Distributed Inventory: Definition, Management Strategies, and Benefits

Distributed Inventory: Definition, Management Strategies, and Benefits

Distributed inventory is a strategy for storing goods across multiple locations rather than in a single central warehouse. This approach is important in commercial shipping and logistics because it helps companies align inventory with market demand and significantly cuts delivery times.  By distributing inventory, businesses can achieve greater flexibility and responsiveness, enhancing overall supply chain […]

Finished Goods Inventory: What It Is, Formula, and Examples

Finished Goods Inventory: What It Is, Formula, and Examples

Finished goods inventory is a critical part of managing any manufacturing business. It refers to the final products ready for sale after the manufacturing process is complete. Efficiently managing this inventory helps companies meet customer demand, optimize stock levels, and avoid lost sales opportunities. Businesses that actively manage their finished goods inventory can reduce excess […]

Horizontal vs. Vertical Integration: Their Key Differences

Horizontal vs. Vertical Integration: Their Key Differences

Understanding the differences between horizontal and vertical integration is key to selecting the right strategy for your business. Each approach offers unique benefits and challenges, and the choice depends on your specific business goals, industry context, and resources.

NOTED: Supply Chain Highlights

NOTED: Supply Chain Highlights

Intralogistics group Mecalux has equipped pet supplies provider Moderna Products’ plant in Belgium with an automated warehouse connected to production.

Inventory Management Techniques And Their Benefits

Inventory Management Techniques And Their Benefits

Each effective inventory management technique is crucial for helping a business maintain smooth operations and meet changing customer demands. By implementing inventory management strategies, companies can optimize their inventory management process, avoiding stockouts or overstocking.

New ERP Smooths the Way for Skin Care Company

New ERP Smooths the Way for Skin Care Company

After an exhaustive review of its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, E.T. Browne Drug Company, the maker of Palmer’s Cocoa Butter, understood it needed to upgrade. By recommitting to SYSPRO, its long-time ERP provider, E.T. Browne was able to leverage a scalable solution that has enabled the venerable skin care company to reduce inventory and grow profits.

AI Power Drives Supply Chain Gymnastics

AI Power Drives Supply Chain Gymnastics

If you’re reading Inbound Logistics, you already drank the supply chain Kool-Aid. But many others in our audience are tasting the inbound logistics brew for the first time. “Inbound logistics makes sense,” they say as they sip. “But it’s a lot more complicated than just letting my vendors and logistics partners control my inbound flow.  I just don’t think I can handle that.” It tastes great, […]

9 Types of Containerized Cargo Compared and Explained

9 Types of Containerized Cargo Compared and Explained

In commercial shipping and logistics, containerized cargo plays a pivotal role in facilitating the efficient transportation of goods across international borders. This method of shipping has revolutionized the industry by providing a standardized way to handle various types of cargo, making it easier to load, transport, and unload goods quickly and safely.  As global trade […]

Pipeline Inventory: How To Manage It and Why It’s Important

Pipeline Inventory: How To Manage It and Why It’s Important

Pipeline inventory plays a crucial role in the smooth operation of businesses across various industries. Simply put, it refers to the goods that are in transit between the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer and are not yet available for sale. Properly managing this type of inventory is essential for maintaining efficient supply chains, reducing costs, and […]

IN BRIEF: New Services and Solutions

IN BRIEF: New Services and Solutions

One Air expanded its fleet with a third Boeing 747-400F entering service at the end of August 2024. The British cargo airline provides regular weekly full charter capacity linking Asia and Europe as well as ad hoc global charter services. It aims to double its freighter fleet by the end of 2025.

Ecommerce and Logistics Partner Up

Ecommerce and Logistics Partner Up

As the ecommerce industry expands, it has brought with it a fundamental shift in how logistics companies operate. We see increasing collaboration between ecommerce companies and logistics providers like FedEx, UPS, and even Uber.

Protecting Supply Chain Trade Secrets

Protecting Supply Chain Trade Secrets

Very few businesses operating today do not use some kind of AI in most aspects of their operations. Therefore, the question of how to use AI to protect intellectual property, especially in global supply chains, requires some definition.

Just-in-Case vs Just-in-Time: Understanding the Differences

Just-in-Case vs Just-in-Time: Understanding the Differences

Inventory management systems are pivotal in commercial shipping and logistics. They influence a company’s ability to meet customer demand and manage costs effectively. Businesses today often choose between just-in-case (JIC) and just-in-time (JIT) systems, two distinct strategies that cater to different operational needs.  JIC focuses on maintaining higher inventory levels as a safety net against […]

Manufacturing Overhead: Definition,  Cost Types, and Management

Manufacturing Overhead: Definition, Cost Types, and Management

Manufacturing overhead includes all the indirect costs associated with the manufacturing process, which are not directly tied to producing a specific product. By grasping the concept of MOH, businesses can achieve more accurate cost assessments and better financial management. This article will give a detailed overview of manufacturing overhead, its parts, and how it affects […]

Lean Warehousing: Definition, Elements, and Benefits

Lean Warehousing: Definition, Elements, and Benefits

Lean warehousing is transforming the logistics and warehousing sectors by streamlining operations and cutting down on waste. This methodology focuses on making warehouse processes more efficient, which in turn reduces costs and enhances overall performance.  By applying lean principles, businesses can significantly improve their supply chain efficiency, leading to faster delivery times and better customer […]

The Port Strike Is Over (For Now): What’s Next?

The Port Strike Is Over (For Now): What’s Next?

On Friday, U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast ports reopened following a landmark wage agreement between dockworkers and port operators, effectively ending the most significant work stoppage in nearly half a century. The strike, initiated by 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) on Tuesday, disrupted operations at 36 ports from Maine to Texas. […]

How to Integrate AI Into Your Supply Chain

How to Integrate AI Into Your Supply Chain

Artificial intelligence is making inroads across the spectrum of logistics operations, perhaps faster than many in the industry are aware. AI is being integrated behind the scenes in a wide range of applications designed to make them—and the people who use them—exponentially more efficient. You’ll find it in various logistics applications such as route optimization, […]

Companies Prepare for Fallout from East Coast Port Strike

Companies Prepare for Fallout from East Coast Port Strike

Disruptive strike actions have begun at major U.S. ports on the East and Gulf Coasts such as New York-New Jersey, Savannah, and Houston, exposing ports across the United States to work stoppages, shipping and cargo processing delays, and worsening backlogs. Three main scenarios could unfold.

Hats Off to Core Carriers!

Hats Off to Core Carriers!

Want to brim with confidence when selecting a core carrier? When weighing this critical decision, consider a range of complex factors before you tip your cap to any one trucking company.

WMS 2024: Solutions Unlock Warehouse Efficiencies

WMS 2024: Solutions Unlock Warehouse Efficiencies

Looking for inventory visibility? Seeking order accuracy? A warehouse management system (WMS) can help your company gain operational insights and tackle the ecommerce boom. Here are three leading providers that can get your warehouse running at peak levels.

NOTED: Supply Chain Highlights

NOTED: Supply Chain Highlights

MANA Nutrition broke ground on a new 320,000-square-foot warehouse in Pooler, Georgia, four miles from the Port of Savannah. The facility, scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2025, will enable the company to double its current production while adding new storage capacity.

IN BRIEF: New Services and Solutions

IN BRIEF: New Services and Solutions

Lufthansa Cargo started operating freighters from Munich for the first time on July 6, 2024. An A321 freighter connects Munich with Istanbul Airport twice a week, complementing the existing belly network from Munich. The new freighter connection is planned every Saturday and Sunday.

VERTICAL FOCUS: High-Value Shipments

VERTICAL FOCUS: High-Value Shipments

Shipping high-value items requires special care and attention to ensure their safe arrival. By following these tips, shippers can significantly reduce the risk of damage or loss when transporting high-value items.

Value Stream Mapping: Definition, Benefits, and Implementation

Value Stream Mapping: Definition, Benefits, and Implementation

Value stream mapping (VSM) is a powerful tool in logistics and supply chain management. It allows you to visualize material and information flows, helping you identify waste and find opportunities for improvement.  In supply chain management, value stream mapping is essential. You can understand how raw materials and information move through your processes. This includes […]

Inventory Cycle Counting: Definition, Benefits, and How-To

Inventory Cycle Counting: Definition, Benefits, and How-To

Cycle counting is a crucial method in inventory management that helps businesses maintain accurate records without halting their daily operations.  Unlike traditional physical inventory counts, which can be disruptive and infrequent, cycle counting involves regularly auditing small portions of inventory.  The main advantage of cycle counting over traditional physical counts is its ability to provide […]

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Warehouse Robotics

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Warehouse Robotics

LocusHub: Locus Robotics’ real-time, business intelligence engine optimizes real-time coordination of Locus’ AMR fleets. A component of the LocusOne platform, LocusHub uses advanced analytics, AI, and machine learning to provide insights that can maximize productivity, lower costs, and increase warehouse intelligence. LocusHub’s reporting capabilities process operational data to forecast labor requirements, identify optimization opportunities, and give recommendations to warehouse operators.

How ESG Policy Impacts Truckers

How ESG Policy Impacts Truckers

How do ESG mandates impact trucking? Let’s take a look at some examples. Leading global transportation and logistics player DSV, with headquarters in Denmark, just ordered 300 electric vehicles from Volvo Trucks. If those trucks get the job done, DSV plans to order 2,000 more, making those EVs 10% of the 20,000 total DSV fleet […]

2024 Trucking Perspectives

2024 Trucking Perspectives

In its annual market report, Inbound Logistics looks at the road ahead for the trucking sector, and explores the issues of greatest concern to carriers and shippers.

Direct vs. Indirect Distribution Channels: Understanding the Differences

Direct vs. Indirect Distribution Channels: Understanding the Differences

Distribution channels are essential in business, serving as the routes that products and services take to move from producers to consumers. The efficiency of a distribution channel directly impacts a company’s ability to meet customer demands, manage costs, and maintain competitiveness in the market.  Selecting the right distribution channel is important for making sure that […]

Lean Six Sigma in Supply Chain: Definition, Importance, and Implementation

Lean Six Sigma in Supply Chain: Definition, Importance, and Implementation

Lean Six Sigma blends rigorous quality controls with strategies to cut inefficiencies, making it a top choice for improving supply chain operations.  It roots out waste and enhances product consistency by merging the strengths of Lean methodologies and Six Sigma principles. This approach not only sharpens competitive edges but also ensures products and services meet […]

Alternative Routing: Go Another  Way

Alternative Routing: Go Another Way

In the face of constant supply chain disruptions and unexpected events, shippers must be ready to reroute at a moment’s notice. Finding the road—or waterway— less traveled can sometimes make all the difference for transportation success.

2024 Inbound Logistics Top 100 Truckers

2024 Inbound Logistics Top 100 Truckers

Inbound Logistics’ annual Top 100 Truckers list helps identify carrier partners that can best fuel your diverse and demanding needs, especially in today’s challenging and ever-changing business climate.

Beyond the Rack:  Retail Supply Chain Strategies That Work

Beyond the Rack: Retail Supply Chain Strategies That Work

In the challenging retail sector, supply chain efficiency can be the difference between succeeding and just barely hanging on. From weaving together disparate systems into a single information flow, to ensuring products appear effortlessly on shelves, to fulfilling online orders with lightning speed, here’s how thriving retailers rack and roll.

Contract Manufacturing Explained: Benefits, Tips, and Challenges

Contract Manufacturing Explained: Benefits, Tips, and Challenges

Contract manufacturing plays a key role in modern supply chains. It can enable businesses to focus on core competencies while leveraging specialized expertise and cost efficiencies. This strategic outsourcing approach enhances operational flexibility and positions companies to scale rapidly in response to market demands.

Be Prepared, Post-Pandemic

Be Prepared, Post-Pandemic

The events of 2020 pulled back the curtain on procurement and supply chains. Despite lessons learned, are organizations and procurement teams any better equipped to handle another ‘black swan’ event?

Best Practices for Effective Cold Storage Management

Best Practices for Effective Cold Storage Management

Effective cold storage management requires a combination of precise temperature control, robust inventory management, and strict safety measures. By following these best practices, businesses can ensure the quality and integrity of their temperature-sensitive products.

10 Tips for Ensuring Transportation Sustainability

10 Tips for Ensuring Transportation Sustainability

Eight of 10 supply chain executives are investigating sustainable transportation practices, according to EY. This is an excellent focus area because transportation represents 24% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Here’s how to ensure sustainability.

Warehouses Need Ecosystem Integration to Ensure Supply Chain Survival

Warehouses Need Ecosystem Integration to Ensure Supply Chain Survival

As the dust settles after the pandemic ecommerce boom, the warehouse industry is returning to a new normal. Consumer activity over the past few years catapulted warehouse construction into overdrive to accommodate increased consumer spending. Now, the warehouse industry is adjusting to a new pace of slower demand.

Port Profiles

Port Profiles

These leading U.S. gateways make gains in operational efficiency and offer robust infrastructure to support increased cargo demands.

How a Global Pandemic Led to Supply Chain Finance Adoption in Healthcare – And Why It is Here to Stay

Supply chain finance programs – long utilized in consumer sectors like retail to help suppliers get paid more quickly and allow buyers to extend payment terms – are now a working capital tool for more healthcare supply chains. The continued rapid evolution of supply chain finance solutions offers a new way forward for CFOs in many industries to take direct charge of improving supplier-buyer arrangements.

NOTED: Supply Chain Highlights

NOTED: Supply Chain Highlights

Walmart Canada unveiled a new hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric semi-truck—a first of its kind for a retail fleet on North American roads. Operating with zero tailpipe emissions, the tractor can avoid 97 metric tons of CO2 tailpipe emissions on average.

Last Mile Puts Talent, Technology First

Last Mile Puts Talent, Technology First

Serious changes are happening in the supply chain as the ecommerce market continues to grow. The uptick in more online sales means an increase in the back-end logistics that go into getting a package from an online sale to the customer’s doorstep.

Back(haul) to the Future

Back(haul) to the Future

Backhauling is a logistics strategy in which commercial truck drivers transport a load on their trip back to their origin point. It is the opposite of deadheading, which is when drivers make the return trip with an empty truck.

Leveraging Warehouse Robotics

Leveraging Warehouse Robotics

Maximizing storage density, improving picking dexterity, and gaining prowess through artificial intelligence, these robotic innovations and recent deployments are enabling new levels of warehouse efficiency.

IN BRIEF: New Services and Solutions

IN BRIEF: New Services and Solutions

Ocean Network Express’ ONE Modern, the first ship on the ocean carrier’s West India North America (WIN) service, called on the Port of Savannah in June 2024, establishing the latest connection between India and Georgia Ports. The new WIN service offers a weekly route from Bin Qasim, Hazira, Nhava Sheva, and Mundra to New York and Savannah. The service is provided by a fleet of nine vessels, all of which are operated by ONE.

A Sense of Fulfillment

A Sense of Fulfillment

Reflecting on ways to sharpen fulfillment operations and keep up with growth? Ease your mind by partnering with experienced providers.

2024 Summer Reading Guide

2024 Summer Reading Guide

Cool down with some hot insights into logistics and supply chain management this summer. Whether you’re lounging on the beach or killing time while traveling, our handpicked book list will keep you informed and entertained.

Sizing Up Project Logistics

Sizing Up Project Logistics

Navigating extraordinary challenges, from coordinating national concert tours to delivering aid in war-torn regions, is all in a day’s work for project logistics providers. How do they get the job done? Strategic planning, innovative problem-solving, and meticulous execution.

How to Find  and Recruit  Supply Chain Talent

How to Find and Recruit Supply Chain Talent

When searching high and low for supply chain talent, companies employ tactics such as using multiple channels to reach candidates, offering opportunities for training and advancement, and focusing on development and retention.

Team Up to Deter Supplier Fraud

Team Up to Deter Supplier Fraud

Despite their best technology and efforts, finance leaders continue to battle the ever-evolving tactics of fraudsters. A key reason is that finance’s fraud management strategies are seldom considered in the context of supplier information. Their peers in procurement, meanwhile, manage supplier information daily but the processes they use aren’t designed to prevent fraud.

Four Steps to Mitigate Risk

Four Steps to Mitigate Risk

Supply chain regulations are in constant flux. In March 2024, the SEC announced new rules regarding climate-related disclosures, and there have been calls to strengthen the enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. Meanwhile, the EU is also enhancing regulations regarding corporate sustainability, deforestation, ambient air quality, waste, and forced labor.