Articles
Supply Chain Management
3 Ways Dynamic Pricing Helps Retailers
Dynamic pricing is everywhere. Just about anything purchased through Amazon has been impacted by some element of dynamic pricing. Surge pricing on Uber, toll road prices that rise as traffic builds up, and even concert tickets are using the technology.
Read More
7 Critical Questions You Need to Ask
With a huge number of constantly shifting variables, suppliers, and other factors to consider, it’s easy to feel that managing supply chain risk is an unending battle that you’ll never win.
Read More
Reducing Customer Costs Through Strategic Inventory Movements
The supply chain presents a considerable, albeit unavoidable, cost to companies. Efficient operations with a proactive logistics partner are vital in allowing companies to maintain a balance between this expense and the final cost of product.
Read MorePRODUCT SPOTLIGHT | Cargo Security
GT 1210 Solution: ORBCOMM’s system combines asset tracking capabilities with cargo and door sensors. The trailer tracking device identifies door opens, route deviations, and loaded/unloaded status. Real-time alarms protect cargo from theft and tampering. The solution includes a customizable application with dashboards and analytics. IntelliScan Image Capture and Retrieval: Spireon’s cargo sensing technology complements its […]
Read More
Technology Must Be a Theme in 2021
The supply chain sector has always been one of tradition. Unfortunately, that has often meant that it has been slow to adopt the technology evolving around it. With a fear of the unknown, the supply chain and logistics sector has stuck to the status quo for too long, slowing the ability to evolve and reach true potential.
Read MoreAgility Over Forecasting: Three Steps to a More Agile Supply Chain
For years, forecasting has been a staple of supply chain management, especially within the consumer packaged goods industry. As 2020 has taught us, however, there are events that forecasting cannot even remotely prepare for. Planners have felt the pain during COVID-19, when they’ve had to scrap forecasting models day after day due to the constant, […]
Read MoreDoes Lean Have a Limit?
Since the 1980s, the supply chain industry has enthusiastically embraced just-in-time (JIT) inventory management and lean manufacturing in the search for cost optimization. This resulted in highly streamlined processes and impressive efficiencies. But in the past year, we’ve seen there are limits to lean operations—one being we need the ability to adapt quickly when unexpected […]
Read MoreSilencing Self-Doubt and Building the Next Generation of Women Leaders
This year’s International Women’s Day got me thinking about the challenges I have faced throughout my finance and logistics career. While routinely being the only female in meetings has never intimidated me, I have experienced moments when an idea or question I’ve posed was overlooked, only to be raised by a male colleague and then […]
Read More
5 Steps to Process Improvement
I was involved in logistics and transportation for more than 25 years and spent the last 16 of those years with a large apparel corporation’s private fleet. During that time, I cannot remember a single year when the private fleet did not have to defend its existence. Each year the argument seemed to escalate until the cost reductions started.
Read More
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, […]
Read MoreAn All-American Leader
Growing up around a family-owned business, establishing a tireless work ethic, and pursuing an early career as a teacher helped shape Jessica Tyler’s "open book" leadership style. Long before Jessica Tyler became an airline executive, she was an educator. "My earliest understanding of relationships and engagement came from being a teacher and coach," says Tyler, […]
Read More
A Valid Question
Recently I was interviewed for a popular supply chain and logistics blog. The interviewer asked this question: Has the name of the magazine been a deterrent because it doesn’t encompass the full breadth of content you provide? A valid question. My answer: It has not been a deterrent, but sometimes it does need explanation. So […]
Read More
From a Modest Beginning
Having covered logistics for more than four decades, Inbound Logistics has promoted and encouraged companies to adopt demand-driven logistics practices, and reported their progress driving the evolution of traffic management to supply chain management. The key development in that process was accepting a sea change in business management: Don’t plan and push your product at […]
Read More
Managing Transitions Effectively to Enhance Project Success
Q: Why is transition management so critical? A: The effectiveness of the transition depends on how well the change is managed. It is essential to have a documented project plan and a dedicated project manager with experience across multiple disciplines. Their job is to manage the process, hold the team accountable, and develop a formalized […]
Read More
137 Tips for a Fully Charged Supply Chain
Inbound Transportation 1. Dive in with your suppliers. Ask what cost and efficiency benefits your vendors are providing by using their carriers or shipping schedules. The customer pays one way or another, so push for carriers that demonstrate service and reliability, not those who move operational or cost inefficiencies from a vendor’s dock to the […]
Read More4 Ways to Include Deskless Logistics Workers in Your Digital Strategy
Supply chains are undergoing unprecedented restructuring driven by competition, demand shifts, and trade wars—circumstances further accelerated by COVID-19. The resulting pressure on profits forces logistic functions and companies to evaluate ways to innovate, lower costs, and increase long-term resiliency. Logistics industry leaders are meeting this challenge by embracing digital transformation through innovative digitalization plans. But […]
Read More
Scaling SCM Ecosystems—Boardroom Insights
Q: Can you reflect on your last customer transformation experience and the takeaways from that engagement? A: Modernizing ecosystems while keeping up the ongoing business operations is the reality of every business. The current ecosystem, future solution expectations, and resource models are the drivers that determine the program’s pace. Practical challenges in the transformation include: […]
Read MoreHow to Identify the Blind Spots in Your Supply Chain
As the global economy has become more interconnected, supply chains are increasingly complex and distributed. This allows companies to work with a broader range of suppliers and source materials on demand, which has made supply chains more efficient and reduced costs. However, modern supply chains also pose more daunting logistical challenges than they used to—with […]
Read More
Surging Optimism Buoys SMBs
Despite the upheaval businesses experienced in 2020, optimism has now surged past pre-pandemic levels, and many leaders from small to mid-size businesses (SMBs) report being well-positioned for growth in the year ahead, says Umpqua Bank’s annual report. Key findings from the survey include: Positive Outlook Positivity has roughly doubled since 2020, with expectations for economic […]
Read More
Going the Distance
As we move into 2021, social distancing is a top priority for C-level executives. While they manage their business with social distancing, the protocols aren’t ideal for productivity, finds a survey by consulting firm West Monroe. More than half say they primarily work remotely to avoid social distancing, and 40% say it’s the biggest hindrance […]
Read More