Articles
Supply Chain
Data on Loading Dock Activities Improves Operations, Boosts ROI
Warehouse managers have long been forced to base decisions about their loading docks on assumptions rather than data. That’s starting to change, thanks to new technology that assembles objective information to support well-informed decisions. Q: For shippers in retail, high-volume distribution, and similar industries, what kinds of data about activities at the docks could help […]
Read MoreNoted: The Supply Chain in Brief-Oct 2019
Good Works MSC Group, parent company of MSC Cargo, worked with South Carolina Ports Authority and other industry partners to fill two 40-foot shipping containers in Charleston, South Carolina, with critical supplies to send to the Port of Freeport in the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian. The maritime partners filled the shipping containers with more than […]
Read MoreGREEN SHOOTS: How to Implement GSCM
Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) can be integrated into almost any industrial business. The key to implementing this concept is to identify areas where sustainable practices can be applied to an existing supply chain. These areas include: Cleaner material sourcing. For retailers, this may involve partnering with companies to redesign packaging using recyclable or biodegradable […]
Read More
Kicking the Tires on an IoT Solution
Tire manufacturer Michelin is a shipper with a massive global footprint and complex demands. With headquarters in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin operates 121 production facilities in 17 countries; those facilities produced approximately 190 million tires in 2017. With a presence in 170 countries, distributing products across the globe is a challenging and sophisticated operation.
Read More
VERTICAL FOCUS | Metals
Steel and Aluminum Tariffs: What’s Happened So Far To help make sense of the confusion around current steel and aluminum tariffs, IHS Markit offers this timeline. March 23, 2018: President Donald Trump imposes import tariffs on steel and aluminum. June 1: Significant–and supposedly final– changes are imposed. June 15: President Trump approves tariffs on Chinese […]
Read MoreDriving the Efficiency of the U.S. Supply Chain
The recent surge of domestic manufacturing and the overall growth of the U.S. economy has required suppliers and carriers to re-examine and seek out new ways to streamline their operations. As the economy has continued to grow over the past decade, the American truck driver has become one of the most important facets in the […]
Read More
Sensing a Supply Chain Career
Rising through the leadership ranks at Ryder System, Steve Sensing stays resilient and collaborative, while always maintaining a sense of humor.
Read More
Automated Bidding Tools Benefit Shippers, 3PLs, and Carriers
At the start of a new year, it’s common for shippers striving for an optimized supply chain to review their carrier options to make sure they use the ideal mix of freight transportation providers. In 2019, this bidding business has lasted the entire year, as shippers and 3PLs look to take advantage of a softer […]
Read More
Leveraging System Design and Optimization for Supply Chain 4.0
Supply Chain 4.0 is an integrative approach to operational digitization, where existing and nascent technology applications are leveraged to transform the supply chain ecosystem. This is seen as an essential response to evolving business requirements and the gradational manifestation of industry 4.0 evolution. Q: How should companies prepare for the potential change to their business? […]
Read More
Tariffs: Is it Time to Rethink What Goes Where?
Did you think the U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods were temporary bargaining chips to get concessions from China? Now that essentially every item imported from China is subject to tariffs, are you thinking again? As the U.S.-China trade war shows little sign of ending, supply chain managers have to find new ways to keep costs […]
Read More
The View From the Control Tower
As discussed in my last column, Integrated Business Planning (IBP) is a process that uses “outside-in” thinking by integrating demand forecasts, supply plans, inventory projections, and financial plans into one medium-term strategic model. That’s a great starting point. But the leading-edge way to manage your short- to mid-term global supply chain in real time (or […]
Read More
Reusable Packaging Maker Increases Savings and Reduces Waste with Transplace Solution
By adopting Transplace’s Dynamic Continuous Moves solution, Tosca was able to reduce transportation costs by more than 10% while continuing to provide exceptional service to its customers.
Read More
Blockchain-as-a-Service: Building Transparent Supply Chains For All
Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS), which gives businesses the ability to connect their supply chains through simply an internet browser, will add more fuel to Blockchain adoption.
Read More
JetBlue Ups Its Cargo Game
As part of its plan to gradually expand cargo operations, JetBlue will partner with Miami-based consultancy Aeronex Cargo. Initially, JetBlue will utilize flights to and from Fort Lauderdale to interline cargo moving through Miami International Airport. Aeronex will organize the Miami to Fort Lauderdale road-feeder transportation. Prior to 2018, the low-cost carrier did not transport […]
Read More
2019 Trucking Perspectives
Inbound Logistics’ exclusive survey of shippers and truckers reveals where the wind is blowing in the trucking industry today.
Read More
Choosing a 3PL: How to Make a Mature Decision
Relationships between shippers and third-party logistics (3PL) providers commonly focus more on tactical and operational elements rather than strategic elements. When sourcing to 3PLs, the shipper’s RFP often focuses on lane costs rather than strategic elements such as systems integration, real-time visibility, and total-cost performance. The transactional lane-focused relationship is appropriate for companies looking for […]
Read More
Carriers Cough Up Hiring Fee
As part of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) new Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse rule, trucking companies soon will be required to pay the agency a fee prior to hiring each driver—in addition to an annual fee for currently employed drivers. Starting Jan. 6, 2020, carriers will be mandated to query an FMCSA database […]
Read More
CPG Brands Find Their Place Online
How CPG brands large and small meet the needs of evolving customers who crave product information, access, and near-instant gratification.
Read MoreSupply Chain Skills of the Future and How Organizations Can Prepare
A recent CEO survey by Gartner1 cited “lack of appropriate talent and capability” as the top most inhibitor to a company’s digital progress. Supply chain organizations are no exception. The gap between the skills needed to compete in an increasingly digital world and those available in the organization is widening. Rise in robotics, algorithmic intelligence, […]
Read More
How to Detox the Pharma Supply Chain
Advances in technology, new regulations, and more personalized medicine can make managing pharmaceutical supply chains a tough pill to swallow. Successful supply chains leverage new IT, share information, and embrace change.
Read More