Articles
Logistics
Educating the Supply Chain – SMC³
Jump Start 2018 provides shippers, carriers, 3PLs, and other supply chain professionals with indispensable insights about trends and challenges in the wider logistics arena.
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Supply Chain Commentary: What Shippers Need to Know About Market Tightness
After a two-year slide in transportation prices, the logistics sector is experiencing capacity constraints and historically high and enduring truckload volumes. As we head into peak shipping season, rates have been rising significantly, particularly in the wake of hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Shippers can expect this trend to continue into 2018. The market isn’t likely […]
Read MoreSurvey: Customers Place a High Priority on On-Time Holiday Shipping
27 percent of U.S. customers would rather get a root canal than have personal holiday shipments come late, according to a DHL holiday customer survey that reveals on-time shipments are a high priority. The survey helps to better understands customer trends and challenges this holiday season, and uncovered key business priorities for the holidays, and how they […]
Read MoreDos and Don’ts for Storing Temperature Sensitive Medicines
The UK Medicine and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) identified crucial mistakes in how wholesalers source and handle freezers and fridges used to store medicines. MHRA says the main metrics to measure when sourcing GDP qualified equipment are: The purpose – is it to store cold packs to be used in transit or to host frozen products? Temperature bracket required Capacity […]
Read MoreFacts About Friction
The average U.S. business loses $171,340 per year through clunky payment practices causing friction in their supply chain, according to new research by Tungsten Network. This equates to almost 6,500 man hours spent chasing purchase order numbers, processing paper invoices, and responding to supplier inquiries. Businesses estimate they spend an average of 55 hours per […]
Read MoreSupply Chain Commentary: Out Darn Spot! Out, I Say!
The comic Steven Wright once joked, “I spilled spot remover all over my dog. Now he’s gone.” For shippers who regularly leverage the spot market, it’s been a buyer’s market the past few years. One shipper I’ve worked with saved more than 9 percent on freight spend simply by moving away from only using brokers […]
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Urban Logistics: You Can’t Fight City Haul
The impact of urbanization—population increases in cities and towns as opposed to rural areas—on business growth and sustainability concerns nearly all companies surveyed in The Road to Sustainable Urban Logistics, a new report by UPS and GreenBiz Group. However, only 47 percent feel prepared to address the associated business challenges, according to the survey. Further, […]
Read MoreWhy the Rise of the 4PL Is Good News for Your Business
On-demand delivery, trade uncertainties, siloed information…for today’s supply chain managers, the list of concerns is long. Current industry and geopolitical trends are complicating matters further. Companies are juggling more products and suppliers, leaving supply chains increasingly vulnerable to disruption. In the grocery industry alone, the average number of SKUs skyrocketed from 9,000 in the 1970s […]
Read MoreStaffing Your Warehouse: Addressing Hidden Risks
The warehousing sector and staffing industry depend on each other. In fact, they are so closely tied that the Department of Labor often considers warehouses and staffing companies “joint employers.” The rules for being a joint employer significantly increase the risks and exposures otherwise thought to be transferred to the staffing agency. Payroll Taxes Did […]
Read MoreNew IoT Tools Enable Greater Visibility Into Complex Supply Chains
Shipping high-value goods is risky business. Supply chains are complex, and getting more complex by the day. More complexity means more surprises, and most supply chain managers don’t like surprises. Every year, pharmaceutical companies spend $30 billion replacing shipments that have been damaged due to temperature excursions. Cargo loss in other industries accounts for an […]
Read MoreU.S.-Cuba Trade: The Intersection of Sanctions, Sourcing, and Compliance
With the changing diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba, and expectations for the new administration to redraw U.S. policy toward Cuba, many involved in international trade are unclear of the sanctions status of trade with the island nation. The country is still embargoed and, at a practical level, for most all products, normalized […]
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Six Surefire Ways to Build a Logistics Workforce
Indiana ranks second in the United States for manufacturing and logistics employment growth and first in the percentage of Hoosiers employed in these industry sectors. Couple those statistics with Indiana’s “Crossroads of America” logistics reputation and there is a compelling reason to develop a skilled workforce for continued growth. Building tomorrow’s workforce is a team […]
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Supply Chain Commentary: Why Manufacturers Should Adopt an Ecosystem Strategy
Customers have always expected suppliers to quickly respond to their needs, but now they’re more demanding than ever. As the needs of buyers become more unpredictable and complex, and as they begin to demand more frequent product launches and extreme personalization, manufacturers are struggling to keep up, let alone profitably. One of the core challenges […]
Read MoreHow Supply Chain Managers Can Use
Artificial Intelligence to Their Advantage
Artificial intelligence (AI) now touches almost every industry and walk of life. Driverless cars are chauffeuring themselves through Pittsburgh’s roads, robots dominate the activity within Amazon’s warehouses, and increasingly sophisticated algorithms for demand planning and design have gone digital. Personalization and machine learning continue to improve customers’ experiences and open countless doors for the tech […]
Read MoreGOOD QUESTION | What is the best piece of leadership advice you ever received?
Treat ’em like family. Sean Ford Operations Manager Home Depot Stay humble and lead by example. Never ask members of your team to perform any task that you would not perform yourself, and remember that your plans, actions, and decisions have a direct effect on the team members that you depend on. Tom Poduch Director […]
Read MoreReducing Packaging Costs
While most businesses are ramping up for peak season, some parcel carriers sent their own early greetings with holiday surcharges. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean your company has to raise prices or take a financial hit. Try these packaging moves to help offset higher parcel costs farther up the supply chain, says Rajiv Saxena, supply chain […]
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The Last Mile—History Repeating As Supply Managers Face Peak Season – Crane Worldwide Logistics
Nothing new is ever really created, just updated to meet the current environment or situation. When looking beyond the "hype" of all the new, innovative services and suppliers in the logistics space, we find that delivery service capability has already been efficiently and successfully implemented in the past. We only need to look back to […]
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Hazmat 101: Exceeding Safety and Compliance Standards – Landstar
Hazmat transportation’s multifaceted nature makes logistics particularly complicated, especially when companies don’t realize that they’re transporting such goods. Even though a manufacturer may be an expert at producing goods, it may not be as well-versed in the intricacies of transporting those materials, including unknowingly offering carriers non-compliant hazmat shipments. Compliance is a team effort, and […]
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Florida Seaports Weather the Storm and Thrive through Meticulous Emergency Response Preparedness – Florida Ports Council
Hurricane Irma tested the emergency response preparedness at every seaport in Florida. This unique hurricane covered the entire state and closed every major fuel and cargo operation at our seaports over several days, and provided us with some keen insights concerning local and state continuity of operations and resumption of business plans. Many lessons were […]
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Reliable Rail Service Hinges on Reform
Freight rail is a vital link in the logistics professional’s arsenal, connecting businesses with downstream users and consumers. America’s railway system has a long and storied history, playing a pivotal role in the growth of our nation. Until recently, 26 railroads were in operation. Today, there are only seven rail providers, with just four controlling […]
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