Articles
Technology
The Three Trends Driving Supply Chain Efficacy in 2021
Change is the one constant in supply chain management. And today, shippers need a flexible, agile, and data-driven process to control freight spend. Given the state of last year’s record-breaking e-commerce growth and the uncertainty in the market today, it’s essential to know how a few trends will shape the rest of 2021 and build […]
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Build Supply Chain Resiliency with Digital Transformation
Q: How has the pandemic revealed shortcomings in supply chains? A: The pandemic highlighted the need for a resilient supply chain. The companies that best weathered this crisis were able to make informed decisions and collaborate across their supply chain to minimize the impact of the disruption. It’s clear that adopting an integrated transportation management […]
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Aptitive Helps 3PL Derive Insights from Data with Real-Time Analytics Platform
A Chicago-based 3PL turned to Aptitive to design a scalable data and analytics modernization platform. Aptitive delivered a solution that not only helped the provider, but their customers as well.
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Pandemic Spurs Accelerated Investment in Supply Chain Automation, Digital Technologies
Digital technologies and automated solutions will help your supply chain succeed in this new, post-pandemic reality. For starters, they increase resilience in the face of disruption and support your workforce.
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Outsourcing Helps Close IT Gaps and Meet Milestones
Q: To meet new and changing shipper demands, what areas of focus should be the highest priorities for tech investment by carriers in 2021? A: One challenge we’re witnessing right now is the increasing need for carriers to provide more realtime visibility of a shipment’s journey. Carriers have begun taking steps to do just that […]
Read More4 Ways to Include Deskless Logistics Workers in Your Digital Strategy
Supply chains are undergoing unprecedented restructuring driven by competition, demand shifts, and trade wars—circumstances further accelerated by COVID-19. The resulting pressure on profits forces logistic functions and companies to evaluate ways to innovate, lower costs, and increase long-term resiliency. Logistics industry leaders are meeting this challenge by embracing digital transformation through innovative digitalization plans. But […]
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Speed, Reach & Flexibility Are Critical to Supply Chain Success in COVID Era
The pandemic has vastly accelerated the growing digital commerce space. Reports show ecommerce leapt years ahead in progress in just months with spending up 30% from the beginning of March through mid-April 2020. A rapid change in customer behaviors, driven by the pandemic, led to an explosion in social commerce, a faster evolution of omni-channel […]
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Agility, Data, and No-Code: Three Trends for the Future
Q: How are new technologies shaping the future of the supply chain? A: Advances in data integration, IoT, machine learning, and artificial intelligence are changing every part of the supply chain. These technologies can link systems and enable you to: Deliver better customer experiences with end-to-end order data and item status from multiple systems. Automate […]
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Scaling SCM Ecosystems—Boardroom Insights
Q: Can you reflect on your last customer transformation experience and the takeaways from that engagement? A: Modernizing ecosystems while keeping up the ongoing business operations is the reality of every business. The current ecosystem, future solution expectations, and resource models are the drivers that determine the program’s pace. Practical challenges in the transformation include: […]
Read MoreHow to Identify the Blind Spots in Your Supply Chain
As the global economy has become more interconnected, supply chains are increasingly complex and distributed. This allows companies to work with a broader range of suppliers and source materials on demand, which has made supply chains more efficient and reduced costs. However, modern supply chains also pose more daunting logistical challenges than they used to—with […]
Read MoreTechnology Adoption Is a Must for the Trucking Industry in 2021
As all industries experienced the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, those involved in freight and supply chain management realized digitalization transformation efforts had to come first in order to mitigate disruption and better prepare for the near term. Here are three areas where I foresee major changes in the coming months. Route Optimization and AI/ML […]
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Going the Distance
As we move into 2021, social distancing is a top priority for C-level executives. While they manage their business with social distancing, the protocols aren’t ideal for productivity, finds a survey by consulting firm West Monroe. More than half say they primarily work remotely to avoid social distancing, and 40% say it’s the biggest hindrance […]
Read MoreBlueGrace Logistics Names Mark Derks As New Chief Marketing Officer
Strategic investments in leadership team augments customer focus and value.
Read MoreWhat supply chain adjustment would you have made at the start of 2020 if you knew then what you know now?
Focus on agile processes for managing my supply chain with an emphasis on digitization, instrumentation, and end-to-end workflow. It is important to know not only which suppliers I am dependent on, but also to be able to quickly adapt to sudden change. —Sean Chou, CEO, Catalytic Advise shippers to rethink their inventories, create supply chain […]
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Buddha Brands Embraces the Philosophy of Supply Chain Integration
Buddha Brands, a provider of plant-based food and beverage products, including Hungry Buddha keto bars and Thirsty Buddha coconut water, has seen tremendous growth during the past decade. To sustain its success, however, the company needed more robust integration between its electronic data interchange (EDI) solution and enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.
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Blockchain Brings Value to Touchless Supply Chains
With supply chains forced to operate on thinner margins, digital transformation is leapfrogging business priorities. The time to act is now. But onboarding proven technology to confront COVID-19-related challenges can feel as daunting as the pandemic itself.
Read MoreCreating an Exceptional Customer Experience
Deliver poor customer service and you’ll lose business. But you can improve the customer experience by committing to meaningful change across your enterprise.
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Supply Chain 4.0 Needs Order-to-Cash 4.0
Industry 4.0 has been given a renewed sense of urgency following the pandemic. Industry 4.0 refers to the massive changes we see across every industry as a result of new technologies, such as smart sensors, predictive analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI). By extension, we see a technological shake-up with supply chain 4.0 and cash management 4.0.
Read MoreEnergy Management: The Next Step in Supply Chain Optimization
When considering new ways to optimize their supply chain, many large enterprises—like UPS, Amazon, Walmart, and FedEx—first focus on technology enhancements. Hyperautomation, artificial intelligence (AI), edge computing, 5G, and virtual reality are the latest ways to fine-tune transportation, shipping, and logistics to meet customer demand and improve profitability.
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Think Big, Act Small
Business disruption is creating disproportionate opportunity for mid-size forwarders, logistics solutions providers, and 3PLs. The maxim “He who is closer to the customer wins” is in play here. Says who? A recent survey by Barclays/BOD on the state of logistics confidence levels finds that “larger companies have generally found things more difficult than smaller ones, […]
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