Articles
Technology
Supply Chain Movers and Do-Gooders: Companies Step Up in Response to the Pandemic
Companies in the logistics space are responding to the crisis by providing free goods and services: Pierbridge offers a free one-year subscription to Transtream Home Office, its cloud-based multicarrier management solution, to help companies equip employees with enterprise-level shipping capabilities from their home offices. Scandit created a contactless proof of delivery web app using its […]
Read MoreCOVID-19 Supply Chain Resources & Strategies
Redefining Global Supply Chain Management The traditional ways of managing the supply chain may have changed forever as COVID-19 brings heightened awareness of its fragility. Every shipper, carrier, and logistics manager appreciates there could be a significant paradigm shift for future sourcing and inventory management. While just-in-time shipment delivery with tight inventory-to-sales ratios were the […]
Read More
GOOD QUESTION | How should shippers adjust their supply chains in response to the disruption caused by COVID-19?
Keep a daily pulse on supply and customer demand. Daily monitoring on COVID-19 restrictions in supplier and customer locations is essential to understanding when and where to ramp up or down capacity within your supply chain limits. It’s also important to communicate up and downstream projected manufacturing or demand signals so that your supply base […]
Read More10 Tips | Managing Inbound Freight
Inbound freight can be challenging to analyze or control, but it significantly impacts operational results and costs. Traverse this “final frontier” of supply chain management by collaborating on the following strategies across departments.
Read More
This Is Not a Drill
Create an agile, real-time approach. Have an effective communication strategy, one that includes internal users, vendors, and carrier partners.
Read More
UPS Upgrades Unmanned Drone Fleet
UPS drone delivery subsidiary UPS Flight Forward will collaborate with German drone-maker Wingcopter to develop the next generation of package delivery drones for multiple uses in the United States and internationally. Both companies will work toward earning regulatory certification for a Wingcopter unmanned aircraft to make commercial delivery flights in the United States and build […]
Read More
3PLs Flex Their Tech Muscle
By increasing visibility, flexibility, and accuracy, the latest technology pumps up 3PLs’ ability to move, store, and fulfill shippers’ orders—even amidst supply chain disruptions.
Read More
Uncorking Automation Bottlenecks
Although 57% of organizations say they’re piloting automation processes and 93% of employees are optimistic automation will make their jobs easier, digital transformation efforts often fall apart, according to a new McKinsey survey. Many companies rely on IT to drive transformation without engaging other departments, creating bottlenecks. Company size and the structure of automation efforts […]
Read MoreHow IoT Can Optimize Overwhelmed Supply Chains
With more and more brick-and-mortar shops temporarily closing their doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s immense pressure on retailers to deliver much-needed supplies to individuals at home. More packages—including crucial deliveries of food, medications and sanitation supplies—need to be shipped, which increases the pressure on supply chains to perform as efficiently as possible. At […]
Read MoreSPOTLIGHT | Materials Handling Innovations
Senergy Motor Drive Rollers (MDRs): Senergy MDRs from PULSEROLLER can move materials at different speeds—designed for both lower-speed, heavy-duty applications such as pallet handling and high-speed carton or tote handling. The rollers can reach speeds up to 1,000 feet per minute, with a starting torque up to 215 in/lb. They’re also quieter than a typical […]
Read More
Global Trade Management Systems: A Smart Bet
What’s the payout on global trade management (GTM) systems? They help organizations comply with trade regulations and tariffs, automate transactions, and gain supply chain visibility. Leverage the information captured by the GTM and you hit the jackpot.
Read More5 Crucial Ways Warehouse Managers Can Improve Warehouse Efficiency
If one thinks of today’s Amazon-era supply chain as a sports car, warehouses would most definitely be the engine that makes it “go.” If you’re a manager or warehouse operator, however, you know that there is a single all-important element that fuels that engine, and it makes all of the difference between smooth, supercharged performance […]
Read More
There’s No Business Like Shoe Business
About 12 years ago, G. Brent Barkin, the son of Shoe Station founder Terry S. Barkin, urged his father to start a website for the family-owned business. The senior Barkin followed his son’s advice and invested some money in creating a new channel. But he had his doubts, asking, “Who’s going to buy shoes from a website?”
Read More
E-Commerce Engine Technology Revs Up Efficiency
E-commerce has remapped supply chains. Across both business-to-business and business-to-consumer transactions, technology is taking on the complexity caused by this shift and driving efficiency.
Read MoreBlockchain Pilots Aren’t Landing
A majority (80%) of supply chain blockchain initiatives will stay at the pilot stage through 2022, according to new Gartner research. Many organizations pushed to create robust use cases for the supply chain; however, most were inspired by banking and insurance pilots, and didn’t translate to supply chain. This should not discourage supply chain leaders […]
Read More
State of Retail Tech
Equity funding to retail tech companies slowed globally in 2019—down 31% to $45.2 billion—largely due to a slide in funding to e-commerce platforms and enabling technologies, finds CB Insights’ State of Retail Tech report, a comprehensive look into retail trends from 2019 and what to look for in 2020. Specifically, funding to supply chain and […]
Read More
Warehouse 2020
From materials handling workhorses to voice-activated picking systems and DC reconfigurations, let’s take stock of the warehouse solutions powering e-commerce success.
Read More
Automated Materials Handling Gets a Lift
A labor market in which it is increasingly difficult to recruit, train, and retain workers is a major factor driving growth of the automated materials handling equipment market in North America, finds a report by BCC Research. The market expects a compound annual growth rate of 7.1% through 2024 and may be worth $28.7 billion. […]
Read More
Preparing for the New World of Work
The first, second, and third industrial revolutions were built around some form of energy: The first was fueled by steam, the second by electricity, and the third by nuclear power. Enter the Fourth Industrial Revolution, powered by smart, autonomous systems that use data and machine learning as their fuel.
Read More6 Work From Home Tips for Manufacturing Professionals
When you begin working from home, you may feel a sense of freedom wash over you. Telecommuting means more free time and no stressful commute. However, after a few days, you may start to feel isolated, uninformed, and less effective than usual—especially if you’ve been asked to work from home because of a traumatic event, […]
Read More