Articles
Supply Chain

3PL Customer Service Specialization
Defining customer service can be difficult. Measuring it is even harder. Sometimes ambiguous, customer service is more than being courteous and helpful, it’s also about being knowledgeable. To solve complex problems, and to do so with speed, a 3PL must know a shipper’s needs inside and out. While intricacies of certain shippers and receivers will […]
Read MoreUsing Social Media to Empower Your Supply Chain
Social media benefits supply chain management in many ways. Through their social channels, companies enhance communication with customers, generate demand, reduce operating costs, mitigate risk, increase productivity, and gain marketplace intelligence. Companies that aren’t active on social media are at a disadvantage because most of their customers, suppliers, and competitors are. Ready to leverage social […]
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The March of Technology
How are you going to make money at the lower margins of 2016? Freight is down, trucks are plentiful, and fuel is down so much that you need to get a lot of new business just to keep your revenue even. Not an easy environment. And it’s going to get tougher. Margins have been coming […]
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Young Leaders Share Secrets to Success
When it comes to bringing a fresh perspective to the supply chain, age is just a number.
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Build a Great Team and Get Out of Their Way
Mike Gardner put himself through college working as a chef in a four-star Italian-American restaurant. But he hadn’t decided on a long-term career when he entered Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Then he took a class in physical distribution management with professor Thomas Speh, and lightning struck. MORE TO THE STORY: Logistics to the Rescue […]
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Is It Time to Think About Logistics Outsourcing?
Changing consumer behaviors, increasing consumer expectations and rapid advancements in technology are converging to create the need for supply chains to be more global, transparent, agile and responsive. We are at a unique point in time with all of these dynamics in place simultaneously that the supply chain function is evolving in its breadth of […]
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Navigating the Customs Labyrinth
Complying with the Customs rules and regulations governing imports may feel like you’re caught in endless twists and turns. Here’s how to master the maze.
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Diandra Hayban: Keeping New York City Prepared
Diandra Hayban is the logistics shelter support program manager for NYC Emergency Management, a coordinating agency for the City of New York that plans and prepares for emergencies and coordinates emergency response and recovery, among other functions. She has been with the agency since 2013. Responsibilities: Managing logistics for NYC emergency shelters, including the agency’s […]
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The Potential of Change
With schools across the country rapidly increasing the use of technology in the classroom, recent graduates entering the logistics workforce expect similar atmospheres. Without even realizing it, these individuals have trained themselves in a variety of ways to further their career. They are comfortable spending hours a day behind the computer, checking their emails religiously, […]
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Healthcare Logistics: Filling a New Prescription for Supply Chain Improvement
Healthcare organizations suffering from high costs and inefficiencies find relief by improving supply chain and distribution processes. The prognosis? Improved patient care and lower healthcare costs.
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Global Logistics—July 2016
UK Voters: See EU Later The British exit, or Brexit, referendum by the population of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union (EU) has already had some impact on the supply chain, and will likely have much more in the coming months. The dust is still settling after the narrow 51-percent victory, but as […]
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Optimizing Inbound for Improved E-Commerce Fulfillment
E-commerce is changing warehousing. Consumers want to purchase merchandise at any time, from anywhere—whether it is online, mobile, or in a store. As a result, efficient and reliable omni-channel fulfillment has become an imperative for retailers. To better align business models with the new paradigm, retailers and logistics providers are augmenting their distribution networks to […]
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Get The Scoop: The Ice Cream Supply Chain
From flavor variations to temperature monitoring, when it comes to delivering this sweet treat, ice cream companies have it down cold.
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Balancing Inventory for a Better Customer Experience
Q: How is e-commerce impacting inventory management for retailers? A: Inventory is a costly investment for retailers. With the growth of e-commerce, retailers have identified a potential opportunity to reduce working capital by thinning inventory at brick-and-mortar stores—opting instead to maintain major portions of inventory at distribution centers upstream. By adopting this strategy, retailers are […]
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Truckload Capacity: There is Always a Truck Going That Way
Hundreds of calls, page by page through the carrier listings. Ninety-nine percent of the replies are, "Sorry, we don’t hire out." But through all the searching, you always find one. That gem in the rough who runs the lane. They are booked out for the week, but now you have them in your pocket. Success! […]
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6 Technologies Guaranteed to Disrupt Your Supply Chain
As innovative technological solutions continue to shake up logistics, managing the supply chain is no longer business as usual.
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How to Stand Out From the Crowd
The changing needs of today’s manufacturers, coupled with the intense challenges third-party logistics (3PL) providers face—from greater reliance on just-in-time inventory and the increasing role of technology, to port congestion and the truck driver shortage—have led to a landscape ripe with competition. Arguably more diversified and sophisticated than ever, the 3PL sector is seeing an […]
Read MoreIncreased Visibility
The strength of any supply chain is in its individual links. For shippers of all types of freight, that means having visibility into accurate and timely load locations. For shippers, carriers, brokers and third party logistics services providers, the MacroPoint freight tracking solution is proving to be the answer. Today as well, shippers are requiring […]
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3PL Partnerships: How to Ink the Deal
How to form a relationship with your 3PL that’s so productive and strong, you’ll want to put it in a heart and wear it where everyone can see.
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How to Be Fashionably Green
The retail industry’s tectonic shift toward sustainability is real, with a renewed focus on clothing made from raw, organic materials, and nontoxic dyes or bleaches, with low water usage, and produced under socially responsible conditions. Yet this shift is only part of the story of how the retail and fashion industry is becoming greener. Other […]
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