Articles
Logistics
Wayne Paul: Sticking to the Basics
Wayne Paul caught the logistics bug as a college student working in the receiving department at Sears. And much of what he knows about managing a demand chain he learned from his first post-college employer, Roadway Express. Paul joined the less-than-truckload carrier after earning his B.S. in Transportation from the University of Alabama in 1980. […]
Read MoreRaking in the Trash
“It’s only trash.” That’s how supply chain managers often refer to the mountains of packing material, broken pallets, paper, and other trash that clutters distribution facilities. For most companies, disposal is an expense item, with additional costs for compactors, waste bins, carting, landfill use, and myriad other variables. With a little of the same skill […]
Read MoreDennis Hilborn: Know Thyself
“Who are we?” is one of Dennis Hilborn’s favorite questions. In his two and a half years as director of distribution at sports apparel maker Cutter & Buck, asking employees over and over who they are has helped him transform the Seattle-based company’s distribution center (DC). When Hilborn arrived at Cutter & Buck, “distribution was […]
Read MoreMaking Dollars & Sense Out of Logistics
Treating logistics as a profit center can expand both revenue and profit, and build your leverage base. But this approach is still a brave new world.
Read MorePhil Saracin: Whatever it Takes
Phil Saracin, global logistics manager at Kemet Corp., enjoys the challenges of finding new ways to reduce cost and cycle time, and developing new tools to improve information flow.
Read MoreMichael Beaver: Leave it to Beaver
Michael Beaver recently started learning Spanish, and he wishes he had mastered a few more languages earlier in his career. As a supply chain executive with a global corporation, Beaver knows communication is the key to forging profitable relationships. Speaking to colleagues and partners in their own languages helps to assure them that the company […]
Read MoreReading the Logistics Radar Screen
Private network proliferation and the Internet’s global commercialization improve productivity in manufacturing and customer-facing business operations. But at the interface between information technology and the physical world of transportation and logistics, we still have a long way to go. The flip side of the IT revolution is that the quality of data fed into logistics […]
Read MoreProducing the January Issue: Making Planners
While the publisher is thinking about making waves, I am busy editing and producing this Logistics Planner issue. It’s what I look forward to most each year. I guess I love pain, because I am writing this—the last page to go to the printer—in the office late Sunday afternoon. But it’s worth the effort. My […]
Read MoreHow Logistics Shaped Our Nation: Making Waves
New York, it turns out, achieved its “Empire State” status, at least in part, because of the canals that linked New York City to the Midwest and the west. That point was made in a recent PBS special on New York State and the integral role transportation played. Products, people and ambition flowed west. Raw […]
Read MoreYesterday, Today & Tomorrow
Logistics innovations take courage, resources, and time—but the payback can be great. Here’s a look at key logistics developments over the years, what companies are doing today, and how to become a logistics innovator.
Read MoreReader Profiles
This new column featuring logistics professionals who’ve been around the block a few times and have volunteered to share their experiences with readers. This debut installment features three profiles; future issues will carry one profile each.
Read MoreMergers & Acquisitions: Disparate Measures
Integrating disparate supply chains demands a holistic approach, with careful detail to every core function. From IT compatibility to corporate culture clashes, this article sorts out complicated pieces of supply chain integration to find out where they fit in today’s M&A puzzle.
Read More2001: Year-End Roundup
Terrorist attacks. War. An uncertain economy. Despite these challenges, 2001 also will be remembered for innovative logistics strategies, significant gains in logistics collaboration, and a new respect for the critical role supply chain management plays in U.S. competitiveness.
Read MorePaying Attention to the Whole Logistics Package
Lance Armstrong doesn’t know it, but when he won the Tour de France this year, he provided a powerful business parable for our times. His come-from-behind victory demonstrated an important, but often overlooked, competitive concept: No matter how impressive your start, you must have a strong finish to win the race. Nowhere is this more […]
Read MoreBringing Logistics Out of Medieval Mode
At the end of the quarter, as salespeople demand that items move off the dock and into revenue status, logistics specialists find their faxes humming, phones ringing, and desktops overflowing with paper. The struggle to meet the transportation needs of customers and move products across international borders would be easier were it not for the […]
Read MoreCLM Shows Resolve
Shortly after the tragic events of Sept. 11, we received reports of several logistics industry events being cancelled. There was also some question as to whether one of the most important logistics meetings of the year would take place. The Council of Logistics Management made the right call deciding to proceed with its annual conference. […]
Read MoreStrikepoint: Part Three
"I won’t let it happen!" Gan McManus slapped the table, rattling the espresso cups. "Dammit, we had the prize in our hands—manufacturing capacity, a bridge solution to our supply chain dilemma, the works! And now it’s all whisked away by Ike Boone and his checkbook!" "Bravo!" Ed Combs said from across the table. "I’ve been […]
Read MoreGan’s the Man
As editor of Inbound Logistics, I get plenty of mail from readers. This month, I was bypassed. All your mail went straight to Gan McManus, the fictional hero of Strikepoint . It’s only fair to turn this column over to Gan and let him talk to you directly. —Felecia Stratton, Editor Wow. I want to […]
Read MoreStrikepoint—Part Two
Mary Ann Dugan had left the meeting supercharged, rushing off to delegate everything so she could plunge into crisis mode—with Gan McManus, Ed Combs and anybody else in the hierarchy of Cornelius Footwear they decided to grab. "It’s going to be a long day—and probably night," she’d told Gan. "Which reminds me, I’m going to […]
Read MoreWhat’s So Great About Page 43?
Turn to page 43 of the May 2001 issue, and read part one of Strikepoint, a fictional tale of one man’s quest, in the face of a growing product demand, to find a logistics solution and save his company from financial ruin. Why should you spend your time reading “make-believe?” Because Strikepoint is a celebration […]
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