Articles
Supply Chain Management

Digitally Transforming Your Supply Chain? Here’s How to Make It Meaningful
How to make supply chain digitalization meaningful.
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Lean Isn’t Mean and Agile Isn’t Cheap
Back in 2014, I wrote a column extolling the benefits of a lean and agile supply chain, also known as a hybrid strategy. Depending on your product or service, your supply chain may tilt more one way or the other, or it might be segmented but still exhibit characteristics of both. For example, if you […]
Read MoreManaging the Amazon Effect
Whether online or in-store, customers expect an immediate and frictionless shopping experience, thanks to Amazon. To compete, you must level the playing field with experiences that keep customers coming back to your branded e-commerce site.
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How can retailers compete with the logistics dominance of the e-commerce behemoths?
Don’t view this as a competition with e-commerce behemoths, but as another sales channel in your omnichannel strategy. Treat it as such and develop your strategy to provide differentiation on customer service and trust to be able to drive direct sales, while still leveraging other channels to build brand awareness. —Scott Hebert CEO SYSPRO USA […]
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NOTED: The Supply Chain In Brief
Green Seeds Maersk will add 300 electric trucks to its North America network—the largest heavy-duty electric truck deployment to date. The trucks will be delivered between 2023 and 2025 for use by Performance Team, Maersk’s North American warehousing, distribution, and transportation business. The trucks will be operated using technology company Einride’s digital road freight operating […]
Read MoreShipping Lines Skip a Beat
Global ports lost more than one-third of their expected capacity to ship containers in 2021, causing economic trouble for some smaller developing nations, among others, finds research commissioned by the Global Shippers Forum (GSF). The study, which was conducted by MDS Transmodal, identifies the extent of capacity restriction in 2021 that resulted from scheduled port […]
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Out of Stock? Hoarding is Not a Solution
Investing time and money in making products available is more important today than ever before, thanks to the ripple effects of COVID-19. Capacity constraints and delivery agents have been upended, and product availability is at risk. Rising digital trends and changing consumer behavior and spending habits have also led to an urgency to respond to market conditions quickly.
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Artificial and Human Intelligence: An Unbeatable Combination
Investment in logistics technology—$26 billion in the past seven years—is white hot right now. Here’s a small sampling of the types of solutions that venture capitalists arefinancing: An artificial intelligence (AI)-driven demand-prediction engine that helps lifestyle brands forecast how many units of a particular item will sell. The mission? To better match global inventory levels […]
Read MoreConsumers Catch Cold
Growing consumer demand in the United States is impacting the storage and distribution of frozen foods and other products that depend on cold environments, finds the Thomas Index Report. The report examines the shift to buying groceries online during the pandemic, as consumers embraced online ordering and fully filled pantries and freezers. The increased demand […]
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Culture, Collaboration, and Courage
Through transparency, honesty, and decisiveness, Megan Davidson champions Crowley employees and makes sure everyone is heard.
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Hub Group’s Leading Supply Chain Solutions Facilitated Clear Sailing During 2021-2022 Port Congestion
This past year presented extreme challenges for the supply chain. By providing the industry’s leading supply chain solutions for more than 50 years, Hub Group supported its customers by leveraging experience in strategic planning across the supply chain, tailored solutions, dependable capacity, and advanced visibility. Q. These past two years were some of the most […]
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Two Generations with a Drive to Serve, Grow and Innovate
When Dave Cox (pictured) joined Polaris Transportation Group in 1998, the trucking company was still finding its footing. Founded four years earlier by his parents, Larry and Geri, Polaris had just four employees with Dave’s addition – and only one was not a family member. However, the Ontario-based company already had something invaluable: a growing […]
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Why Should You Attend Connections 2022?
Connections 2022, an SMC³ event, offers collaborative supply chain intelligence, covering the year’s most pertinent topics and trend forecasting for the rest of the year. Take a second to think about everything that’s changed in the supply chain over the past two years. Dramatic changes in automation, driver shortages, dynamic pricing, new legislation and regulations, […]
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10 Tips: Choosing a 3PL
Selecting a third-party logistics (3PL) provider is a strategic business decision so treat it that way. Your 3PL should be a catalyst for producing unmatched retail logistics performance levels and total supply chain optimization. Here’s how to choose the right partner.
Read MoreWhat’s the difference between traceability and transparency in the supply chain?
Traceability is showing your customer where their freight is. Transparency is showing them how it got there.
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Why Logistics Managers Should Care About AP
Regardless of industry, logistics managers are charged with establishing and maintaining strong relationships with their suppliers. Good logistics managers strive to be easy to work with so their supply chain runs smoothly. However, with so much on their plates, developing relationships with suppliers may not be their top priority. In 2020, logistics managers’ jobs became […]
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7 Strategies to Reboot Global Supply Chains
These tips will help your company restart operating systems, processes, and strategies through the new normal.
Read MoreThere’s Always Something to Make Better
Daniel Politowicz is logistics & transportation manager of Tubelite, an architectural aluminum manufacturer and division of Apogee Enterprises.
Read MoreTop Supply Chain Disruptions in 2021
Supply chain disruptions increased 88% year over year in 2021, says data released by risk management platform Resilinc, with disruptions related to supply shortages increasing 452%, the largest increase across all event types. Although human health disruptions fell 68% year over year, 2021 saw the most factory fires ever recorded in a single year. The […]
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18 Quick Tips For 2022
Looks like 2022 will be fraught with many of the same challenges as last year. But IL has your back. We collected 18 tips from our audience—the leaders in logistics—to help you navigate with certainty.
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