Articles
Transportation
Global Trade Game Changer
As the Panama Canal’s $5.25-billion expansion nears completion, how are shippers and ports preparing?
Read More
Trends—December 2015
Data Capture Technology Ripe for Picking Reducing picking errors remains a high priority for distribution center operators, especially as customer expectations, particularly for faster and more accurate delivery, continue to increase, according to a recent Honeywell survey. Distribution centers are currently losing an average of more than $400,000 annually to picking errors, the survey finds. […]
Read More
Dimensioning on the Move
Growing fuel costs and capital expenses paired with a driver shortage have left companies shipping less-than-truckload (LTL) freight scrambling for ways to cut costs. Unfortunately, opportunities to counter fuel costs, eliminate capital investments, and reduce the manpower required to keep business moving are limited. That’s why many shippers are turning to dimensioning technology to gain […]
Read More
Sean Smith: Ingredients for a Great Career
Sean Smith is supply chain director at Agropur Ingredients in La Crosse, Wis. He has worked for the company since 2013. Responsibilities: Purchasing, inbound and outbound logistics, production planning, inventory management, analytics, and warehouse operations. Experience: Supply chain manager, U.S. Army; strategic sourcing manager—facilities, Citigroup; supply chain manager—contracting and sourcing, Adventist Health Systems. Education: Diploma, […]
Read More
Refugees Cause Price Hike for EU Shippers
Refugees Displace EU Supply Chain In many cases, even under the best circumstances, border crossings can be rife with paperwork, passports, and delays. But Europe has streamlined the process, with free and open border crossings between most of its member states that eliminate many of these hassles. That is, until recently. More than nine million […]
Read More
Alleviating Gridlock: A Chicago Case Study
To improve the flow of rail operations in the Chicago area, Amtrak CEO Joseph Boardman tasked Amtrak’s Gateway Blue Ribbon panel with examining rail congestion in Chicago and offering recommendations to improve traffic flow and alleviate gridlock. The panel derived its recommendations from extensive interviews with freight and passenger rails; federal, state, and local government […]
Read More
Top 10 U.S. Container Ports
Inbound Logistics dredges up data on the leading U.S. container hubs.
Read More
Tim Thoma Brings It In
Tim Thoma is international logistics and compliance manager at Northern Tool and Equipment, a multi-channel retailer based in Burnsville, Minn. He has held that position since 2008. Responsibilities: Moving freight from overseas to the company’s three distribution centers. This includes managing relationships with freight forwarders and carriers, and overseeing customs compliance. Experience: A series of […]
Read More
Great Logistics Sites: Prime Destinations, Unmistakable Results
The pursuit of perfection may seem an impossible goal. But, with the right combination of key elements, four regions in the United States have achieved logistics greatness.
Read More
Intermodal : Making the Connection
Intermodal transport requires all modes to work together seamlessly. It’s all about connectivity.
Read More
Trends—September 2015
Rising Labor Costs Eat Into Fast Food Supply Chains When New York State’s wage board voted to raise minimum pay to $15 in July 2015, it set tails wagging around the country. The wage hike, which will be phased in over the next three years upon approval by the state’s labor commissioner, only applies to […]
Read More
Global Logistics—September 2015
Ocean Carrier Dependability Ebbs Over the past few years, steamship lines have been juggling assets and throttling back transit times to better balance supply and demand. A slowdown in global trade—especially between Asia and Europe—and the industry’s well-publicized struggles with overcapacity have forced the issue for many carriers. While shippers and supply chains have adjusted […]
Read More
Positive Train Control: Negative Impact On Railroads?
The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA) mandates that Positive Train Control (PTC), a set of advanced technologies designed to stop or slow a train before accidents occur, be implemented across approximately 60,000 miles of the nation’s rail lines by Dec. 31, 2015. Class I railroad main lines that handle any poisonous, inhalation, or […]
Read More
Transportation Metrics: Keeping Score
Track key performance indicators to make sure your carriers are up to par.
Read More
2015 Trucking Perspectives
Inbound Logistics’ exclusive trucking market research report delivers shipper and motor carrier insights into trucking challenges and trends.
Read More
Temporary Bills and Lack of Investment Threaten U.S. Infrastructure
Q: The House just passed a three-month highway bill. Will that impact infrastructure investment? A: On July 28, 2015, the House voted to approve a temporary $8-billion bill extending federal transportation funding until the end of October. They sent it to the Senate only two days before the nation’s road and transit spending would have […]
Read More
Leveraged Platforms: The More Efficient Road Ahead
Q: What is a leveraged platform? A: A logistics services provider leverages its platform to employ the same best practices to manage its own supply chain needs as it does for its own client base of direct shippers. By augmenting their global scale with a vast network of local stations, these service providers are better […]
Read More
Seven Tips for Finding the Right Chinese Partner
China is a major trading partner for the United States, and the relationship is key for both countries. U.S. trade with China is booming, but there are issues that continue to linger, such as the U.S. trade deficit and China’s trade surplus, a Chinese fiscal policy that keeps currency artificially low compared to the U.S. […]
Read MoreImproving Fleet Safety with On-Board Video
Transportation is vital to a supply chain that efficiently manages the flow of goods—physically connecting manufacturers to their customers to provide them access to their favorite products. A break in that link—such as late deliveries, or damaged or stolen goods—can be detrimental to the success of a business, negatively impacting supply chain relationships and, in […]
Read More
Trends—August 2015
Warehouse Performance: It’s a Whole New Game One new way to save money on warehouse labor costs is to turn work into a game. No, we don’t mean a chucking-things-across-the-warehouse-floor kind of game, but creating competition through gamification. It’s a way to drive down warehouse labor costs by increasing employee performance and morale. The process […]
Read More