Supply Chain Insights
A collection of the latest logistics and supply chain management industry whitepapers, eBooks, case studies and more.
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Supply Chain Visibility: Illuminating the Path to Responsive and Agile Operations
Supply chain visibility is not an end, but a tool. It is the means to achieving true supply chain effectiveness, agility and ultimately, corporate profitability. The purpose of this paper is to take a step back and look at what visibility really means in supply chain operations, what it can do for you and the conditions needed to achieve it. Using real-world case studies, you will also see how true visibility leverages integrated, active and agile technology to enable continuous, real-time decision-making.
Inbound Terms Conversion Best Practices
Many companies remain unaware of just how much their inbound freight costs them because these charges are “buried” in the prices they pay for the goods. “Collect” payment terms allow companies to pay for their own inbound transportation costs rather than their vendors. This not only gives a company greater control over their network—often resulting in greater visibility, tracking, and monitoring—but is frequently more cost-effective as well. For details, download this free whitepaper.
Not Your Mama’s 3PL
How do you define a 3PL? There are many definitions as to what a 3PL really is, especially as the capabilities of a 3PL have shifted dramatically throughout the years. But the legal definition of a 3PL was hammered down in 2008, defined as a person who solely receives, holds, or otherwise transports a consumer product.
Move Inventory Faster: It Starts With The Label
Move Inventory Faster. It Starts with the Label. Think about it…the label connects the supplier to you – well, to your ERP and, equally important, to the inventory itself. What if you could control the labeling outside your 4 walls so that shipments from suppliers and other trading partners were labeled with the information you required? Your data, your barcodes, your instructions, your process? Download Loftware’s report to discover how enterprise labeling can improve your supplier transactions.
Transportation – No Longer Just a Cost of Doing Business
Transportation leaders are constantly looking for ways to reduce costs while improving service levels as they conduct strategic assessments. Using the Spend Diagram to document freight flows and costs on a single page is the best way for a transportation team to collect data and focus their efforts. Read our white paper to learn how a Spend Diagram can identify savings opportunities throughout your transportation operations.
Examination of an Inbound Web Portal
Regardless of the size of a business, everyone is looking to save money and streamline processes. However, often companies overlook the cost of their supply chain, particularly their inbound transportation. Inbound web portals have the ability to bring several companies together in one place to share accurate and necessary information and provide an opportunity for business-to-business growth. Overall, each component of the supply chain—whether it is customers, 3PL providers, carriers or vendors—can reap the rewards of reduced costs, advanced visibility, improved reliability and increased savings.
3PLs Empower Companies of All Sizes
The market for third-party logistics providers continues to grow, driven by the myriad of services they offer that can help companies of all sizes manage increasingly complex and global supply chains. Several 3PL organizations are based in or have significant operations within the state of Florida.
The Ultimate Guide to Being a Great 3PL Customer
Many shippers commoditize the services of third party logistics providers (3PLs), believing that the best result will come from micro-management and constant price pressure. In fact, the opposite is true. The more you, as the outsourcing company, invest in the relationship – as a partner, not an overseer – the more value is delivered. Here are 12 suggestions on 3PL relationship management that, while they create some work for you, pave the way for breakthrough supply chain performance.
Barcode Labeling is Changing. Are you Ready? Top 5 Trends.
Customer labeling demands increase, are you keeping pace? Label regulations evolve, do you have a strategy? Deployment models are changing, is your labeling ready? This report outlines shifts in barcode labeling that impact global supply chains.
The Internet of Things and the Modern Supply Chain
You have probably heard the term Internet of Things (IoT) quite a bit in the past year. It is frequently mentioned in the same breath as supply chain, with the common observation that it will significantly impact supply chain operations. This whitepaper clarifies what is meant by the IoT, and identifies some ways in which it is expected to, or already is, transforming supply chain operations. It also offers some suggestions on how to best leverage IoT opportunities in your business.
Dwell: How Intermodal Terminal Congestion Impacts Capacity and Service
The railroad industry is experiencing a congestion issue called "dwell" that, when combined with recent and forecast increases in rail volume, impacts capacity, service, and growth. Dwell is the period of time starting when a container is unloaded from the train and ending when the container has departed from the rail facility. This whitepaper examines the problem with dwell, and offers solutions.
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.
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.
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.
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.