Articles

Supply Chain Management

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Reading the Signs 

When forecasting the future, it’s easy to be distracted by external indicators that sound significant. In supply chain management, indicators external to your enterprise, but internal to your supply chain, deserve your attention

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Building Efficiency Into Your Supply Chain

When it comes to supply chain efficiency, information is king. The more you know, the better you can manage the process and engineer improvements. Ellen Fontaine, general manager, strategic planning and business development, at Georgetown, Ky.-based third-party logistics provider VASCOR Ltd. offers this advice for boosting supply chain efficiency. 1. Seek opportunities to optimize. Optimization […]

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Page Siplon
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Managing the Three V’s of Logistics

As the logistics sector’s impact continues to broaden across geographies and industries, a variety of factors are adding pressure on companies to improve logistics efficiencies. Three of the most prevalent supply chain challenges are: Timed temperature control. With goods now being transferred across greater distances than ever before, temperature control is a growing industry concern. […]

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Brad Constantini
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3PL Capability is Key to Logistics Cost Reduction 

MORE TO THE STORY: How to Find a 3PL-Third Party Logistics Provider Logistics, inventory and transportation costs continue to climb, according to the 2011 State of Logistics report released by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP). Although overall economic conditions improved slightly in 2010, internal supply chains continue to account for double-digit cost […]

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Steve Ford
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Rallying CFO Support for Your Supply Chain Initiatives

Chief financial officers are not accustomed to making money from the supply chain. Most CFOs, in fact, could use an education on the benefits of supply chain efficiency and visibility. So how should you approach your CFO to get buy-in for your next major supply chain visibility initiative? Present your case the right way. Here […]

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Trends—June 2011
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Trends—June 2011

Restaurants Change Supply Chain Menus Rising food prices, increasing transportation costs, and consumer demand for affordable meals are forcing restaurants to squeeze costs from their supply chains. Some chains are looking to offset an estimated four-percent rise in commodity prices internally, rather than simply passing costs along to customers. Here’s a buffet-line perspective of how […]

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John Williford
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Excellence in Supply Chain Execution

Our clients in industries such as automotive, aerospace, hi-tech, retail and consumer goods are emerging from one of our nation’s most trying economic times. Faced with serious pressures to cut costs and boost profits, many companies have re-examined how they source, store and deliver their products. Flexibility, innovation and the ability to operate with virtually […]

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Felecia Stratton
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Managing Risk in a Chain of Fire

Supply chain dominoes keep falling far and wide. In addition to man-made disruptions such as political instability, piracy, terrorism, and war, natural disasters such as the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, 2011, and the tidal waves that rippled throughout the Pacific ring including Alaska and Hawaii, have rattled the world over […]

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Keith Biondo
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Gaining Ground

The fortunes of many companies were balanced on the backs of their supply chain, logistics, and transportation managers during the past year. In concert with their carriers, and technology and logistics partners, business logistics professionals across the country produced real supply chain gain by aligning demand to supply. That’s why we chose “Supply Chain Gain” […]

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Felecia Stratton
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Gaining Even More Ground

Building the January Logistics Planner is always a process of incremental addition. That’s the only way you can even approach, let alone execute, a 528-page issue during the busy holiday season. Along the way, there are measured benchmarks: meetings, deadlines, rough drafts, edits, designed proofs, polished articles, then a print date. The final product, which […]

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Chris Baltz
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Achieving Competitive Advantage: How the Right 3PL Partner Can Help You Dominate Your Market

In today’s marketplace, all too often there is a disconnect between 3PL performance and clients’ expectations. As established 3PL companies mature and less robust players continue to enter the market, the gap between client expectations and 3PL deliverables continues to grow. Most 3PL value propositions focus primarily or exclusively on a client’s financial performance. Profit […]

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