Feature Stories
Smart Warehouses Boost Their IQ
Working together with IoT, AI, drones and other advanced technologies, WMS solutions help warehouses gain accuracy, efficiency, and speed.
Intermodal Leans In
Intermodal has experienced a decline in volumes during the COVID-19 crisis, but it also has served as a dependable option for shippers in a time of turmoil. Because of its robust infrastructure and capacity, intermodal appears poised to resume its growth when the supply chain regains its footing.
Pallets Take the Spotlight
Before the advent of warehouse club stores, pallets were usually found behind the scenes. Now considered a crucial part of a systems approach to the supply chain, pallets are front and center in companies' sustainability strategies.
The Next Generation of Warehouse Labor
How technology innovation is changing the nature of many warehouse jobs.
COVID-19 Supply Chain Resources & Recovery Strategies
Supply chain leaders share the latest innovations, solutions, e-commerce strategies, and IT operations
2020 TMS Buyer's Guide
Inbound Logistics offers this annual guide of some top TMS providers and solutions that can put you on the right road toward improved transportation management and performance, regardless of the business conditions. Take a look at our 2020 TMS Buyer's Guide.
Case Studies
Online Exclusive
Distributors, Shippers Eye Surcharging to Stay Afloat Amid COVID-19 Outbreak
Accepting credit cards can be a major differentiator for businesses, enabling customers to pay however is most convenient for them. To balance this need with the necessity of maintaining margins, consider credit card surcharging.
I.T. Toolkit
Extreme Networks Rewires Its Supply Chain
Extreme Networks’ acquisition spree provided the perfect reason to overhaul its supply chain practices and processes.
Reader Profile
The True Value of Supply Chain Transformation
Profile of Lyndsi Lee, vice president of supply chain with hardware and home improvement wholesaler True Value, who drives end-to-end supply chain optimization, develop integrated planning and logistics strategies, and build best-in-class sourcing programs.
Commentary
How-To
Ten Tips
10 Tips for Leading Your Team
These 10 tips for clear and effective supply chain leadership can help set your company's culture and motivate employees to work together toward a common goal.
Sponsored
Knowledge Base
Creating Differentiation Through Innovative E-Commerce Fulfillment
When shippers work with a 3PL that is consistently investing in technology and new distribution centers, they can increase service consistency and offer their customers unexpectedly fast fulfillment.
Knowledge Base
We Must Learn to Mitigate Supply Chain Disruption from Disasters
While the speed with which the supply chain was disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic put supply chain weaknesses on display, it has also shined a light on where we need to strengthen our capabilities to mitigate future disruptions. Here are some areas the supply chain must address moving forward:
Knowledge Base
Act Fast, Act Smart
To maximize your decision to act, adapt a solution to the company’s processes or adapt the company’s processes to the solution.
Solved!
Providing Solutions Through Unprecedented Times
With the increased demand for essential supplies across the country, Hub Group’s collaboration with multiple retailers has helped suppliers deliver critical loads quickly and safely.
Solved!
Bolstering Customer Experience in the Supply Chain
3PL MD Logistics becomes an integral part of retailers’ supply chains, focusing on both its customer’s experience and their customers’ experience.
Solved!
Efficiencies and Revenues Skyrocket for Distributor with Digital Order and Logistics Management
MPO’s cloud platform for order and logistics management allowed an agricultural spare parts distributor to streamline fulfillment, obtain full order visibility, and reduce shipping costs for customers.
Solved!
Fortune 500 Retailer Finds Cost Savings, Improves Performance with Data Solution
With RateLinx’s TracLinx module, an electronics retailer gained accurate tracking data and corrected sequential issues in real-time, allowing the company to make better logistics decisions and drive other initiatives.
Thought Leaders
Bringing End-2-End Efficiency to Your Logistics Operations
Companies are looking for ways to manage more efficiently with less—while reallocating resources to more productive activities and maximizing freight spend value. Logistics operations are a great place to start as even the smallest percentage savings could mean triple digit impact to bottom lines.
Past Issues
Digital Editions
©2020 Thomas Publishing Company
Online ExclusiveMike Short, President of Global Freight Forwarding, C.H. Robinson
COVID-19 Pandemic: Do Your Shipments Have the Right Protection?
With the right risk-management plan, shippers can better understand the risks facing their supply chain operations and make sure their business is prepared by protecting the value of goods shipped globally.
Online ExclusiveJason Mancuso, Director, Professional Services SCM Practice
Labeling Is Key in Keeping Up with Today’s Supply Chain
COVID-19 has created unprecedented challenges for supply chain and logistics management, and the pressure is on to deliver essential supplies, such as toilet paper and food, to consumers on time. Successfully delivering a product on time involves many factors, and labeling shipments correctly is one of them.
Online ExclusiveMichele Sperle, Director, Riskonnect
How Can Trucking Companies Navigate COVID-19-Driven Regulation Complexity?
Shifting COVID-19 guidelines and consumer demands are a constantly moving target for truck drivers and transport companies. What steps can they take to stay healthy, flexible, and compliant all at the same time?
Online ExclusiveRay Hatch, CEO, Quest Resource Management Group
Carbon Neutrality Is Shaping the Fleets of the Future
Companies making carbon neutrality a priority need carbon-friendly fleets to move their products. These key steps can help make your entire fleet more carbon friendly so you can better reach these companies.
Online ExclusiveJia Yung, Marketing Manager, Portcast
Quantifying the Impact of COVID-19 on the Supply Chain
With dynamic updates on missed transits, rollovers, arrival notification, and port congestion during COVID-19, shippers can make decisions proactively and avoid inefficient costs due to detention and demurrage, expedited freight, and buffer stock.
Online ExclusiveStephany Lapierre, Founder/CEO of Tealbook
How Machine Learning Solves the COVID-19 Supplier Discovery Dilemma
Companies in all industries are struggling to ensure they have the PPE on hand to continue operating, and that is no easy feat. Some products and materials are scarce, and visibility into the supply chain is limited. What matters most is speed, agility, and risk mitigation—machine learning can deliver on all three of these important factors.
Online ExclusiveAdam Compain, CEO, ClearMetal
What Is a Continuous Delivery Experience and How Has COVID-19 Increased Its Importance in the Supply Chain?
As the country and global economy begin to recover, the question on everyone's minds is: “What will re-entry into the business world look like?” As companies transition into the “new normal,” implementing a CDX solution is of the utmost importance.
Online ExclusiveCarrie Song, Vice President Sales, Renewable Fuel at Neste
Life After COVID-19: New Realities, New Thinking, New Approaches
COVID-19 and its effect on daily life have key fleet operators speculating whether this might be time to reset our approach to transportation fuels. The impact of reduced petroleum fuel use can be quantified by our cleaner air and reduced daily traffic congestion, making this a favorable time to consider cleaner fueling alternatives.
Online ExclusiveJeff Pepperworth, President and CEO, iGPS Logistics
Supply Chain Cleanliness Matters—During and Beyond COVID-19
Fulfillment centers have adapted throughout COVID-19, supplying workers with masks, suspending in-person meetings, and enhancing their cleaning protocols. Suppliers will need to remember the lessons learned, even beyond the pandemic.
Online ExclusiveJuan D. Morales, Global Practice Leader of Supply Chain, Logistics, and Transportation at Stanton Chase
Creative, Agile Leaders Look to Technology for Answers in a Post-Pandemic World
Supply chain leaders pivot their companies in response to anticipated lower volumes of cargo during the COVID-19 outbreak and use innovative solutions to accommodate new delivery options.
Online ExclusiveShash Anand, Vice President of Product Strategy, SOTI
Adapting Supply Chain Strategies Amid COVID-19
It's more important than ever for transportation and logistics companies to have an effective mobility strategy in place. Shippers can adjust their existing protocols with COVID-19-related policies by implementing these technologies and practices.
Online ExclusiveTodd J. Ohlms, Esq., Partner, Litigation Practice Group, Freeborn & Peters LLP
6 Keys to Pandemic Preparedness
Looking at what you could have done differently to be better prepared for the supply chain disruption caused by COVID-19? Companies that have fared the best to date did the following 6 things well in advance of the pandemic.
Online ExclusiveGreg Karr, Service Delivery Manager, Capgemini Invent
Trucking Companies Need to Flex in the Face of Disruption
This is an unprecedented time of disruption and volatility. The pandemic is showing the need to be more diversified. Trucking companies built around a specific customer base shut down when that industry shut down. Oversaturation in one market or customer base means disruptions hit harder. Companies supporting the food and beverage supply chain saw traffic jump exponentially, as grocery stores remained open and in high demand.
Checking InKeith Biondo
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.
Good QuestionKatrina Arabe
What's the most unexpectedly good advice you've received about the supply chain?
Good Question: We asked and you answered—this is the most unexpected supply chain advice our readers have ever received.
IT Matters: Logistics & Supply Chain TechnologyBruce Orcutt
It's Time to Digitize Your Back Office
To accelerate growth and profitability, shippers need to eliminate manual back-office functions and integrate processing across the entire supply chain with carriers and other trading partners. However, knowing which processes to start with, and deciding what technology to use to automate, is often a challenge.
Risks and Rewards: Risk Management StrategiesJulio Casal
What's Lurking in Your Supply Chain?
An often overlooked source of security vulnerability is your supply chain. If you can’t honestly say you are fully apprised of the security postures of your vendors, partners and contractors, you are at major risk of a cyberattack.
The Lean Supply ChainPaul A. Myerson
The Road Map Out of This Mess
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the shortcomings of a supply chain that is perhaps too lean. However, to be “lean” doesn’t mean keeping extremely low inventory levels with no coordination or backup plan.