Articles

Supply Chain

| | | |

Advice for Transportation Departments on Gaining Corporate IT Buy-in for TMS Solutions

Q: What pushback should transportation leaders anticipate from IT when proposing a TMS implementation? A: Corporate IT departments are frequently ambivalent about cooperating; sometimes even actively working to undercut the proposed initiative because there’s a perception that any new enterprise software deployment adds significantly to IT’s workload during implementation, integration, and thereafter with respect to […]

Read More
| | |

Is a 3PL Not the Best Fit for You?

Q: While some companies have chosen to rely on 3PLs to manage their logistics, Progressive Converting made the choice to keep its logistics in house. Why? MR: Progressive Converting (Pro-Con) is a service provider to the major paper companies. As such, controlling all aspects of the supply chain is critical in delivering value to our […]

Read More
| | |

What’s Your Sourcing Strategy?

Having a current, flexible sourcing strategy can not only reduce costs and increase efficiency, but also serve as a competitive advantage to help organizations increase the top line. Supply chain costs, primarily procurement and transportation, can range from 50 to 70 percent of sales, depending on industry. So it is critical to spend considerable time […]

Read More
| | | |

5 Steps to Protect Your Supply Chain From Cyber Threats

With cyber threats affecting organizations worldwide, warding off cyber attacks and protecting against cyber espionage is becoming a top priority across industries. Manufacturers, distributors, and organizations, however, are not doing enough to make supply chains more resilient and prepared. Whether your business is large or small, a startup or 40-year veteran, major security issues stem […]

Read More
| | | |

Finding Untapped Value in Product Returns

The little-known, but dark secret of e-commerce is this: On average, for every three packages a retailer ships, one will be an eventual return. Retailers must shift their focus to processing the continuously increasing number of returns. As retail grows more reliant on analytics, retailers are seeing previously untapped value in data about who is […]

Read More
| | |

Working Alongside Robots: No Longer Science Fiction

Working alongside robots in warehouses is the way of the present, rather than the way of the future. The recent ProMat and Automate conferences, in Chicago, featured robotics and automated materials handling equipment. “Solve for X,” the theme of the conference, emphasized the need for manufacturers, warehousing and third-party logistics companies to embrace change to […]

Read More
| | | |

Looking Beyond Your Desktop

The latest Ransomware attack lays bare hidden risks in your manufacturing, logistics, and supply chain network. You can protect against the ever-evolving threat of Bitcoin pirates by looking deeper into your operations. The attack is introduced into networks with Spear Fishing emails. Once activated, the malware locks and ecrypts your files, and files across all […]

Read More
| | |

Supply Chain Complexity: What’s Behind Supply Chain Disruption and Why You’re Not Achieving Consistent ROI Improvement

In a 2016 Gartner survey, 63 percent of supply chain leaders reported “increasing supply chain complexity” as the highest risk to business continuity. A second survey from Gartner identifies supply chain complexity as #4 in the list of obstacles to achieving supply chain goals. As supply chain leaders face these challenges, they should focus on […]

Read More