Articles
Logistics
Building Visibility, Response, Resiliency
Chief supply chain officers (CSCO) are tasked with a range of challenging issues when it comes to managing a company’s product supply chain. To maximize productivity and efficiency, the CSCO should consider visibility, response, and resiliency the most important aspects of supply chain management. Digital transformation is underway in supply chain management and it is […]
Read MoreHow to Navigate the Driver Shortage
The industry’s driver shortage is no secret. About 100,000 seats need to be filled at a time when the pipeline for new drivers is getting thinner. But what’s the practical impact on shippers as this shortage gets worse? In short, it won’t be pretty. Tighter capacity will lead to fewer choices. Regulations mandating the use […]
Read MoreEnd-to-end Visibility is Crucial to Shipper Network Optimization – Schneider
“Visibility.” It’s more than just the latest buzzword on everyone’s mind and tip of the tongue. But what does it mean and what is its value in your supply chain? As technology advances, the velocity of business increases, the proliferation of personal electronic devices continues, and people’s expectations of shippers grow. Today’s consumers already assume […]
Read MoreSolved: TMS Offers Significant Savings – BluJay
BluJay’s SaaS transportation management solution helped Ace Hardware reduce freight spend and improve service.
Read MoreThe Customer Experience: The Last Mile Gets the Royal Treatment
In e-commerce, how you deliver is nearly as important as what you sell.
Read MoreSupply Chain Super Bowl
America’s appetite for build-a-bowl restaurants is growing, but the concept serves up new supply chain challenges.
Read MoreCareer Solutions: Talent Search
Experience-based education programs seek out, woo, and train the next generation of supply chain talent.
Read MoreBetter Routing Takes Root
By switching from a manual to an automated routing and scheduling system, flowering plant seller Weatherford Farms puts the petals to the medal.
Read MoreK Line, Agunsa Drive KAR
To leverage rising automotive import traffic in Latin America, particularly in Chile, multinational logistics agency Agunsa has partnered with Japanese shipping firm “K” Line to create a dedicated automotive logistics company. The new company, KAR Logistics, offers integrated transportation services as well as warehousing, customization, pre-delivery inspection, and spare parts services. Its target is automotive […]
Read MoreCan Your Supply Chain Keep Up With Technology?
New technology has rapidly impacted our everyday lives. Consumer technology advances are having a profound impact on the art of supply chain management, requiring constant evolution and rethinking of the way products are marketed, sold, produced, and delivered. The Tesla Effect In the automotive industry, customers will soon expect to be able to configure their […]
Read MoreDo Buy, Says Dubai
E-commerce is booming and everyone wants a piece of the pie, including Dubai . The country recently announced its first free trade zone dedicated to e-commerce in the MENA region: Dubai CommerCity, a multi-million-dollar, 2.1-million-square-foot complex that is a joint venture between Dafza and Wasl Asset Management Group. The project is designed to promote Dubai’s […]
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 […]
Read MoreAssessing U.S. Shipments and Spend
A tighter truck market, increase in national shipments, and accelerated factory output are among the highlights of the Q3 2017 U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index, which measures quantitative changes in shipment and spend activity (see chart) based on data from transactions the company processes. Highlights include: An 8.3-percent jump in U.S. Bank’s national spend index, […]
Read MoreIndustrial Companies Map Data Gap
Eighty-four percent of industrial companies face a disconnect between data from connected devices and strategic decision making and operations, limiting the Internet of Thing’s (IoT) digital transformation potential, according to a research study conducted by IFS, a global enterprise applications company. Only 16 percent of survey respondents consume IoT data in enterprise resource planning (ERP) […]
Read MoreA Resurgence in Trucking Investments Presents Opportunities for Shippers
Economic indicators and data reports suggest the economy is strengthening, which should continue to promote business confidence through the remainder of 2017. The second quarter 2017 U.S. GDP report indicated that expenditures grew by 3.3 percent, led by an 8.9-percent gain in durable goods spending. With increasing expenditures for durable and non-durable goods, manufacturers, retailers, […]
Read MoreYoung Professionals and Supply Chain: So Happy Together
The opportunity for interesting work, as well as development and advancement, top the list of requirements for young professionals, according to the 2018 CSCMP/Penske Young Professionals Survey of 300 supply chain professionals younger than 30. The average young professional responding to the survey has worked in the supply chain sector for about three years and […]
Read More6 Strategies for Finding the Right 3PL Partner
RFP season is upon us. It’s the time of year when shippers request bids and plan their optimal logistics strategy for 2018. Shippers are increasingly involving 3PLs in the request for proposal (RFP) process for access to tens of thousands of pre-qualified carriers, industry expertise, and advanced logistics technology that provides supply chain visibility and […]
Read MoreSupply Chain Commentary: How to Reduce Supplier Inventory Costs
Managing supplier goods can be a complex process with multiple stakeholders. You have planning that drives forecast and production scheduling, and procurement that purchases materials based on forecasts. Operations oversees the flow of incoming goods and warehouse management receives inbound shipments. While the titles and roles may vary among organizations, the basic supplier workflow is […]
Read MoreChina Ups Delivery Service to the U.S.
Two leading express companies are joining forces to leverage their complementary networks, service portfolios, technologies, and logistics expertise. China’s Ministry of Commerce approved a planned joint venture between UPS and SF Holding, the parent company of SF Express. The agreement allows UPS and SF to collaborate on developing and providing international delivery services from, initially, […]
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