Articles
Technology
Tips for First-time TMS Buyers
Q: TMS solutions are traditionally complex to implement. Why is that? A: A transportation management system (TMS) has one of the strongest ROIs of any supply chain management software: an average of about 7.5 percent in freight savings, according to recent research by ARC Advisory Group. But they’re also notoriously thorny to implement because most […]
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Stop the Free-Flowing Expenses of Demurrage and Detention
Q: What are the concealed costs of demurrage and detention? A: High demurrage and detention costs are rampant as ports are becoming increasingly congested and disruptive events such as labor disputes are occurring more frequently. Worse still, these fees accrue on a daily basis, so there’s little room for negotiating the final bill. "Hidden" free […]
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Hazmat Transportation: Have a Safe Trip
When moving hazardous materials, shippers can’t just send them packing. From preparing for compliance to keeping employees in the loop, here’s how shippers plan for risk-free travels.
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Share Everything: Why Multi-tenant Technology Wins
The benefits of a multi-tenant software platform are immense. Chris Johnson of LeanLogistics outlines the four areas of value with multi-tenant technology.
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The Role of Relationships in Automated Brokerage
Q: Recently we have seen an emphasis on technological tools working towards an “Uber for trucking” model. Is this achievable in the brokerage industry? A: To answer this question, let’s first clarify the analogy itself—Uber for trucking. Nowadays, companies are setting out to entirely automate the brokerage process by better connecting the brokerage firms with […]
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Optimizing Your Supply Chain
Q: How can today’s manufacturers deal with increasing regulations, demand volatility, and shifting global trade currents? A: While supply chain managers work diligently to design and oversee extended supply chains, one aspect that often falls through the "operational cracks" is supporting the corresponding financial supply chain. Orchestrating the end-to-end cash flow velocity and supporting transactions […]
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Accurate Transit Times: The Backbone of Efficient Supply Chains
Q: CarrierConnect® has been a crucial SMC³ product for nearly 20 years, and the company has continued to make upgrades during that time. How have customers been reacting to recently added features in CarrierConnect XL 2.0? A: GlobalTranz was the first technology partner to integrate the new XL features, and they discovered true strategic value […]
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Chainsaw Maker Massacres Supply Chain Inefficiencies
Equipment manufacturer Blount International brings out the power tools to plug money leaks and sharpen data management.
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Trends—September 2016
Transportation Infrastructure: The Roads to the White House It’s no big secret that American transportation infrastructure is falling apart and sorely underfunded. In 2014, the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHA) labeled more than 61,000 U.S. bridges as "structurally deficient." There is currently a $1.4-trillion deficit between transportation funding and spending needs for the next 10 […]
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How to Succeed With a Supply Chain Technological Rollout
The late great Yogi Berra famously said, “If you don’t know where you are going, then you’ll wind up someplace else.” Nowhere is this truer than when considering, procuring, and implementing new logistics/supply chain technology. It doesn’t matter if it’s optimization technology, a TMS, a WMS, or any combination. If you (the organization and all […]
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Retail Logistics: When Fast Isn’t Fast Enough
To keep customers happy, retailers play a daily game of beat the clock. For some retailers, smart supply chain management strategies and 3PL partnerships keep the orders flowing. For others, well…time may be up.
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Self-Improving Supply Chains Have Arrived
Imagine a world where supply chain planning systems can mold themselves into their environment, adapt, and improve as the business changes. Imagine systems that can monitor user behavior as well as customer and supplier anomalies, and advise accordingly. These are self-repairing supply chains. Imagine no more. With advances in processor speed and abundance of memory, […]
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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Supply Chain Execs Shift Focus From Sustenance to Survival
While we usually reserve 1990’s nostalgia for fashion, film, and music, a glimpse back at the technology landscape is just as jarring. Many remember a time before the internet was a necessity, but what about the pre-SCM age? For today’s large manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, supply chain management (SCM) has become such an indispensable area […]
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Who Are You Doing Business With?
In our ever-connected and increasingly global economy, aggregated, real-time global trade data—such as denied party screening results—helps businesses ensure protection and compliance. Denied party screening is critical in shipping and international trade, and essential for minimizing business risk today. Country governments and international organizations maintain lists of people, organizations, and countries they are prohibited from […]
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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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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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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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Keeping an Eye on Cost Management
The transportation and logistics industry is currently experiencing an acceleration of mergers and acquisitions, which is causing dramatic changes to the supply chain. Are you prepared to manage through this ever-changing environment while keeping a focus on managing cost? The 80/20 Rule of Logistics tells us that 80 percent of supply chain cost and efficiency […]
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Adapters Win in the Multi-Modal, Omni-Channel Fast Lane
In today’s digital supply chain era, market-leading shippers in North America are racing to adapt to the growing need for the speed, choice, precision, agility and visibility required to satisfy end customers. Responding to multi-modal and omni-channel demands for the rapid flow of goods, forward-thinking supply chain leaders are leveraging advanced analytics, robust supply chain […]
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