Articles
Supply Chain
Minimizing Airfreight Costs
To combat trade wars, tariffs, and other obstacles, it’s important to optimize your supply chain. One way is to minimize the cost of air freight, which is generally a fast and reliable—but expensive—option. 1. Evaluate lead times and use THE appropriate transport mode. If lead times aren’t tight, consider using slower transportation methods, such as […]
Read MoreDo You Need a Larger Customs Bond?
The answer could very well be yes, according to information provided by Tennessee-based transportation company Averitt Express. A lot of new tariffs have come into effect in 2018, and more are scheduled. These increases are substantial, and if they affect the goods your company imports, you are well aware of how this impacts your business […]
Read MorePlastics Supply Chain Turns Off the Tap
HP Inc. and IKEA are joining the NextWave Plastics global consortium—a collaborative initiative that brings together leading companies to "turn off the tap" of plastic entering the ocean. The goal is not only to scale their own ocean-bound plastics supply chain efforts, but to also extend across industries to make it commercially viable for all, […]
Read MoreInflation Making Waves for Supply Management
New study identifies five areas that can help procurement navigate uncharted waters.
Read MoreSupply Chain Remains the “Next Big Thing”
Symphony RetailAI, a global provider of Artificial Intelligence-enabled decision platforms, solutions and customer-centric insights that drive validated growth for retailers and CPG manufacturers, announced the findings of a benchmark report, “Supply Chain Management 2018: In Service of the Customer.” The fourth annual study, conducted by Retail Systems Research (RSR) and sponsored by Symphony RetailAI, shows […]
Read MoreWhat Will Retailers Find Under The Tree?
A common theme connects several strategies retailers are using to prepare for the holiday season: Enhanced capabilities to seamlessly cater to shoppers in stores, online, and on mobile devices. CBRE’s annual Holiday Retail Trends Guide outlines four trends shaping this season as it unfolds: 1. The optimistic shopper. In a strong economic environment, retailers who […]
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Panama Canal in the Zone
The Panama Canal closed its 2018 fiscal year with a record 442.1 million Panama Canal tons (PC/UMS), which represents a 9.5-percent increase from the previous year. This surpasses cargo projections of 429.4 million PC/UMS tons for FY 2018, as well as the 403.8 million PC/UMS tons registered in FY 2017. The transit of liquefied petroleum […]
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Lori Fellmer Keeps It Moving
Lori Fellmer is vice president of logistics and carrier management with BassTech International, a distributor of specialty raw materials. BassTech supplies inorganic chemicals and engineered polymers to numerous industries, including paint and coatings, roofing and waterproofing, and specialty glass. Responsibilities: Material movement and warehousing, with special emphasis on global sea and air transportation. Experience: Logistics […]
Read MoreGood Question: What was your first job in logistics and what did it teach you?
Summer seasonal order picker. It taught me an order is only as good as its accuracy; without it, all you would have is empty pallets. James Stone Client Sales Representative Echo Global Logistics Manually tracking and tracing previous-day LTL pickups. It taught me every missed pickup has three stories: why the carrier says it’s the […]
Read MoreMeet Your Match
Supply chain management is increasingly recognized as critical to an organization’s success. As a result, it’s harder to come by top-tier talent through traditional methods. Enter SCTalentMatch, a new service launched by veteran supply chain recruiters Don Jacobson and Adam Lenhart that anonymously connects supply chain professionals with employers. Candidates who are actively seeking jobs […]
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Click & Collect Not Clicking Yet
Fewer than half of retailers responding to an OrderDynamics survey provide shoppers with access to basic inventory visibility. Of the 2,000+ worldwide retailers participating in Omni-2000 Research: Global, only a surprising 38.1 percent show basic inventory visibility on product pages. A strict like-for-like, year-over-year comparison finds a 30.7-percent decrease in active online inventory visibility. This […]
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Things are Looking Up for Multistory Warehouses
Multistory warehouses used to distribute e-commerce orders are popping up in densely populated U.S. metro areas, but conditions for developing the structures aren’t as ideal in the United States as in Asia and Europe, finds a CBRE report. The commercial real estate services firm’s analysis finds that New York City, San Francisco, Miami, Chicago, Los […]
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Post Office Dings E-Commerce?
Two recent and important developments will impact domestic and international e-commerce shipments. The first one concerns the U.S. Postal Service’s relationship with Amazon. Let me set the stage. The Postal Service lost $2.7 billion in 2017. U.S. taxpayers guarantee the perennially stressed postal worker retirement fund. And first-class mail receipts are off by $1.8 billion […]
Read MoreHow Shippers Can Achieve Peace of Mind Through Shopping Season
Imagine it is Christmas morning. A family is just waking up and starting to open presents. It is time for the teenager to open her big gift—a new laptop. This was just what she needed, and her parents are glad all their research paid off. Immediately, the teenager takes the computer out of the box, […]
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That’s a Latte Coffee
When it comes to coffee imports, Germany is way out in front of EU member states, with 2017 imports totaling 1.1 million metric tons (see chart), according to Eurostat’s most recent statistics. The Italians are also well known for their love of coffee and last year, they imported slightly more than 550,000 metric tons. Belgium […]
Read MoreNOTED | The Supply Chain in Brief
SHOVEL READY Online home goods and furniture retailer Overstock.com is set to open a 517,000-square-foot distribution center in Kansas City, Kansas. The new warehouse allows Overstock to offer two-day ground shipping to nearly every customer in the contiguous United States. The retailer intends to expand the distribution center’s operations to include returns processing. Sealed Deals […]
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Take a Load Off Your Fleet
Maintenance and repair (M&R) is the top factor motivating fleet executives to acquire new trucks, say 40 percent of respondents to a recent Fleet Advantage survey of more than 1,000 fleet executives. M&R costs have moved front and center in recent years, with more fleet personnel working with their finance departments, the survey finds. Costs, […]
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Cold Comfort: Finding the Right Winter Warehouse
The 2018-2019 winter season is projected to be colder than normal, so it’s time for companies to ensure their inventory is protected. Here are three tips for choosing the right cold storage warehouse for your business this winter: 1. Heated facilities. Find a warehouse that operates a heated facility to keep materials at the right […]
Read MoreAirfreight Forwarders Guide
These airfreight partners can help you fashion transportation operations that make your company a model of efficiency.
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