Articles
Risk Management
China’s Road to Restoration
After reporting no new cases of COVID-19 in March 2020, people are going back to work in China—but companies still face a slow return to production. Not only do China’s original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) face many challenges in resuming their production capacity, but global manufacturers also feel the impact of shortages in their supply chains. […]
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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 […]
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Bringing End-2-End Efficiency to Your Logistics Operations
With economic consequences from COVID-19 and other resulting challenges, companies are looking for ways to manage more efficiently with less—while reallocating resources to more productive activities and maximizing freight spend value. Logistics operations are a great place to start, as even the smallest percentage savings could mean triple-digit impact to bottom lines. These operations are […]
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 […]
Read MoreAdapting Supply Chain Strategies Amid COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an enormous strain on global supply chains as they rush to complete and ship orders as quickly as possible. With tightening budgets and a need to stay connected using technology, it is more important than ever for transportation and logistics companies to have an effective mobility strategy in place. To […]
Read MoreQuantifying the Impact of COVID-19 on the Supply Chain
With dynamic updates on missed transits, rollovers, arrival notification, and port congestion during COVID-19, shippers can make decisions proactively and avoid inefficient costs due to detention and demurrage, expedited freight, and buffer stock.
Read MoreCOVID-19 Supply Chain Resources & Strategies
Redefining Global Supply Chain Management The traditional ways of managing the supply chain may have changed forever as COVID-19 brings heightened awareness of its fragility. Every shipper, carrier, and logistics manager appreciates there could be a significant paradigm shift for future sourcing and inventory management. While just-in-time shipment delivery with tight inventory-to-sales ratios were the […]
Read More3 Ways to Mitigate Supply Chain Slowdowns
As the supply chain faces factory closures and limited access to employees and logistics to move goods amid the COVID-19 outbreak, leaders can help ease disruption by focusing on their workforce, products, and costs. Gartner recommends: 1. Support Your Workforce To limit the impact of COVID-19, governments and employers instructed many employees to stay at […]
Read MoreLabeling Is Key in Keeping Up with Today’s Supply Chain
COVID-19 has created unprecedented challenges for supply chain and logistics management. Products like canned food, toilet paper, and cleaning supplies have seen a significant rise in demand, while the demand for oil and refined products has slowed down. At the same time, e-commerce is booming, and some companies are struggling to meet the demand. Multiple […]
Read MoreU.S. States Reopen During COVID-19 Pandemic
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, is allowing her state to start reopening on April 30, 2020, after her stay-at-home order expires. “As of this week, we no longer believe our hospitals will see an overwhelming amount of ICU patients who need ventilators, as we once believed, and that is sure good news,” Ivey said. […]
Read MoreCOVID-19 Pandemic: Do Your Shipments Have the Right Protection?
Despite the many events that can disrupt today’s complex global supply chains, shippers too often don’t make cargo risk-management planning a priority for their business. But now, with the emergence of the coronavirus and its disruption of global trade, many shippers are seeing the value in such planning. Shipping delays are a very real possibility […]
Read MoreHow IoT Can Optimize Overwhelmed Supply Chains
With more and more brick-and-mortar shops temporarily closing their doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s immense pressure on retailers to deliver much-needed supplies to individuals at home. More packages—including crucial deliveries of food, medications and sanitation supplies—need to be shipped, which increases the pressure on supply chains to perform as efficiently as possible. At […]
Read MoreCOVID-19 Is Supply Chain’s Wake-Up Call
The power of centralized organizations must harness and unleash the strengths of decentralized communities to help beat this crisis.
Read More4 Ways to Safeguard and Stabilize Your Supply Chain
Stabilizing core business operations, managing risk, and taking steps to perfect and enforce rights under existing agreements and insurance policies should be key priorities at this stage of your company’s response to COVID-19. Here are four strategies for supply chain professionals, in-house counsel, and risk managers to keep in mind as they work with their […]
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When Bad Things Happen to Good Supply Chains
In the face of trade uncertainty and disruption, importers stay resilient.
Read More10 Ways to Prepare for Global Trade Disruption
Finished goods importers are especially vulnerable when unexpected disruptions take place. These suggestions can help you through what is shaping up to be a trying 2020.
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4 Steps to Ensure Port Resiliency After a Critical Incident
Across the nation, seaports support more than 30 million jobs and have an economic impact of more than $5 trillion. In my home state of Florida, our ports support nearly one million jobs and have an annual impact of more than $117 billion.
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7 Smart Steps to Minimize Risk
Inherent risks exist in trading globally that businesses don’t have to deal with when they keep things closer to home. But the rewards of expanding to new markets can far outweigh those hazards, especially if you take the following steps to minimize and manage your exposure to risks.
Read MoreIs Your Supply Chain Resilient? How Manufacturers Can Map Dependencies and Minimize Risk During COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically disrupted many global supply chains, and there is no way of knowing when the disruptions will peak or begin to return “normal.” Presently, the focus on public health and welfare is paramount—the ability of nations to contain the pandemic comes first. But the health of the global economy is also […]
Read MoreUseful COVID-19 Information & Guidance
The following links provide practical information and official guidance related to COVID-19, including new workplace guidelines, frequently asked questions, and updates from the government. CDC’s official guide for business OSHA’s guidance on preparing workplaces for COVID-19 EPA’s list of disinfectants suitable for use against COVID-19 John Hopkin’s Coronavirus Dashboard showing real-time data on COVID-19 spread […]
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