Articles
Supply Chain

Build-A-Box
To help subscription box services manage orders amidst rapidly increasing demand, logistics providers bring the whole package—from kitting and tying bows to delivery and returns.
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Caldwell Hospital Gets a Lean Bill of Health
A North Carolina hospital improves patient care by prescribing a lean and healthy supply chain.
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Reduce Supply Chain Costs with Consolidated Procurement Strategies
For sourcing agents and organizations involved in procurement, supply chain efficiency is a pressing concern. In addition to physical factors like the layout of the unit and machine capacity, procurement contracts and the manner in which they are implemented can account for a majority of supply chain and manufacturing costs. Working hand-in-hand with product design […]
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What’s Eating The Health Food Supply Chain?
Healthful food—organic, vegan, non-GMO, local, sustainably or humanely raised, and allergen free, or any other variety—has whet consumers’ appetites. Satisfying that growing demand, however, poses unique supply chain challenges.
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Omni-Channel Retail: Roadmap To Profit
Omni-channel retail supply chains are forging new paths to profitability. Here’s what they look like.
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Wild Ride?
When the IL team came up with the original issue theme for the 2017 Logistics Planner—The Upside of Down—we were anticipating yet another long term of challenging economic stagnation. The theme was that our mantra of demand-driven or inbound logistics practices would help enterprise managers and owners squeeze every last ounce of value out of […]
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Hold On Tight!
Just like in logistics, our editorial and design team meets many months in advance to forecast upcoming content and issue themes. So, when we met eight months ago to develop the Logistics Planner issue theme, we thought we had a good understanding of what was in store for 2017. After spirited discussion, we decided on […]
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GOOD QUESTION | What’s your supply chain resolution for 2017?
“We need to double down on technology. Global supply chains are a chess match, and everyone still seems to want to play checkers with Excel spreadsheets, emails, and phone calls. I’m going to use technology to become Bobby Fischer.”
Read MoreLeveraging Your Routing Guide
A routing guide plays an important role in setting the strategy for carrier selection. It is essentially a shipper’s guide to choosing a carrier to move a particular shipment. While there are many forms of routing guides, an increasing number of companies switched from paper to online portals and beyond to enhanced transportation management system […]
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Aaron Leach: A Bird’s Eye View of the Supply Chain
Aaron Leach is senior director of supply chain with Wayne Farms, LLC, in Oakwood, Ga. He has held this position since 2013. Wayne Farms is the sixth largest vertically integrated producer and processor of poultry in the United States. Responsibilities: Inbound and outbound logistics, warehousing and inventory control, and supply and demand planning. Experience: Director […]
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Russ Smyth: Geared Up for Growth
One day in 2010, Russ Smyth got a phone call from Ted Perlman. Smyth assumed that the reason for the call was a social occasion. At the time, Smyth was CEO of tax services company H&R Block. MORE TO THE STORY: Leadership Insights Perlman is one of the founders of HAVI, a global supply chain […]
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Trends—January 2017
Amazon continues to rattle nerves in the transportation sector. In 2015, the company launched a fleet of branded trucks to help shuttle cargo between facilities. In 2016, it leased 40 cargo jets, and Amazon China registered as a U.S. freight forwarder. These moves made third-party logistics (3PL) and trucking companies understandably anxious, considering that Amazon […]
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Global Logistics—January 2017
Manufacturing Supply Chains: What Does the Future Hold? Nobody can predict the future, but some are certainly qualified to make educated guesses. Over the next decade, manufacturing growth depends on successful engagement with consumers, according to IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Supply Chain 2017 Predictions, a new report from IDC Manufacturing Insights. The report makes the following […]
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Deploying Pharmaceutical Foreign Trade Zone Services
MD Logistics leverages FTZ services to provide game changing benefits to its customer base.
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Improve Warehouse Productivity With Reach Trucks
Jungheinrich® reach trucks help LeanCor’s mission to advance the world’s supply chains.
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Shaking Up the Brown Box: Big Winners in Supply Chain Evolution
With the infusion of multi-modal, multi-channel platforms, e-commerce is shaking the supply chain industry upside down. The consumer is now able to outrun the industry, and shippers are questioning their competency to continuously evolve their supply chains. To implement transformational strategies, operations teams are facing broad and deep investments in diversified technology and human resources […]
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Industry 4.0 is the X Factor that Will Transform Today’s Supply Chains
The enigmatic X Factor—that unknown element that will take supply chains to the next level. As is so often the case in our industry, there’s not just one transformative technology that will produce revolutionary change within our field, but rather many. The MHI Annual Industry Report examined the concept of the digital, always-on supply chain, […]
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The Pragmatist’s Guide: 10 Simple Strategies to Reduce Freight Costs Now
https://www.inboundlogistics.com/articles/dunnage/Freight transportation is your biggest logistics expense, so it’s likely that you’re under constant pressure to drive down these costs. Here are 10 ideas to consider as we head into 2017. Some of these strategies may encounter resistance from the “not the way we do it here” crowd. But let’s face it, any meaningful cost […]
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Cloud Collaboration Increases Supply Chain Efficiency
Defined as the art of working together to produce or create something, collaboration has become a focal point for organizations that want to work smarter, better, and more efficiently in today’s competitive business world. Enabled by technology, companies and individuals are working together to achieve common goals, open new lines of communication, and foster both […]
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What supply chain resolutions are you making this year?
Another year is upon us and with it comes a new opportunity to do things differently; to do things better. No doubt you have things you didn’t get to last year, have ideas about what needs to change and maybe even have problems that keep you up at night. If you have been managing your […]
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