Articles
Supply Chain Management
Be a Logistics Superhero
In recent months, there has been a steady stream of articles bemoaning the increasing costs and challenges within the logistics industry. You hear about driver shortages, rising labor costs, lack of available real estate, oversize package regulations, increased shipping rates, and additional governmental regulations. CSCMP’s annual logistics study charted a 3.1 percent increase in 2014 […]
Read MoreCPG Market Demanding More Flexible Logistics Solutions
According to a new study released by Transport Intelligence (Ti), one of the world’s leading providers of expert research and analysis dedicated to the global logistics industry, the consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector (also known as Fast Moving Consumer Goods or FMCG) is a giant with global sales exceeding $550bn (USD). The Consumer Packaged Goods […]
Read MoreHow Non-Traditional Service Offerings Are Enhancing Supply Chains
Q: How do non-traditional supply chains differ from traditional supply chains? A: Traditionally, 3PL providers offered a specialized set of services focused around warehousing, order fulfillment, transportation and supply chain logistics. Today, several factors have driven 3PLs to non-traditional services that spread their influence further into the supply chain. Non-traditional supply chain services include various […]
Read MoreA Fresh Route for Latin American Produce
More than 21 million metric tons of fruits and vegetables were imported into the United States in 2013, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Approximately 35 percent of that produce comes from Central and South America. While Latin American perishable exports have grown dramatically in recent years, some logistical shortcomings prevent maximum cold […]
Read MoreProcurement and Purchasing: Buying into Lean
While supply chain costs, primarily procurement and transportation, can range from 50 to 70 percent of sales, some companies place too much emphasis on the traditional focus of reducing material costs in supply processes. Applying Lean principles to procurement and purchasing processes can identify non-traditional sources of waste, in some cases creating a paradigm shift […]
Read MoreChanneling the Brick and Click Dilemma
As e-commerce continues to transform consumer behavior, retailers explore hybrid omni-channel supply chain models that deliver the best that online and in-store have to offer.
Read MoreGetting Packaging Costs Down to Size
Shippers find nested savings by eliminating packaging waste.
Read More8 Ways to File Effective Freight Claims
No matter how much you try to prevent cargo loss and damage, well…stuff happens. Follow these eight steps to help recoup your losses.
Read MoreGrowing Efficiency and Weeding Out Waste
With millions of dollars in annual waste bogging it down, Bell Nursery struggled to grow. But today, a new inventory management system helps business blossom.
Read MoreReducing Supply Chain Risk by Outsourcing Technology
Supply chain risk management is a major concern for many companies. Risk management data would influence board-level decisions for 70 percent of respondents to a Gartner IT Risk Management Survey, up from just 46 percent a year earlier. While data loss and the threat of cyber-attacks are the most well-known security issues, there are three […]
Read MoreRetail Collaboration: It’s All in the Jeans
Work with a team of service providers to get a new retail distribution center up and running in only six months? We should all be so lucky.
Read MoreTurning Back the Pages: 20 Years of Top 100 3PLs
Where were you in 1996? Working your way up the transportation ladder? Starting a career in the logistics field? On the outside looking in? Still in high school? Grade school? Every once in a while it’s fun to throw it back—to an earlier time and reflect on where we come from, where we’ve been, cause […]
Read MoreOvercoming LTL Shipping Challenges
Less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation involves moving shipments that won’t fill a 48- or 53-foot semi-trailer. LTL could be half of a full shipment, a single pallet, or a single box. LTL shipping creates many challenges, and understanding how to overcome them is key to efficiency. Adam Robinson, marketing manager of third-party logistics (3PL) provider Cerasis Inc., […]
Read MoreTerri Anderson: Care and Feeding of the WMS
Terri Anderson is production warehouse management systems manager at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, a global learning company specializing in Pre-K to 12th grade content, services, and technology. She has held this position, based in Indianapolis, since 2004. Responsibilities: Configure, enhance, and test the company’s warehouse management system (WMS); liaison between distribution centers and the technology group; […]
Read MoreTrends—July 2015
ShippingPass vs. Prime: The Fight for Last-Mile Rights Walmart and Amazon are a study in contrasts, from corporate culture to omni-channel strategy. One promises everyday low prices; the other prioritizes selection and speed. But all things being different, they are chasing the same thing—customer satisfaction. Both retail leaders have found a common battleground when it […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics—July 2015
TPP: Fishing for Accountability Buried within the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are provisions that will help protect global fisheries—and consumers—from widespread fraud in the seafood supply chain. It’s a pet project of the Obama Administration, which specifically created the Presidential Task Force on Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing and Seafood Fraud in June 2014 […]
Read MoreWorking With the Right Enterprise Logistics Provider Makes Good Companies Significantly Better
In any economy, the key for manufacturers, distributors or retailers is competitive advantage. When companies lack competitive advantage—or worse yet, experience competitive disadvantage—a difficult economic environment amplifies the pain. Principal reasons many good companies have struggled with this issue are limited exposure to best practices, technology, tools, training and internal resource capacity. Companies are increasingly […]
Read MoreWhat “Digital Business” Means for your Business
Q: You recently attended your 11th Gartner Supply Chain Executive Summit. This year the key theme was Digital Business, a core ingredient for supply chain transformation success. What is Digital Business? A: Digital Business is a concept that encompasses the people, processes, and enabling technologies of the supply chain of the future. It all starts […]
Read More6 Global Supply Chain Challenges To Ignore at Your Own Risk
Along with the many benefits that come from sourcing outside the United States, such as low-cost manufacturing, several issues must be properly managed to ensure a successful supply chain. Finding a rock-bottom price in China or India is not the problem, but landing great costs while avoiding distance, timing, quality, and language problems can be […]
Read MoreThe Human Touch: New Ergonomic Initiatives Sustain Employee Efficiency
Today’s global supply chains must support constant market changes while also sustaining productivity. In order to achieve this, supply chain leaders are executing several strategies, including implementing ergonomic initiatives that minimize risks for production employees on the job. In production environments, ergonomics plays a direct role in employee performance, which translates into production sustainability. Ergonomics […]
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