Supply Chain Insights
A collection of the latest logistics and supply chain management industry whitepapers, eBooks, case studies and more.
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Reduce Freight Transportation Costs with Intermodal Service
Over-the-road trucking has had its challenges in recent years, thanks to driver shortages, HOS regulations, rising fuel costs, and capacity shortages. During that time, railroads have been improving tracks and facilities, as well as service offerings, to meet shippers’ needs. This paper addresses the misperceptions of intermodal service and provides tips to get the most out of intermodal service.
Turn Your Warehouse on its Head: Improve Productivity, Quality and Safety from the Ground Up
This whitepaper from the experts at Penske Logistics focuses on a bottom-up approach to successfully launching an effective labor management software program. It offers actionable steps for creating the right culture, phasing in the implementation, and ensuring benchmarks are met. Additionally, it cites an industry success story and lists six steps to assessing the efficiency of your warehouse.
Find the Money: How a Transportation Spend Diagram Can Help
Leaders in transportation look for ways to reduce costs while improving service levels as they conduct strategic assessments or solution designs. In this white paper, learn how developing a simple, one-page transportation spend diagram at the beginning of your strategic assessment will identify savings opportunities throughout your transportation operations.
Visibility, Speed and Agility: How M2M is Redefining the Supply Chain and Transportation
Transportation and supply chain management are critical pillars of global commerce and are facing unprecedented challenges and change. The new and original information in this study sheds light on how executives at transportation and supply chain management companies use or plan to use technology to address these issues and more. Key findings in the survey data reveal that “operational visibility” – knowing where a shipment is and monitoring the environmental conditions in near real-time of cargo in-transit – is becoming a critical tool for the supply chain and the transportation industries.
Common Myths About Dock Scheduling
The purpose of this whitepaper is to address some of the myths related to dock scheduling. Company visionaries, be they CEOs, warehouse supervisors, IT project managers, or continuous improvement team leaders, often face the challenge, among others, of breaking down myths. The articles included in this whitepaper have been assembled to help these leaders break down the myths related to dock scheduling.
Be Nimble – Drive a Nimble Supply Chain
As companies look for ways to stay competitive, evaluating the type of fleet they operate should be considered. There are several factors to consider when choosing between owning a fleet or using a dedicate contract carrier. With many new trends in the trucking industry, here’s how Ryder Dedicated can help your business.
The Resiliency Challenge: Constructing the Agile Supply Chain for Heavy Industry
The engineering and manufacturing (E&M) industry’s supply chains are lagging up to 10 years behind other industries, having been slower to respond to changes in global industry. Those that delay in responding are risking critical damage to their market share from new and more innovative competitors and, ultimately, jeopardizing their bottom lines. This new whitepaper identifies the challenges and opportunities facing the E&M sector globally, and argues that E&M businesses must dramatically reevaluate their approach to supply chain management and effectively respond to their industry’s driving trends in order to remain competitive in today’s volatile business environment.
Is Now the Time for Cloud WMS?
Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) have been late to the cloud game, and suitable only for simple DC operations. The times have changed. Cloud-based supply chain solutions are rapidly gaining share, and will likely prove the dominant approach in just a few years. Learn how the barriers to warehouse management in the cloud are dropping, and why companies are taking advantage of its power right now.
Managing Inbound Freight Fuels Greater Efficiencies
Need to reduce transportation costs? Inbound Transportation is an area rich with opportunity. In this whitepaper from enVista, you will learn how Transportation Management Systems have evolved to better address expanding inbound requirements and ways to reduce your transportation spend.
Pool Distribution: Shippers of Temperature-Controlled Freight Collaborate to Save
Shippers of temperature-controlled freight, particularly those that ship smaller orders, continue to rely on national less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers for deliveries across the United States. Instead, they should consider a pool distribution strategy that consolidates freight with like shippers, and delivers it in truckload volumes directly to key markets — no stops — for fi nal-mile service. This paper covers the benefi ts and keys to success in implementing such a strategy.
The Management Guide to Making a Routing Software Decision
Routing software technologies really do work. They lower costs and improve the service levels you offer your customers, while bringing practical and efficient planning solutions to your fleet operations. The keys to making a successful software decision include approaching it as a powerful business improvement benefit — not just a way to replace or reduce staff.
3PL Perspectives: Drafting a Blueprint for Growth
Inbound Logistics’ ninth-annual 3PL Perspectives market research report documents how third-party logistics providers are differentiating their value proposition beyond transactional services–creating an outsourcing blueprint for shippers to grow, in spite of economic uncertainties.
Five Ways Self-Driving Forklifts Provide a Competitive Edge
Explore how self-driving forklifts are creating more profitable operations and providing facilities a competitive edge. Labor force insecurity combined with a shifting and intensifying market demand has made the cost of delaying improvements too high. Facilities that advance their operations with driverless equipment reduce overhead costs while speeding up fulfillment, improving workflows, and extending the staff they already have. Learn how companies using this equipment are getting ahead.
How to Build a Sustainable Supply Chain
In the United States transportation emits 1.9 billion tons of carbon every year on average, and about 23% of these emissions come from medium- and heavy-duty freight trucks. With continued expansion of global markets, many scientists believe freight trucking emissions could skyrocket in the coming years. Learn how companies are actively working to reduce emissions and build a more sustainable future.
Illuminate Your External Supply Chain: A Digital Transformation Guide for Improved External Collaboration
Consumer packaged goods companies face mounting pressures on all sides, such as retailer demands, supply shortages, and consumer preference shifts. It’s no small feat to juggle these tremendous market forces while managing an external network of manufacturers and packagers. This guide outlines the benefits and rewards of a successful digital transformation strategy and the obstacles encountered along the way.
Robotic Lift Trucks Can Cut Operating Expenses Up To 70%
Think the productivity increases associated with robotic lift trucks come at a steep price? Think again. Robotic lift trucks can actually help warehouses to reduce operating expenses by up to 70% and achieve meaningful savings over time. This whitepaper examines how robotic lift trucks can offer a scalable solution and a quick return on investment.
Stamping Out Rubber Stamping
Rate increases? Are you being overcharged? Is your contract letting you down? …Or is it your lack of an efficient process? These are just some of the questions most shippers or freight forwarders cannot answer precisely; instead, they are swag assumptions. Find out how you can take control of your contract and invoices to answer these questions definitively.
Targeting Trucking: How Prepared Is Your Company Against a Cyberattack?
It shouldn’t take the shutdown of America’s largest gasoline pipeline, a resulting shock in infrastructure, and a $5 million payout to hackers to warn businesses that cyberattacks are credible threats that can have devastating consequences. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security estimates that as of early May 2021, there was a nearly threefold increase in ransomware attacks in the past year—with the majority targeting small businesses.
Why Your Supply Chain Is Brittle (and How Agile Networks Can Future-Proof Your Bottom Line)
The success of your brand will depend on how quickly you can pivot to both meet the needs of the new buyer and respond to global disruptions. Many CPG supply chain networks, however, are built upon rigid infrastructures whose inflexibility renders them vulnerable to external forces. The brittleness of these supply chains exposes them to avoidable risk and business costs.
Learn How the Right Load Planning Software Can Help Your Company Thrive
Supply chains are under increasing pressure and the need for good Load Planning software is increasingly important. Choosing the right software can help a company to continue to grow and thrive. Learn how MagicLogic software solutions load cartons, pallets, shipping containers, ULDs, and railcars optimally and safely. Reduce your company’s labor and shipping costs, and carbon footprint with Cube-IQ® and BlackBox® Cartonization and Palletization software.
Network Optimization: Make Your Data Visible and Actionable
Using real-life customer examples, this e-book will help you learn how to tell when your organization is ready for network optimization, five key steps to implementation, how to build a supply chain "digital twin," the impact powerful business intelligence tools can have, and potential outcomes of network optimization programs.
Rethinking Pharma Supply Chain Resilience
The pandemic caused a whole host of issues for the pharmaceutical logistics and supply chain industry. For many logistics leaders, it is a crash course in crisis management and a stark warning of the need to build resilience. Learn how more than 100 directors of management from pharma companies worldwide increase visibility across their global supply chain and logistics partners through technology.
Five Point Warehouse Tune-Up
As the global economy grows more connected, opportunities for 3PL warehouses continue to expand. These opportunities also bring new challenges, but it is possible to mitigate risk and maximize profits when your warehouse practices a continuous process to improve its profitability.
10 Tips to Enhance the Value of Your Transportation Management System
Sustainability strategies and technologies have evolved to the point where well-executed initiatives are having a positive impact on both the environment and on the bottom line. Here are a few strategies to consider, depending on your industry and needs.
Delivering Pharma Products by Eliminating Temperature Excursions
Without real-time visibility into your pharma shipment’s location and temps, you risk costly failures. Learn how Tive’s notification system prevented one company from losing $500,000 worth of goods
Solving for Uncertainty: A Guide to Variable Transportation Budgets
Procuring truckload capacity is unique compared to other commodities, and the recent spikes in truckload shipping costs have brought extra attention to budgets and operations. Given all the uncertainties that still exist in the marketplace, how can you successfully plan and execute on a transportation budget? Download the eBook to find strategies for balancing predictability and flexibility in your transportation spending.
JoAnn Stores Case Study
JoAnn Stores had miles of fabric and millions of buttons, and with that came nearly as many shipping challenges. With 5,000 ocean container shipments annually from Asia and the Middle East, the craft retailer was in urgent need of a smart, automated prepayment audit solution. Read how Acuitive’s portal helped provide a transparent and accurate ocean freight audit function with seamless utility and appearance.
Sustainability & Building a Green Supply Chain
In the United States alone, transportation emits 1.9 billion tons of carbon every year on average, and about 23% of these emissions come from medium- and heavy-duty freight trucks. With continued expansion of global markets, many scientists believe freight-trucking emissions could skyrocket in the coming years. Learn how companies like C.L. Services actively work to reduce emissions and build a more sustainable future. Download this e-book to take control of your supply chain.
Using the Power of Data Analytics to Accelerate Digitalization Across the Supply Chain
This episode of the DHL Supply Chain All Business. No Boundaries.™ podcast features a conversation with Brian Gaunt, Senior Director of Accelerated Digitalization, DHL Supply Chain North America, and Steven Grover, Director of Data and Analytics, DHL Supply Chain. In this episode, recorded at the 2021 CSCMP Edge conference, Brian and Steven discuss the front-runners of accelerating digitalization, from collaborative robots to software-based automation.
Executive Summary: The Bar for Sustainability Is Continually Being Raised for Businesses
Are you equipped to meet your stakeholders’ demands? Find out how supply chain offers one of the most impactful methods for reducing your emissions and how Hub Group can offer the expertise, plans, and visibility to keep you ahead of the curve.
The Path to Obtaining Invoice Discipline
Fast-paced rate life cycles brought by the pandemic make invoice discipline increasingly important. Learn how retailer PVH uncovered the risks realized when a carrier contract isn’t managed, and how to prevent liquidated damages with digital rates and contracts. Listen now.
Packaging More Efficiently Using Advanced Load Planning Software
Previously, many companies only shipped B2B. But with e-commerce booming, supply chains face increased pressure and rising costs, especially for packaging. Often, packages are awkwardly shaped or must follow complex loading rules. Learn how MagicLogic Optimization develops efficient loading solutions for all types of packaging. The solutions are suitable for B2B and direct-to-consumer sales, increasing supply chain resilience and reducing costs.
Achieving ROI with Digital Supply Chain Technologies
Enabling resiliency with technology is more critical than ever. Listen in to hear panelists from Generix Group, Barcoding, and Browns Shoes unpack the three fundamentals for a strong ROI, how to upgrade your warehouse, and overcoming pandemic challenges.
Control Tower Approach Drives Visibility, Aids Planning and Supply Chain Reliability
Odyssey Managed Logistics Services optimize every aspect of logistics and supply chain operations. The Door-to-Done process takes care of everything from Point A to Point Z, providing clients control, 24/7 shipment visibility, informed decision-making, ongoing process improvements, sustained cost savings, and superior value. Learn how, for LANXESS, Door-to-Done means a custom-designed logistics control tower that integrates multiple data points and provides real-time intelligence, improving efficiency and saving money.
A Digital Transformation Guide for Improved External Supply Chain Collaboration
Consumer packaged goods companies face mounting pressures on all sides, such as retailer demands, supply shortages, and consumer preference shifts. It’s no small feat to juggle these market forces while managing an external network of manufacturers and packagers. This guide outlines the benefits and rewards of a successful digital transformation strategy and the obstacles encountered along the way.
Top 5 Supply Chain Planning Myths: Discover the New Governance Model to Defeat Disruption
Accelerate your own approach to supply chain planning and explore the benefits of concurrency with research from IDC, Supply Chain Insights, Texas Christian University professor Morgan Swink, and more in this new e-book. Plus, you’ll learn new techniques to increase your supply chain planning performance in 12 weeks or less. Start reading to learn more about how Kinaxis helps supply chain innovators drive a new era of planning.
Rethink, Retool, Reinvent: Deepening Collaboration to Increase Responsiveness and Improve Service
Did you know less than 10% of companies invest in agility? The number one strategy for improving resilience and agility is to deepen collaborative relationships with key customers and suppliers, according to Gartner, and yet less than 10% of companies pursue agility investments in areas like collaboration. Find out how your company can stay nimble in this e-book.
Optimize Your Supply Chain Strategy
Establishing an efficient supply chain and shipping strategy can sometimes seem like a never-ending battle. If you aren’t periodically evaluating your shipping and supply chain procedures, you could be losing potential business and overpaying for services. Download our e-book to learn what you could be doing to make the most of your supply chain and transportation budget.
5 Biggest Challenges for Today’s Warehouse Manager
From surging e-commerce demands to labor shortages, compliance concerns, and budget burdens, the pressures for today’s warehouses are plentiful. But as e-commerce soars, so can your warehouse. Read this whitepaper to find out where to focus your time, attention, and resources so you can act faster and operate better—today and in every season to come.
2021 Magic Quadrant for Multienterprise Supply Chain Business Networks
Multienterprise supply chain business networks (MESCBNs) connect retailers and manufacturers with their industry business partners to drive digital transformation and supply chain resilience. The 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Multienterprise Supply Chain Business Networks report provides a wide-angle view of the supply chain software market, helping business leaders better understand the strengths, challenges, and overall capabilities of key software vendors in the space. Get your complimentary copy today.
From Classroom to Career: Eliminating Boundaries for Future Supply Chain Leaders
This episode of the DHL Supply Chain "All Business. No Boundaries" podcast features a conversation with academic leaders in the supply chain industry, including Brian Gibson, Wilson Family professor of supply chain management and executive director for supply chain innovation at Auburn University, and James Hill, chair of the management sciences department at The Ohio State University. They discuss supply chain education with Dave Ames, vice president of talent acquisition, talent management, learning & development, and hourly recruiting at DHL Supply Chain.
Hub Group Keeps You Ahead of the Pack During Peak Season
As you continue to focus on navigating your supply chain through today’s challenges, it’s also time to start thinking about peak season. Capacity shortages and increased demand are projected to continue through the second half of this year—is your business prepared? Find out how Hub Group is already hard at work making sure its customers are ready to meet this season’s peak head on.
The Journey to Effective Supplier Collaboration
Effective supplier collaboration offers substantial opportunities to improve operational excellence and business growth, but it is imperative for supply chain leaders to lay out a framework for leveraging the partnerships within their networks. This research report, produced by Gartner and presented by Nulogy, outlines key activities that procurement professionals should follow to execute an effective supplier collaboration strategy. Download this report to form your own strategic framework for more effective supplier collaboration.
As E-Commerce Demand Shifts, Omnichannel Brands Take the Lead
The acceleration of online buying behaviors has altered the face of e-commerce logistics. Brands already optimizing their supply chains before the pandemic were more aligned with their omnichannel consumers and have leapt ahead. With the right approach, you can achieve greater flexibility, personalized support, and enhanced visibility to surpass competitors and create a long-standing competitive advantage. Learn how.
The Industrial Port Outlook
Rapidly growing online sales activity that shows no signs of slowing is having a profound effect on imports and port congestion. Retailers and logistics companies are seeking higher transportation efficiency and lower drayage costs as they fight to keep pace. See how CenterPoint Properties has been preparing for this moment for years by strategically assembling a robust portfolio of port-proximate industrial properties coast to coast.
5 Hazmat Shipping Paper Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)
When you ship hazardous materials, accurate and complete shipping papers are critical to prevent logistics delays. Mistakes as minor as a missing word or an incorrect phone number can result in rejected shipments, time-consuming corrections, and delayed deliveries. This guide lays out five of the most frequently penalized mistakes shippers make, and how to avoid them.
Gartner Magic Quadrant for Supply Chain Planning Solutions
It’s time for change. Volatility and uncertainty demand quick action, your teams and your budget are overstretched, and another disruption could threaten the entire business. Turn to a trusted advisor for the solution. The Gartner 2021 Magic Quadrant for Supply Chain Planning Solutions has recognized Kinaxis as a leader and positioned the company furthest on completeness of vision within that quadrant. Read the full report.
A Digital Company with Trucks: Why This Logistics Company Sees Itself as a Technology Company First
When Polaris Transportation Group, a Canadian-based logistics company, made a strategic shift to not just embrace technology but become industry leaders in it, the move was driven by the company’s unique position in the marketplace. Click to read the full whitepaper.
Fixing Failed Deliveries
With high e-commerce growth comes certain challenges, such as late or failed deliveries, which are often caused by inaccurate address information. Download this whitepaper to uncover the true impact failed deliveries are having on your business. Plus, discover top tips to optimize the customer experience and stamp out failed deliveries for good.
Selecting the Right 3PL Partner
You want a capable, experienced, and safe third-party logistics provider (3PL) managing your supply chain. No two 3PLs are the same, and many factors play into your decision. Think beyond the bottom line. Consider how your company and a 3PL partner might align in culture and shared objectives. Explore four questions you should ask when evaluating 3PL partners to manage your supply chain.