Articles
Manufacturing
Do you expect a resurgence in reshoring to the United States? Why or why not?
No. I don’t expect a significant increase in reshoring. I do expect a significant increase in multi-sourcing of key products in the supply chain. Reshoring to a significant degree requires huge infrastructure changes that I do not believe today’s consumer is ready to fund in price increases and reductions in convenience. —Bill Denbigh Senior Director, […]
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Puerto Rico: Go with the Flow
The “Made in America” initiative, a highly skilled workforce, and transshipment capabilities are beckoning shippers to take advantage of the flow of commerce to the island—a sometimes-overlooked domestic market for U.S. manufacturers.
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3 Underreported Trends That Will Accelerate Reshoring
Thomas research shows an increase in the number of manufacturers that want to bring production back to the United States. These trends will help you capitalize on that opportunity.
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Bringing Transportation in Sync with the World
True digital transformation requires the ability to think beyond the next load or the next order to find new and enduring ways to match demand with capacity and connect relevant industry partners.
Read MoreTonya Jackson: Signed, Sealed, Delivered
Tonya Jackson is senior vice president and chief supply chain officer with Lexmark, a creator of imaging solutions and technologies. Responsibilities: Worldwide supply chain operations, including supply planning, global sourcing, hardware and supplies manufacturing, distribution and logistics, and managing shared service centers. Experience: Vice president, global supply chain operations; vice president, supplies operation and engineering; all […]
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Collaboration Provides Unification, Visibility, and Reporting on Key Factors
TForce Worldwide partnered with a large manufacturing client, building a system that met its needs and a unified platform that provides complex data to support better business decisions.
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Reshoring Starts with Mapping Suppliers
When the book How COVID-19 Changed Supply Chains is written, it will include chapters on reshoring—bringing manufacturing back to the United States—and nearshoring—bringing them closer to home. But there won’t be a chapter titled “How COVID-19 Ended China’s Manufacturing Dominance.”
Read MoreTop Hat and Tales
Stephanie Carter is the co-founder, president, and chief executive officer of Wallaroo Hat Company, a Boulder, Colorado-based manufacturer of stylish sun-protective hats, founded in 1999. Responsibilities: Supply chain logistics, overall operations, design, manufacturing, marketing, and human resources. Education: B.A. in Spanish and French language and literature, cum laude, New York University, 1989; J.D., University of […]
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Serving Up Sustainability
PepsiCo and General Mills plan to reduce their carbon footprint during the next 10 years, following similar initiatives by food manufacturing giants such as Kellogg’s and Smithfield Foods. New York-based PepsiCo, which owns Frito-Lay, Tropicana, and Quaker Oats, aims to use 100% renewable electricity across all its company-controlled operations by 2030 and across its franchise […]
Read MoreUntangling Supply Chain Challenges
Digitization and complexity present overwhelming challenges, finds a new Körber study. 91% of supply chain professionals cannot stay ahead of their challenges as manufacturing and fulfillment complexities continue to grow. 51% of businesses can only tackle one supply chain challenge at a time. 48% of supply chains saw complexity grow in the past year, driven […]
Read MoreCOVID-19’s Impact on North American Manufacturers
Manufacturer interest in reshoring, hiring, and apprenticeships is increasing during the pandemic, finds Thomas’ latest COVID-19 Manufacturing Survey.
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True Manufacturing Embraces More Efficient, Visual Load Building
By turning to MagicLogic Optimization and integrating Cube-IQ, its load planning optimization software solution, True Manufacturing reduced work hours and increased efficiency.
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Outsourced Manufacturing: Achieving Quality and Financial Goals
Manufacturers have been outsourcing noncore production processes for decades, and the trend continues. The key to successful outsourcing is assuring the 3PL value-added assembler (VAA) has a quality management system.
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Manufacturers Remain Optimistic
Despite continued impacts across industries (see chart), approximately 91% of manufacturers believe that North American manufacturing can recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey by Thomas Insights. The report also highlights the following key findings: A significant jump in COVID-19-related impacts occurred—89% of manufacturers surveyed say they felt impacts from COVID-19 in April […]
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Tailoring Apparel Supply Chains for the Future
Apparel brands and retailers can use the COVID-19 crisis to take stock of existing business models and create more stable and sustainable supply chains for the future, finds GlobalData. Fashion retailers in key consumer markets across Europe and North America fight for survival as stores close, sales slump, and inventories mount. For many, the response […]
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Extreme Networks Rewires Its Supply Chain
Any company that has gone through a merger and acquisition knows how challenging it can be to integrate manual and disparate supply chain processes across the newly combined organization.
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The Road Map Out of This Mess
For years, I have been a proponent of operating a lean and agile supply chain, but some now say the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the shortcomings of a supply chain that is perhaps too lean. To be “lean,” however, doesn’t mean maintaining extremely low inventory levels with no coordination or backup plan. It also appears […]
Read MoreHow Shippers Are Handling COVID-19
Shippers are quickly responding to the COVID-19 outbreak, according to a survey by Echo Logistics. Shipping volumes demonstrate the resilience of companies and their ability to produce essential products during disruption, and highlight the important role transportation plays, according to Echo. Shippers’ responses shifted during just a two-week period: 28% of shippers said the virus […]
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