Articles

Supply Chain

3PLs Add Value
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3PLs Add Value

Increasing consumer expectations, market uncertainty, and other recent trends, have only enhanced the value 3PLs bring to shippers. From technology innovations to process insights, here are the ways 3PLs unlock and increase supply chain efficiencies.

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Tom Maher
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How Smarter, Stronger Supply Chains Improve the Customer Experience

Companies today are increasingly leveraging digital technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning, and machine learning (ML) to build smarter supply chain operations. They are turning “big supply chain data” into real insights that improve efficiency, bring products and services to market faster, and deliver differentiating customer value, all key to remaining competitive in the […]

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Ashley Tyrner’s Vision Bears Fruit

Ashley Tyrner is founder and CEO of Farmbox Direct, which works with hundreds of farms to deliver fresh, natural, and organic produce to its 10,000-plus members. Responsibilities: Sourcing fresh organic and natural produce, forming partnerships with farmers, working with shipping companies, and designing the produce boxes that customers receive. Experience: Brand manager with fashion designer […]

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Maritime Logistics in Ship Shape
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Maritime Logistics in Ship Shape

While the prospect of higher tariffs and the cost of low-sulfur fuel requirements pose concerns for the maritime industry, it’s forging ahead with bigger, more automated seaports, as well as technology that improves visibility, reduces its environmental impact, and streamlines operations.

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Eric R. Byer and Mark M. Fisher
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Why Freight Rail Needs Reform

A lack of competition, outdated regulations, and a handicapped federal agency allow poor delivery service, failure to provide notice of fee changes, and inadequate customer service, making it harder for shippers to depend on freight rail. Those shippers include a substantial percentage of National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) members, such as Univar Solutions, who […]

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E-Commerce Fulfillment: No Pain, No Gain
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E-Commerce Fulfillment: No Pain, No Gain

Escalade Sports has been playing the supply chain game since 1927. At one point in its history, Sears, the traditional model for catalog and retail store sales, accounted for about half of the sporting goods manufacturer and distributor’s business. Today, while the company still serves specialty shops, department stores, and big-box retailers, Amazon and other e-commerce direct-to-end-user channels have changed the game.

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A Greener Supply Chain

Much has been written about the recent US-based Business Roundtable event, where 181 CEOs announced their commitment “to lead for the benefit of all stakeholders,” not just shareholders. The implications will ripple through boardrooms around the country, as the event redefined the purpose of a corporation as one that serves — equally — shareholders, communities […]

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VERTICAL FOCUS | Furniture
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VERTICAL FOCUS | Furniture

Sofa So Good What is the outlook for the U.S. furniture market moving forward? Here’s what to expect, according to Coresight Research’s U.S. Furniture Report, May 2019: A steady growth curve for the U.S. furniture industry is being driven by a strong economy. Consumer spending on furniture reached $114.2 billion in 2018, up 6.7% from […]

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Inside Innovation
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Inside Innovation

What are the top supply chain differentiators and innovation drivers? According to the findings of BluJay Solutions’ Focus on Customer Experience: Research on Supply Chain Priorities and Investments report: Customer experience reigns supreme. 61% of survey respondents agree or strongly agree that customer experience will overtake price and product as the number one brand differentiator […]

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Barriers to Scalable IIoT Execution

By providing visibility into the assets and processes that historically had no data feedback loop, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has allowed manufacturing organizations to leverage their incoming data to implement crucial initiatives such as condition monitoring and predictive maintenance. In addition, by establishing a constant and secure channel for data to flow from […]

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