Articles
Supply Chain

Data-Driven Supply Chain Optimization
Q: What is data-driven supply chain optimization, and why is it important? A: Data-driven supply chain optimization applies prescriptive analytics in mathematical programming and operations research (OR) to provide decision support for supply chain decision-making at the strategic, tactical, and operational levels. By properly capturing the decisions to make (decision variables), the performance metric to […]
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Pop Quiz: Supply Chain Educators Answer 6 Pressing Questions
For much of the decade prior to the pandemic, the number of students in supply chain programs couldn’t match industry’s need for supply chain professionals. “The biggest challenge was convincing students it was a real career path,” says Brian Fugate, chair of the department of supply chain management at the University of Arkansas. As the […]
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Chick-fil-A Strikes Oil
Have you ever gotten a whiff of french fries as you pass an 18-wheeler on the highway?
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Wooden Pallets Can Play a Crucial Role in a Sustainable Supply Chain Today
Pallet companies can play a vital role in the sustainability of the supply chain. Kamps has placed an emphasis on reducing its environmental footprint, while aligning with its customers’ sustainability goals and offering solutions that provide positive environmental value to their supply chains.
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Thriving on Change, Growth, and Opportunity
Fresh out of grad school, Thad Bedard moved to the San Francisco Bay area hoping to become a professor of American literature. But teaching jobs were scarce. “To make ends meet, I started working as a warehouseman,” recalls Bedard. “I enjoyed the industry. The work challenged a lot of my preconceived notions about business.” He […]
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NOTED: The Supply Chain In Brief
The latest mergers & acquisitions, logistics contracts, sustainability initiatives, humanitarian logistics efforts and more. Good Works The Coca-Cola Company, based in Atlanta, donated $1 million to the Technical College System of Georgia Foundation’s Commercial Truck Driving Program. The donation funds driver training programs and helps ensure more drivers are in the pipeline to fill trucking […]
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What pandemic-era adjustment will have the greatest supply chain impact?
The acceleration of digital twins. The ability to digitally model a company’s manufacturing and distribution network will allow it to quickly assess the impact of large and small disruptions and take appropriate actions. —Allen Jacques Industry Thought Leader Kinaxis The use of data analytics to help suppliers really understand consumer behavior. Suppliers decided to eliminate […]
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Why Procurement Is the Key to Preparing for the Next Supply Chain Crisis
There is no clear sign when the global supply chain crisis will end. It began during the COVID-19 pandemic, worsened with the surge in demand that followed the lifting of national lockdowns around the world, and further deepened amid recent global events. Some corporate leaders contend that the crisis, triggered by these exceptional events, could […]
Read MoreIN BRIEF: New Services & Solutions
From an enhanced ocean route between Turkey and the U.S. East Coast to the latest dunnage for auto parts, here are some notable supply chain services and solutions that recently hit the market.
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Harness the Power of Plastic
Plastic Pallet Pros not only helps clients achieve sustainability goals, the pallet company provides a more cost effective solution, reducing clients’ overall pallet spend.
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Pallets: Front and Center
Playing a central role in the supply chain, the once-overlooked pallet is capturing the spotlight and evolving to keep up with rapidly changing demands and expectations. These pallet companies ensure standout performances.
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What’s the biggest supply chain silo?
Readers shine a light on the most significant information lapses and data gaps in the supply chain, from transportation siloes to the lack of visibility into suppliers.
Read MoreParts and Parcels
Rony Kordahi is chief operating officer with Parts Town, a distributor of restaurant equipment parts.
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NOTED: The Supply Chain In Brief
From recent mergers and acquisitions to philanthropy initiatives, here’s what’s new and notable in the supply chain.
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Designing a Soft Goods Supply Chain
Forecasting demand for soft goods can be difficult because demand changes due to fashion trends, weather patterns, and other factors. But artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies are changing the way soft goods manufacturers and retailers manage their supply chains.
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Find the Right Robotics and Automation Fit for Your 3PL
Choose the solution and vendor that can work hand in hand with you to analyze your objectives and design a solution that supports your needs. Here’s how.
Read More5 Benefits of Remote Collaboration for Logistics Leaders
Logistics is an industry that doesn’t get attention until there’s a problem. Unfortunately, the pandemic has caused one problem after another, with non-stop delays and bottlenecks around the world. As logistics professionals come out from underwater, they’re dealing with the fact that they cannot resume business as usual. Fortunately, these challenges present a new reality […]
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Vertical Focus: Exercise Equipment
Planet Fitness is one fitness club company that has thrived in recent years, growing from 918 locations in 2014 to more than 2,200 in 2021. FISCAL Fitness Here’s a sampling of statistics about the fitness equipment industry, compiled by RunRepeat and other sources, that helps to illustrate its status today. The fitness equipment industry is […]
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Own the Transportation Conversation: Debunking Common Truckload Myths
Transportation leaders should debunk these six common myths to help their C-level executives understand truckload freight and get executive buy-in.
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