Articles
Supply Chain
Sky. Falling or Not?
Trade uncertainty. Tariffs. Protectionism. Retaliation. Supply chain disruption. What is happening? For the past year, we have been hearing shouted warnings that global trade as we know it will end in 2017…no, in 2018….no, in 2019. “The future of the global trade system faces more risk and uncertainty than at any time since it was […]
Read More15 Key Questions to Ask Before Choosing an Outsourced Fulfillment Partner
In a highly competitive market, outsourcing order fulfillment can provide most companies a competitive advantage. The right provider can cut costs, improve customer service, allow you to focus on core competencies, and help you stay ahead of the competition by managing your entire supply chain. Is outsourcing your fulfillment the best option for your business? […]
Read MoreSupply Chain Awards
Logistics solutions provider Purolator International won a 2018 Eggie Award as tech-focused e-retailer Newegg’s Best International Logistics Partner. This is the third consecutive year Purolator International has received this award, recognizing its employees across the United States and Canada for providing outstanding delivery service to Newegg’s Canadian customers. Dachser USA Air & Sea Logistics was […]
Read More
The Model Port of the Future
The Port of Rotterdam, Europe’s largest port, is working with IBM on a long-term digitization strategy that will transform the port—not only to improve safety and efficiency today, but also to accommodate autonomous ships, as well as process and ship metal 3D-printed ship components on demand in the future. Key elements of the digitization strategy […]
Read More
Sealed Deals
Meal kit delivery service Sun Basket chose sustainable box liners from Sealed Air, a provider of protective e-commerce packaging materials. In addition to using organic produce, sustainable ingredients, and recyclable packaging, Sun Basket wanted new insulation materials for its shipping boxes while retaining its commitment to 100-percent recyclable packaging. Sun Basket selected Sealed Air’s TempGuard […]
Read More
New Floor & Decor Facility
Floor & Decor, a specialty retailer of hard-surface flooring and related accessories, opened a 1.4-million-square-foot distribution center in Savannah. The new Floor & Decor facility sits on a 90-acre site and facilitates product storage and more efficient distribution to retail stores in the eastern United States. The complex, located near the intersection of Interstates 16 […]
Read More
Latest Supply Chain Products
Radio frequency identification (RFID) solutions provider Alien Technology unveiled a handheld RFID reader with all-day battery life for use with the latest smart devices. The new ALR-S350 RFID reader is designed for heavy inventory tasks, letting supply chain owners quickly locate RFID tagged merchandise and immediately respond to customer requests. By including the RFID capability […]
Read MoreAI Ushers Supply Chains Into Data-Driven Future
Over the years, organizations have deployed an array of transactional and analytic systems for supply chain operations. While gains have been made, supply chains remain far from the ideal of real-time visibility and data-driven decisions that define the supply chain of the future. Supply chains have grown infinitely more complex in today’s faster digital environments. […]
Read More
Mergers & Acquisitions
Sunset Transportation, a third-party logistics company, acquired 3PL Snowland Freight Services, integrating its offices in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and St. Paul, Minnesota, to the Sunset network. The new branches, which operate under the Sunset Transportation name starting in February 2018, provide expanded coverage and support to Sunset’s national freight network in the upper Midwest. Flatbed […]
Read More
Airline Confidence Stays High
Airline management confidence remains high, despite concerns about higher fuel costs, and an expectation that profits will fall from 2017, according to the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) latest Airline Business Confidence Index. Among the index highlights: Nearly 75 percent of airline CFOs and heads of cargo indicate an improvement in year-on-year profitability in Q4 […]
Read MoreH&M Tries on Supply Chain Improvements
The world’s second-largest fashion company, Sweden’s Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), says it will increase supply chain investments and continue cost control measures to address slow growth in 2017, and keep pace with e-commerce rivals. After a supply chain reorganization in 2016, H&M’s new focus includes investing in data analytics and intelligence to enhance retail assortment […]
Read More
UPS Ups Cross-Border Investment
To support commercial and residential commerce in the growing North America Borderplex, UPS will develop a new package operations center there. The strategic investment serves a manufacturing region that stretches across Texas, New Mexico, and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. The North American Borderplex area is home to 2.5 million people and one of the world’s […]
Read More
Taking the Measure of Global Trade
Cross-border trade of intermediate goods and early-cycle commodities point to a moderate increase in world trade through March 2018, according to the DHL Global Trade Barometer for January 2018. On its initial release, the index scored 64, which is slightly below the values calculated for previous months (see chart). That means that world trade is […]
Read More
Raising the GPA
Georgia ports authority (GPA) has developed a strategic plan that allows for 10 million twenty-foot equivalent container units, one million rail lifts, and more than one million auto and machinery units per year, GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch told attendees at the 50th annual Georgia Foreign Trade Conference in early February. Lynch provided an overview […]
Read More
Intermodal Delivers in 2017
Intermodal freight volumes posted a fourth-quarter growth rate of 5.8 percent year-over-year, according to the Intermodal Association of North America’s (IANA) fourth quarter and year-end Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics report. International volume increased by 7.7 percent; domestic containers grew by a modest 2.5 percent; while trailer loads increased by 12.2 percent. "The imbalance between […]
Read More
You Can’t Control Mother Nature, But You Can Be Ready For It
For senior financial executives at large U.S.-based companies with operations in Texas, Florida, or Puerto Rico, the 2017 hurricane season served as a risk management wake-up call. Commercial and industrial property insurer FM Global surveyed these executives at companies with more than $1 billion in revenue and found: Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of respondents say […]
Read More
A Slap on the Wrist
Amazon has received two patents for a wristband system that monitors how warehouse workers move their hands. Currently, when a product order is received, the details are transmitted to the handheld computers that all Amazon warehouse staff carry. The workers must then rush to retrieve that product from one of many inventory bins on shelves, […]
Read MoreGuarding Your Business Against Data Loss
Data loss is every company’s nightmare. In fact, most companies that do experience a mass disappearance of vital, computer-kept information never turn their lights on again. It comes down to the idea that how you protect and treat your data is commensurate with how important you think it is, says Penny Garbus, co-founder of Soaring […]
Read MoreMan vs. Machine
Business leaders are divided in how they envision the future of human-machine partnerships, according to global research from Dell Technologies. Half of the 3,800 global business leaders surveyed forecast that automated systems will free up their time, while the other 50 percent believe otherwise.Similarly, 42 percent believe they’ll have more job satisfaction in the future […]
Read More
Supply Chain Needs More Accurate Costing Information
Supply chain professionals need more accurate and effective cost information to help their decision-making, highlighting the need for supply chain and finance departments to work more closely together. They also need to adopt progressive costing practices that are focused on informing internal decisions. That’s according to a joint research report from APICS, the professional association […]
Read More