Articles
Logistics
Meal Delivery Services: You’ve Got to be Kitting Me!
Meal kit delivery services are great for consumer convenience and health. But their supply chain complexity can cause plenty of heartburn.
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Working at People Speed
Elon Musk describes the manufacturing operation for the new Tesla as so complex that no humans will participate in building the car. "You really can’t have people in the production line," says Musk. "Otherwise, you’ll automatically drop to people speed." Drop to people speed? Will supply chain impatience—a term I coined to define an inexorable […]
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Taking the Show on the Road
Show producers and their logistics partners earn props for their behind-the-scenes work on live entertainment events. From the opening act to the grand finale, here’s how they set the stage for shows on tour.
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GOOD QUESTION | Has supply chain impatience gotten out of hand?
Absolutely. While it is nice that consumers can get more things faster and cheaper than ever before, it puts tremendous pressure on retailers to keep profits up. Retailers start moving up sales for each season: back to school, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. It’s getting so bad that I predict the Christmas 2018 season will be […]
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Florida: Your Partner in Progress
The Sunshine State basks in its role as a logistics superstar, with hot transportation connections via water, air, road and rail. You’ll also warm up to its great quality of life, abundant qualified labor pool, and oceans of experience in keeping your products safe for the long haul.
Read MorePrepping Your DC for Peak Season
Are you ready for the holidays? Today’s retailers and their logistics partners need to ask and answer that question well in advance of the holiday season. Mark Sibley, vice president of customer support for BEUMER Corporation, offers this advice to prepare your distribution center before holiday orders come rolling in. 1. Start early. Don’t start […]
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Site Selection: A Power Production
Locating warehouses and distribution centers in areas offering reliable energy generates cost savings and efficiency.
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Cross-Border Champion
MORE TO THE STORY: Lowdown on Long Island John Costanzo works in the thick of the world’s largest trading relationship—the one between the United States and Canada. At Purolator International in Jericho, N.Y., a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian company Purolator Inc., the core mission is helping U.S. businesses move goods to customers north of […]
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Optimum Dental Extracts Transportation Cost Savings
Optimum Dental sinks its teeth into a route optimization and planning system, and leaves dentists and their patients smiling.
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Peter Schuele: Injecting Life Into Supply Chains
Peter Schuele is head of global supply chain and distribution at the life science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the United States and Canada. He has held this position since 2015. Responsibilities Managing 130 distribution centers around the globe, as well as the supply chain models for the company’s […]
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Trends—August 2016
If It Ain’t Broke…Keep It That Way Manufacturers are seeing big benefits from providing maintenance training. Just 40 hours of maintenance training per employee per year can net as much as a 127-percent return on investment, says a new study from Advanced Technology Services (ATS), a manufacturing maintenance consultancy. The study collected data from 1,189 […]
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Global Logistics—August 2016
U.S./Mexico Border Project Takes Off Wait To address customs clearance delays and waiting times at the U.S./Mexico border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Mexico’s Tax Administration Service (SAT) launched the Unified Cargo Processing pilot program at Arizona’s Port of Nogales, Mariposa Commercial Facility. The project is posting positive results in its initial stages. […]
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Keys to Customer Retention in a Competitive Environment
Q: What do you attribute to be the most significant key factor with customer retention in today’s competitive marketplace? A: Value over price seems to be an old adage that still is true even in today’s market. A key contributor to this is having local sales effort, and knowing customer requirements. Being able to provide […]
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What You Need to Know About Nearshoring
Q: When a company begins a nearshoring initiative in Mexico, what is the best way to expand its supply chain to meet the future need without disrupting the service their customers have come to expect? A: When a company initiates a nearshoring program, it is critical to have a partnership with a transportation and logistics […]
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Complying With Big-box Retailer Requirements
Complying with big-box retailer regulations is not a one-person job for 3PLs. An integrated team approach is the best way to ensure your company, as a logistics provider, is able to be absolutely reliable to the retailer. Specifically, customer service, compliance, and transportation and operational services equally aid in the assurance of complying with big-box […]
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Multiple Channels Are Making Supply Chains More Complex
The global consumer packaged goods (CPG) logistics market is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.98% from 2016 to 2020, according to a Research and Markets study entitled Global CPG Logistics Market 2016-2020. For CPG logistics providers who are looking for and finding new ways of helping customers get their products […]
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Global Retail Expansion: The Convergence of Marketing, Customer Service, and Supply Chain Strategies
As the global market becomes ever more connected, more and more retailers are struggling to keep up with their international expansion. Brands who never anticipated going global are finding that they all of a sudden are, thanks to the progression of e-commerce and increasing customer expectations. Wisely, this is where many are seeking assistance, and […]
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Cross-Border Trade is On a Roll
U.S.-Canada trade will continue to be a mutually beneficial partnership, as long as shippers keep their eye on the ball.
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Does Your Supply Chain Need an Alignment?
If your supply chain isn’t aligned with your overall competitive strategy, then performance may fall short of expectations, with higher costs, poor execution, and reduced revenue and profits. When a company develops a strategic growth plan, it has to decide which priorities—cost, quality, time or flexibility—to focus on. It must then manage the supply chain […]
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Is Transportation Management Your Core Competency?
When evaluating your needs for a Transportation Management System (TMS) it’s important to look beyond technology and consider who will manage planning and execution. How do you determine if outsourcing to a Managed Service Provider (MSP) will deliver greater value than developing an in-house team? Making the Decision: Evaluate your core competency— Is your expertise […]
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