Articles

Supply Chain

Rob Kriewaldt
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Free Trade – Vital to Our Industry

Free trade has been a pillar of the U.S. economy for much of our nation’s history. Over the past several decades, the United States has negotiated many bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) to increase access to other countries’ markets while opening the U.S. market and benefiting consumers. In addition to membership in the […]

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Sid Geddam
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Building the Connected Warehouse

Boxes, pallets, and forklifts aren’t the only things that move throughout a warehouse. Data also flows across a range of warehouse business processes, from the receipt of goods to storage and tracking, picking and packing, and outbound transportation. How effectively a business utilizes that information has a massive impact on warehouse and supply chain performance. […]

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Cheryl Citrone
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Attracting More Women to the Transportation Profession

More than 13 million Americans comprise the transportation workforce, and nearly half of them are eligible for retirement within the next 10 years, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Not only is this particular workforce an older population, it’s also male dominated, as women account for as little as 13 percent of transportation occupations […]

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Paul A. Myerson
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RFID: More Than Just a Better Barcode

Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID) offers a multitude of benefits that can significantly reduce and eliminate waste in the extended supply chain. RFID, an automatic identification method using electronic tags that have a microchip and printed antenna, is a lot more than just a small improvement from barcode technology. Barcodes offer a status report at […]

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Felecia Stratton
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Whatever It Takes

So you’re a retailer, and out of stock on a particular item. Then, of course, a customer orders it. What do you do? When outdoor gear retailer Backcountry was faced with an out of stock that would disappoint a customer, an employee went shopping on a competitor’s website, purchased the item with a personal credit […]

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Supporting Sustainability Throughout the Supply Chain

Companies can support sustainability throughout their supply chains with many different approaches. Reducing paper by automating manual business processes, optimizing shipments and loads with end-to-end visibility, saving fuel and lowering emissions by avoiding supply chain disruptions, and sourcing materials from suppliers with like-minded sustainability goals are just a few examples. Ed Rusch, vice president of […]

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Lin Ding: A Healthy Perspective on Procurement
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Lin Ding: A Healthy Perspective on Procurement

Lin Ding is procurement manager at Ultimate Medical Academy in Tampa, Fla. She has held this position since May 2015. Responsibilities: Overseeing procurement, supplier management, and contract management; creating a framework to support the department’s procurement activities; implementing purchasing policies and improvement strategies. Experience: Financial advisor, Yuebao Investment Co.; purchasing and sourcing coordinator, Seven Halos; […]

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Jerry Stoll
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Dimensioning on the Move

Growing fuel costs and capital expenses paired with a driver shortage have left companies shipping less-than-truckload (LTL) freight scrambling for ways to cut costs. Unfortunately, opportunities to counter fuel costs, eliminate capital investments, and reduce the manpower required to keep business moving are limited. That’s why many shippers are turning to dimensioning technology to gain […]

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James Kilkelly
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IT Asset Disposition Is the Future of Reverse Logistics

While forward logistics optimizes the flow of goods from the producer to the consumer, reverse logistics inverts that flow from the consumer back to the producer. Most often, this includes warranty recovery, value recovery, repair, redistribution, product recalls, used parts, and replacement materials for refurbishment, service, or product contract returns, and end-of-life recycling. In a […]

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Sean Smith: Ingredients for a Great Career
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Sean Smith: Ingredients for a Great Career

Sean Smith is supply chain director at Agropur Ingredients in La Crosse, Wis. He has worked for the company since 2013. Responsibilities: Purchasing, inbound and outbound logistics, production planning, inventory management, analytics, and warehouse operations. Experience: Supply chain manager, U.S. Army; strategic sourcing manager—facilities, Citigroup; supply chain manager—contracting and sourcing, Adventist Health Systems. Education: Diploma, […]

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Trends—November 2015
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Trends—November 2015

GHS: Label It a Problem Fewer than 50 percent of the nearly 150 supply chain professionals from internationally based chemical companies responding to Loftware Inc.’s recent GHS Readiness Survey have met the latest Globally Harmonized System of Classification (GHS) labeling requirements. The United Nations originally adopted the GHS in 2002 to ensure hazardous materials are […]

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