the backbone of international transportation for manufactured goods. General cargo ships, sailing on regular schedules along established trade lanes, annually move more than 1.2 billion metric tons of consumer, industrial, and military commodities ranging from fatigues and milling machines to perfume and designer jeans. In the past 10 years, the number […]
Read MoreIs Your Supply Chain Achieving Customer Loyalty?
Business logistics executives face four major challenges: Achieving dramatic reductions in time-to-market. Creating value for shareholders. Marketing their supply chain as a competitive edge. Earning customer loyalty. Organizations must focus time, attention, and dollars on these areas. While many companies have plans to achieve challenges one through three, market leaders know that without true customer […]
Read MoreReal Estate Companies Deliver Distribution Solutions
In today’s economy, companies are experiencing an increased amount of pressure to deliver their products to market more rapidly and cost-efficiently. Customers have little tolerance for lengthy delays in the fulfillment cycle, and they reject the exorbitant costs often required to deliver the products to market more efficiently. To avoid these pitfalls, companies have begun […]
Read MoreCan Competitors Unite On Your Behalf?
In 1997, DSC Communications Corporation, a $1.6-billion telecom equipment maker based in Plano, Texas, decided to get radical. In an attempt to streamline the number of freight forwarders not only swarming its docks, but swamping the progressive company with paperwork, DSC turned to outsourcing. Putting its domestic, international, and van line segments out for bid, […]
Read MoreLogistics Success: Take it to the Bank
Global economics plus smart financing equals huge opportunities. But overseas trade presents many logistics risks that can cause lending institutions to hesitate in financing all the working capital needs of their clients. The success of a transaction depends on a well-oiled logistics process, with the job finished only when the goods satisfactorily reach the customer’s […]
Read MoreTax Credit Gives Boost to Boston
The state of Massachusetts, and Boston in particular, have drawn sustenance from the ocean and its maritime industries for more than 300 years. Now, as the 21st century approaches, U.S. ports, including the Port of Boston, have to reinvent themselves to meet the changing global economy. One of the biggest challenges facing U.S. ports is […]
Read MoreJIT II Partnerships Require Leap of Faith
United Printing was in the unique position in 1986 to be part of Bose Corporation’s now-famous JIT II experiment. Under this new approach to managing business logistics, Bose consolidated all its printing with one JIT II partner—United Printing—in exchange for immediate cost reduction, an inplant representative, and a defined ceiling on all pricing. Twelve years […]
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