Checking In
The President’s 2021 Trade Policy
The Biden Administration’s new trade policy report is filled with laudable goals such as beating COVID-19, American family relief, and the Build Back Better initiative. But should these goals be the basis of U.S. trade policy or negotiating position with other countries?
Buddy, Can You Spare a Can?
Will the current U.S. administration take action to protect U.S. export enterprises?
A Valid Question
"Inbound logistics" doesn't sound odd now. But in 1980, it was counterculture. Today, many call this approach supply chain management or the demand-driven enterprise. No matter what you call it, the benefits and value are clear.
From a Modest Beginning
When we started Inbound Logistics in 1981, the latest technology was using fax machines to distribute routing guides to vendors. Forty years later, we've advanced to using technology in a pivotal year, empowering the demand-driven enterprise.
Think Big, Act Small
Do small to mid-sized logistics solutions providers have the upper hand in this COVID-created business environment? Or are huge multi-nationals doing just fine, or at least as good as everyone else?
Do You Like Raspberries?
Honest players in the food supply chain need to protect themselves and their trusted partners before the market gives you a raspberry.
The World Is Your Warehouse 3.0
LEO satellites will enable e-commerce companies to take orders from everywhere and anywhere, allowing all countries, developed or not, to share what we take for granted.
A Plan for Freight Excellence
Anyone who has been in our industry for a while has seen federal initiatives that address transportation inequities without moving the needle much. The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Freight Strategic Plan is different because it focuses squarely on freight. Here are the plan's four key goals.
Let's Not Forget
Supply chain has the capacity to quickly adopt new technologies, adapt to new working conditions, and remain highly productive. The "new" technologies for collaborative work are not really new, however.
What Can 3PLs Do?
Can third-party logistics (3PL) providers bring chaos to order? Or order to chaos? For starters, they can help you wrangle and bring some order to the current COVID-caused confusion in your logistics process.
In Defense of You
You've failed at logistics. So says David Segal in his recent article entitled "What Happened to the Great American Logistics Machine?" in The New York Times. So what happened to the Great American Logistics Machine?
Staying Productive in Unproductive Times
Rather than wait for the next man-caused disruption or pandemic, smart business managers are extracting knowledge from a forensic investigation of their operations based on COVID-19 stress and kicking bad practices to the curb.
Now They Know
During the coronavirus pandemic, the scramble for logistics expertise and solutions is on.
Flexing Muscle on China Trade Compliance
Inbound Logistics publisher Keith Biondo discusses whether e-commerce shipment enforcement will ensure that China complies with Phase 1 of the U.S.-China trade deal signed in January 2020.
Robot Return Ratios
Using robots to clearly monitor and better match demand to supply pays huge dividends.
Ten Minutes From Now—Do You Have a Plan?
Inbound Logistics editor Felecia Stratton checks in with readers and reviews the practical information in the January 2020 issue that shippers can put to use right away.
What's the Word?
The hot supply chain words or phrases for the coming year and the concepts behind them.
The Death of Your Profession?
That's right, if you work in the supply chain management field, and have a decade or so until you retire, it's time to dust off your resume and consider other career paths. That's according to a Harvard Business Review article. Let's do an autopsy.
Take the Current When It Serves
Supply chain managers face known and unknown challenges—with a certainty that they can and will succeed no matter the impediments.
An Enterprising Change
A small change in Inbound Logistics' tag line – from logistics to enterprises – recognizes the massive business shift in the way shippers drive excellence.
I Was a Shipment at Disney
Here's how Disney is leveraging technology and big data to make visitors' experiences magical.
3PL Growth Spurt. Why?
In good times and in bad, world-class third-party logistics providers will continue to solve fundamental business challenges wrapped around supply chain operations.
Conflicted
A series of convergent events are raising national supply chain costs at every touch but investing in processes and people, and aligning with phenomenal logistics partners will offset a good measure of the costs and increase customer satisfaction.
Help From Your Warehouse
A series of convergent events are raising national supply chain costs at every touch but investing in processes and people, and aligning with phenomenal logistics partners will offset a good measure of the costs and increase customer satisfaction.
Singularity: Shape-Shifting Self-Aware Supply Chains?
Four recent independent Artificial Intelligence (AI) advances indicate that self-aware supply chains, or what some are calling cognitive supply chains, may be closer than we think.
Global Trade Resilience
Global trade analysts predicted the sky was falling, but that is not currently the case. How did they get the projections so wrong?
Knowledge is Power
What supply chain professionals can do to ensure that the skill set you've cultivated over the years is transferred to the next generation of practitioners.
When Worlds Combine
Inbound Logistics continues to provide actionable content to help drive supply chain change.
When Worlds Collide
Online retailers are winning in the market with all types of consumers, even in manufacturing industrial products.
A Lot to Learn
There are a multitude of resources available to help even the busiest logistics professionals hone their skillsets.
Post Office Dings E-Commerce?
Two important developments–the US Postal Service’s relationship with Amazon and the U.S.withdrawal from the Universal Postal Union (UPU)–will impact domestic and international e-commerce shipments.
Talent Gap or Training Gap?
Workforce and career development are on the national radar and many companies are stepping up with financial, time and expertise commitments to accomplish the goals of developing the U.S. workforce for tomorrow.
Conserving a National Resource
Driver wellness programs are relatively easy to implement, don't cost money, and are the right thing to.
Returning Experience
The war between the retail/e-commerce customer experience and increasing costs is heating up, thanks to the impact that rising transportation prices are having on the retail process. That trend plagues e-commerce players and retailers, both large and small.
Dual Dynamics
Clearly, increased trucking costs are the new normal. Also as clear is the other dynamic, which is emphasized a little less these days but all the more important to offset cost increases in other areas: Use your logistics partner strategically and offset rising transport costs.
GDPR: Privacy, Yes. Innovation, No
If you spend too much time clearing privacy protection notices from your email box, thank the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). But what exactly is this regulation and how might it impact future supply chain technological innovation?
Demanding Service
It is exactly the wrong time to abandon a demand-driven approach to the supply chain.
Checking In: The Last Grimy Mile
Are last-mile deliveries being left to ununiformed, lightly skilled, newly hired Uberesque drivers, despite technology upgrades and changing consumer demands?
Sky. Falling or Not?
Demand-driven logistics can help manage supply chain disruption caused by trade uncertainty, tariffs, protectionism, and retaliation.
The Human Experience
In the rush to satisfy ever-increasing demands for speed and efficiency, and the clarion calls to deliver your best customer experience, supply chain managers need to consider that impact on the worker experience.
Status Grow? Yes.
There is a great opportunity for growth in many business sectors, and the role of supply chain excellence is fundamentally important in that economic environment.
Status Quo? No.
Status quo will not be the norm in 2018 as major and minor changes are brewing in business operations.
CX in the Era of Supply Chain Impatience
Transportation, logistics, and supply chain play an increasingly pivotal role in providing excellent customer service.
Stop, Look, Listen
We all know the best way to approach an unguarded railroad crossing is to stop, look, and listen. That same advice applies when examining the economy, which will likely roar through 2018 at full speed.
Masters of the Future
IL Editor Felecia Stratton was lucky to get an annual glimpse into the future of the logistics workforce—and can say with confidence that we’ll be just fine.
The Economy Will Grow. Is That Bad News?
Truckers and shippers weigh in on the state of the economy as we head into 2018.
It Happens Automagically
Whether your company is a manufacturer, retailer, distributor, or in e-commerce, the future is happening now, automagically. IL publisher Keith Biondo explores IoT and the Internet of Everything.
Bad News, Good News
What do new buying trends mean for those providing logistics solutions to you, especially if your logistics partners are not market monsters?
Reconstructing Supply Chains
Supply chain infrastructure is rebuilding itself, below the surface where only logisticians can see it.
Looking Beyond Your Desktop
Recent randomware attacks reveal vulnerabilities in manufacturing, logistics and supply chain security.
We’ve Been Together for 35 Years
Inbound Logistics Editor Felecia Stratton marks a 35-year career anniversary with a look back at how technology changed supply management forever.
Redefining Globalism?
Despite news reports that globalization is dead, other trends will offset the downward spiral. If we redefine what globalization means, we won’t miss the trend again and be surprised by the results.
Flight of Fancy (Revisited)
Amazon’s patent to parachute packages sends Inbound Logistics Publisher Keith Biondo on a trip down memory lane to an article he wrote 14 years ago predicting such an event.
Wild Ride?
Will the coming political change reverse slow economic growth many had anticipated for the next 4 years? Many think so.
Hold On Tight!
As the economic rollercoaster trends up quickly, best logistics practices will give your enterprise vitality to scale up quickly without disrupting.
Times They Are A-changin’
High taxes and complex regulations create new choices for manufacturers: Nearshore? Offshore? Sue and settle? No matter what they decide, their supply chains will be impacted.
Starting a Logistics Love Affair
Some recent experiences provide hope that smart, dedicated and hardworking young professionals will fill the logistics talent gap.
Working at People Speed
Instantaneous, insatiable customer need runs the risk of forcing people out of the equation. But some logistics challenges can only be met by people working at ‘people speed.’
Still Pushing Your Customers Around?
Using the best logistics IT available, and partnering with world-class carriers and 3PLs, can help you find a better way towards supply chain success.
6 Cool Things I Learned Editing This Issue
Inbound Logistics editor lists six cool things she learned (or just realized anew) as she edited the annual 3PL issue.
Freshening Up
Healthy living/clean eating lifestyles are impacting the grocery supply chain. What do food companies need to do to adapt?
A Head in the Cloud?
The migration to web, cloud, and SaaS solutions continues, and it's a good thing for shippers. Here's why you'll love getting ahead in the cloud.
Perfect Security by 2025?
New technology enables new advances in supply chain security. What will security look like in 2025?
Global Trade: The Certainty of Uncertainty
The uncertainty in today’s global economies has a huge impact on how supply chain professionals manage global supply chains.
You Are Never Too Cool for School
To excel in a supply chain management career, students and employees need broad knowledge and skillsets that extend across the entire supply chain function.
The Supply Chain of the Future?
Young and veteran supply chain professionals alike must acclimate, absorb, and apply fast-approaching technological developments or risk being part of the past.
The Supply Chain of the Past
Why Inbound Logistics decided to re-publish Strikepoint, a fictional logistics novella originally published in 2001.
Whatever It Takes
The true measure of customer service is what team members, carriers, and supply chain partners do when something goes wrong.
Keep the Change
Inbound Logistics editor Felecia Stratton discovers that change management is not only a supply chain challenge.
Timely Timeline Reminder
After 30 site visits and two logistics industry conferences, Inbound Logistics Publisher Keith Biondo wonders what the future of supply chain and logistics holds.
XPO Goes Long with Con-way Play
How will XPO’s blockbuster acquisition of Con-way impact the transportation, logistics and supply chain sector?
Just Another Brick in the Mall
E-commerce is leaving a trail of brick-and-mortar debris in its wake.
You Say You Want a Co-Evolution?
The third-party logistics (3PL) segment evolved from shippers driving the process based on their needs, to collaboratively working together to create new solutions and change business operations.
Turning Back the Pages: 20 Years of Top 100 3PLs
When you consider the rapid evolution of supply chain management over the past two decades the 3PL industry has been a featured piece in an increasingly pixelated mosaic.
Engineering Green DNA
Companies are breaking through functional silos to initiate sweeping sustainability mandates.
When the Walls Come Tumbling Down
Supply management professionals are increasingly accepting cross-functional cooperation in purchasing, supply management, production and inventory control to optimize overall company performance and increase competitiveness.
The World is Your Warehouse, 2.0
New lower-cost commercial systems and equipment are just over the horizon; they will provide an exciting array of inventory control to the logistics and supply chain community.
A Supply Chain World Tour
Companies doing business globally are learning to be more flexible to adapt quickly to uncertainty without sacrificing economy, speed and service.
Supply Chain Education and the Integration of Things
The role of supply chain practitioner is evolving by integrating technology, functional expertise, and experience to identify problems and engineer solutions.
Talent Gap: How Did We Get Here?
A review of the important mile markers in supply chain management that brought us to present day shows we have made progress, but there is more work to be done.
Talent Gap: Where Are We Going?
ThomasNet, ISM and Inbound Logistics partner to create the 30 Under 30 Rising Supply Chain Stars program to recognize the brightest young stars in supply chain management today.
Service With A Demand-driven Smile
As e-commerce and ominchannel raise expectations, and consumers become more impatient, supply chain practitioners turn to technology to help them perform.
Adapting Your Supply Chain for the Future…Now
The best way shippers and consignees can accommodate speed and reliability is to practice demand-driven logistics.
Modal Harmony in a Discordant Market
Intermodal solutions can have significant returns, but there are challenges to consider.
Build Your Driver-Friendly Brand
Treat truck drivers respectfully to build a good reputation with carriers and ensure load coverage.
The New Retail: Three Legs to Stand On
Retail operations need support from e-commerce, IT, and logistics execution.
3PL Evolution Continues
Third-party logistics services evolved to meet shippers' changing transportation, distribution, and warehousing needs.
3PL e-Volution Continues
Online retailers such as Amazon and eBay are expanding their offerings to provide their vendors with logistics support.
Reaching for the Stars
Colleges are adding logistics and supply chain education programs to support the next generation of professionals.
You Say You Need a Bigger Warehouse?
An improving economy and e-commerce growth spur demand for warehouse space.
The Power of Demand-Driven
Demand-driven supply chains strive for synchronicity between functions and among partners to ensure optimal performance.
A New Spin on Global Trade
Global logistics trends offer opportunities, but also drive the need for better global supply chain control.
Benchmarking Career Development
Inbound Logistics Editor Felecia Stratton discusses the merits of supply chain continuing education.
Year of Uncertainty?
2014 may be a year of uncertainty, but inbound logistics best practices can help improve supply chain operations, writes Inbound Logistics Publisher Keith Biondo.
Well, There’s One Thing That’s Certain…
Inbound Logistics Editor Felecia Stratton shares highlights from the January 2014 issue.
Visions of Customer Service
Companies such as Amazon show delivery speed and logistics agility provide the customer service levels retailers need to win.
Shining the Light on Pioneers and Prospects
Equipped with industry training, new logistics professionals need their more experienced peers’ communication and interpersonal skills.
5 Trucking Trends on the Table
Shipper and motor carrier responses to Inbound Logistics’ market research survey indicate trucking trends.
Keeping Track of Time
From retailers to OEMs, companies track parts and finished goods to drive supply chain visibility and flexibility.
Business Process Improvement? Flexibility.
Flexible 3PLs drive business process improvements for shippers.
Finding Supply Chain Feng Shui
Outsourcing transportation and logistics to third-party logistics providers (3PLs) blends function and flexibility into a supply chain feng shui.
Getting Green, Going Lean
Demand-driven logistics practices are a perfect focal point to integrate green strategies with Lean methodologies.
Navigating New IT Pathways
Today's IT trends -- big data, cloud computing, integration, and visibility -- let business logistics managers harness technology in countless ways to find greater efficiency and economy.
America’s Hardened Arteries
The United States lags behind other nations in transportation policy and infrastructure funding, writes Inbound Logistics Publisher Keith Biondo.
Learning on the Job
Educational resources – including online learning and accelerated MBA programs – abound for people working in or pursuing supply chain jobs, writes Editor Felecia Stratton.
Supply Chain Force Multipliers
By providing end-to-end visibility, demand driven logistics practices deliver competitive advantage and solve supply chain challenges for businesses of all sizes, writes Publisher Keith Biondo.
The Great Equalizer
Supply chain management makes a difference by empowering companies to do more with less, and project a stronger competitive force, writes Editor Felecia Stratton.
What Sandy Showed Me
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Inbound Logistics Editor Felecia Stratton sees the supply chain industry's true colors firsthand.
Retailers Rebalance Time vs. Cost?
Velocity is more important than price for some consumers, perhaps giving some retailers another component to consider as they compete, writes Publisher Keith Biondo.
The Future of Predictive Analytics Looks Certain
Predictive analytics provides large volumes of data to help logistics managers match demand to supply, making predictive analytics a competitive weapon in demand-driven supply chains.
Cutting Through the Noise
Inbound Logistics' annual trucking issue assesses the challenges and opportunities that await the trucking industry during this period of rapid change, writes Editor Felecia Stratton.
Supply Chain Therapy Strikes a Balance
As retailers look to grow their business, the challenge of keeping up with the market becomes exponentially greater—especially as new channels emerge, writes Editor Felecia Stratton. Supply chain management can help create balance between supply and demand.
3PL Partnerships: From Tactical to Strategic
If shippers use their third-party logistics partners for more than brokerage—not just as tactical providers, but as strategic partners—a whole new world of logistics excellence and accomplishments could open up, writes Inbound Logistics Publisher Keith Biondo.
3PL Partnerships: From Transactions to Trust
Increasingly, 3PLs and shippers are working much more collaboratively, often sharing pains and gains, writes Editor Felecia Stratton.
Green Leadership for Lean Times
Walmart's green initiatives keep the retailer's supply chain lean and efficient, writes Inbound Logistics Publisher Keith Biondo.
Warehousing 'Outside the Box'
Warehouses are one component within a much larger distribution ecosystem, writes Editor Felecia Stratton.
IT: Advantage @Light Speed
Logistics technology is a source of competitive advantage, writes Publisher Keith Biondo.
The Fifth P of Marketing
People are a vital component of marketing - the fifth P - supporting products and companies with advanced logistics and supply chain management skills, writes Inbound Logistics Publisher Keith Biondo.
A Lost Art?
Today's supply chain professionals are tough, practical, and undeterred by the specter of failure, writes Inbound Logistics Publisher Keith Biondo.
The Art of Integration
Inbound Logistics Editor Felecia Stratton discusses supply chain integration, citing articles from the January 2012 Logistics Planner issue.
Delivering the Final Smile
The use of new technology and tools—such as email, cellphones, and social media—allows shippers to stay involved, from order to final-mile delivery, no matter what the shipment, to create a superior customer service experience.
@Home With Demand-Driven Logistics
UPS My Choice, a new direct-to-home delivery service, turns consumers into inbound logistics practitioners.
Intermodal: A Means, Not an End
Intermodal shipping reduces transport costs by rationalizing long-haul bulk moves between road, barge, rail, and occasionally air, writes Editor Felecia Stratton.
Freight at Rest is Freight at Risk
Motor freight carriers employ a variety of strategies to keep cargo secure in transit, writes Editor Felecia Stratton.
A Career That’s Never Boring
New global supply chain challenges present growth opportunities for logistics professionals, writes Publisher Keith Biondo.
Using a 3PL: Are You Getting Your Money’s Worth?
Shippers that use only the transactional solutions offered by their 3PL partners are missing the opportunity to benefit from advanced logistics solutions and expertise they helped pay to initiate, implement, and build-out, writes Publisher Keith Biondo.
Close Encounters of the Third-Party Kind
Editor Felecia Stratton describes the highlights of the July 2011 issue, which documents the many ways 3PLs of all shapes and sizes are moving the outsourcing needle in different directions.
For the Love of the Green
Inbound Logistics Editor Felecia Stratton questions whether the green consumer phenomenon is a fad – and what it means for supply chain and logistics sustainability initiatives.
Who Says You Can Never Go Home?
Inbound Logistics Publisher Keith Biondo examines a trend in moving manufacturing from China back to the United States.
The Future Ain’t What It Used to Be
Globally interconnected supply chains face challenges such as natural disasters and currency fluctuations, but benefit from the latest logistics technology.
Managing Risk in a Chain of Fire
Man-made disruptions and natural disasters have a radiating effect on global supply chains. Inbound Logistics Editor Felecia Stratton discusses ways of coping.
School’s in Forever
Inbound Logistics' editorial helps you realize new opportunities as you grow your career.
Gaining Ground
Inbound Logistics Publisher Keith Biondo cites real-world cases of supply chain gains, including Del Monte Foods, Coca-Cola Bottling Company, and National Starch.
Gaining Even More Ground
Inbound Logistics Editor Felecia Stratton reflects on the magazine's January 2011 coverage of supply chain gains.
Customer Service: Who Needs it?
To survive and grow in today's demanding, competitive economy, companies must excel at both supply chain management and customer service.
Elephants Chasing TIGERs
The latest round of Department of Transportation TIGER grants continues the spending bias for passenger and other non-freight initiatives.
Currency Events
Inbound Logistics Publisher Keith Biondo considers how today\'s foreign currency values will impact global product flow.
First They Came For Our Trucks
Is there a war on trucking? CSA 2010, cap and trade, and Hours of Service changes are challenging the ability of truckers to operate profitably in America, says Inbound Logistics Publisher Keith Biondo
Inbound 3.0 at Walmart
Inbound Logistics Publisher Keith Biondo outlines how Walmart is taking inbound logistics to the next level.
What We’ve Got Here is Failure to Communicate
A failure to communicate is the primary reason that 3PL relationships fall apart, according to Inbound Logistics' annual third-party logistics survey.
Are You Talkin’ to Me?
To be successful, a close relationship between third-party logistics providers and their shipper customers requires a great deal of communication.
Shading Green
Serious challenges balance the benefits of embracing sustainability efforts, writes Inbound Logistics Publisher Keith Biondo.
Deere Customer
A lean manufacturing value chain sometimes carries the risk of falling behind demand, as John Deere discovered, but the alternative can be worse, writes Inbound Logistics Publisher Keith Biondo.
Transformative Technology
Inbound Logistics' April 2010 issue presents a fully integrated editorial lineup that embraces different perspectives of the logistics technology space.
Retail Week at a Glance
Publisher Keith Biondo shares hot topics among retailers —and how it affects your business.
America's Got Supply Chain Talent
Florida's Talent Supply Chain association aims to boost Florida's economy by encouraging and expanding workforce development, training, and job retention across the state, writes Inbound Logistics Editor Felecia Stratton.
Brought!
A logistician's resilience is valuable when opportunities are ripe, but it's invaluable when problems persist, writes Inbound Logistics Editor Felecia Stratton.
Bring It!
Tough economic times lead to transportation innovation, adoption, and adaptation, writes Inbound Logistics Publisher Keith Biondo.
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