Articles

Technology

I, Robotics

I, Robotics

Productivity and employee job satisfaction are on the rise at Integrated Supply Network (ISN), an independent automotive tool and equipment specialist serving wholesalers and distributors throughout North America and Europe. Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) have rapidly become useful additions at the ISN distribution centers where they’ve been deployed.

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Get into Outsourcing

Logistics outsourcing to third-party logistics (3PL) providers has been on the rise, and it won’t likely slow anytime soon, says a recent Gartner survey, with 66% of logistics leaders increasing their outsourcing budget in 2021 and 74% set to increase their budgets in the next two years. At the same time, nearly two-thirds of logistics […]

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4 Trends for 3PLs in 2022

4 Trends for 3PLs in 2022

Order volumes grew for 79% of third-party logistics (3PL) providers in 2021, but that growth was tempered by inventory availability and disruptions that cost the U.S. economy $228 billion, says a report from 3PL Central. Disruptions, technology innovations, and consumer demands will persist in 2022. These are the four key trends impacting 3PLs in the […]

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Drained Lithium Batteries Get a Life

Drained Lithium Batteries Get a Life

A team of scientists from the Department of Energy and Stanford found a way to revive dead lithium-ion batteries, extending their battery life up to 30%. The lithium-ion batteries found in most modern electric vehicles (EVs) tend to lose energy capacity as they get charged, spent, and re-charged. That happens because small bits of lithium […]

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What is the biggest supply chain lesson you learned from the past two years?

The fragility or brittleness of a global marketplace so deeply dependent on just-in-time inventory. Any event, whether a pandemic, hurricane, or a container ship stuck in the Suez Canal, creates immediate disarray. In response, retailers have reverted to “just-in-case” practices, building up large safety stocks. It has become a choice between risking a stock-out or keeping costly excessive inventory. Where is the balance?

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