More Goes In So You Can Get More Out
Most magazines are designed to be read. The Logistics Planner issue is also designed to be used—again and again. The Planner—and its complementary digital and web profiles—help you find and source the solutions you need to be a true supply chain innovator. Many readers tell us they read the Planner profiles from A to Z […]
Hot Solutions in Cold Storage
To break the ice in its first cold storage 3PL facility, Frozen Assets implements a new WMS and wireless handheld data capture technology.
Innovation: A Fresh Eye on the Supply Chain
Innovation is in. Just ask Bill Ford, star of the Ford Motor Company commercials touting the company’s “new mission—innovation.” Innovation is also at the core of IBM, which invests billions of dollars in research and development every year and has been the leading patent-generating company in the United States for more than a decade. “Innovation […]
Innovation: From Vision to Execution
Innovation is in. Just ask Bill Ford, star of the Ford Motor Company commercials touting the company’s “new mission—innovation.” Innovation is also at the core of IBM, which invests billions of dollars in research and development every year and has been the leading patent-generating company in the United States for more than a decade. “Innovation […]
Innovation: Igniting New Ideas
Transforming a supply chain through innovation and ingenuity starts with understanding what you’re trying to accomplish. “Setting clear, aggressive goals in a collaborative way is the best thing organizations can do to foster innovation,” says Judith Anderson, partner and founder of consulting firm Anderson & Rust, Allendale, N.J. Critical success factors that enable companies to […]
Innovation: The 3PL Connection/The Creativity Factor
Third-party logistics providers (3PLs) are often powerful enablers of logistics and supply chain innovation. “Due to their exposure to ample transportation and fulfillment challenges, 3PLs have developed creative ways to get product to the shelf,” says Accenture’s Bill Read. “3PLs have multiple customers with problems and opportunities across industry verticals, and can provide insight into […]
Innovation: Insider Insights
In April 2005, at a Princeton, N.J., conference of trucking technology suppliers and users, Alain Kornhauser declared the just-in-time era dead. “Just-in-time logistics is inherently deterministic,” said Kornhauser, a Princeton University professor, and founder and chairman of mobile transportation solutions provider ALK Technologies. He then held up a mobile phone. “This is the new paradigm,” […]
Balancing on the Rim
Like gravity, the lure of Asia’s rock-bottom costs and abundant labor force has a powerful pull. But companies need to closely examine potential pitfalls of sourcing halfway around the globe. Taking that first step into the Pacific Rim means walking a tightrope between the benefits and risks.
Supply Chain Security: Tapping Into C-TPAT
Many companies embrace C-TPAT in the fight against supply chain security threats, but just as many shun it. What is C-TPAT? How does it work? What benefits—if any—does it bring shippers and carriers? Here’s a closer look.
Carrier Partnerships: A Matter of Trust
Building trusting relationships with your transportation partners makes the best sort of business sense.
Bulk Logistics: Hefty Freight, Hefty Issues
As transportation costs, congestion, and capacity threaten to derail global supply chains, bulk freight shippers are collaborating with their logistics partners to streamline plant operations and rethink how they align stateside distribution networks to better match supply to demand.
Matchmaking
MORE TO THE STORY: The Load Matcher’s Little Black Book Scoping Out Potential Shippers, like love-scorned romantics, are willing to try almost anything to find a bigger pool of suitors and more capacity. Carriers, by contrast, are continually looking for ways to get the most out of their freight dates while avoiding costly deadhead rendezvous. […]
Mexico on the Move: Building New Opportunities
New investments in Mexican transportation and logistics infrastructure create opportunities for U.S. manufacturers and logistics companies.
Bullseye! Finding the Right Site
The economic development stars are aligned. As U.S. companies reassess their distribution networks to combat rising transportation costs and meet customer demands, business development entities now realize the logistics and transportation industry offers an opportunity to add jobs and vitality to local economies, expand and develop transportation infrastructure, and create a new economic livelihood for the future of U.S. industry. The result is a renewed focus on site selection.
Global Logistics—January 2006
"China’s emergence as a global economic power is having a seismic impact on the global logistics market." This statement, from New Zealand-based international property adviser DTZ’s recent Global Logistics Markets report, is not surprising. What is surprising is just how far China’s impact reaches when it comes to the international industrial landscape. "The negative impact […]
Operations Network Design: A New Solution for an Old Problem
Tools for optimizing distribution networks have long been available, yet most of these applications still have an important limitation: they can’t fully model network requirements at the operations level. This limitation often leads to recommendations that cannot be implemented. What is needed is a new approach that enhances the current process by incorporating site-level detail […]
Global Trade Management: Redefining the Successful Execution of International Logistics
With nearly 30% of the world’s gross domestic product currently crossing borders, it is clear that global trade is an integral and growing part of business that is here to stay. As a result of this globalization, businesses have created a new concept to define the challenges and opportunities unique to the new highly globalized […]
Heather Fryar: Life on the Strategic Side
Airplane components, laundry detergent additives, offset printing equipment, and men’s formal wear have one thing in common: Heather Fryar. As logistics manager for St. Louis-based Sequa Corp., Fryar oversees inbound and outbound transportation strategy for the parent company’s seven business units. That means improving transportation processes and cutting costs among operations that manufacture a diverse […]
Managing the Supply Chain in Reverse
Those of us who enjoy changing gears manually when we drive don’t hesitate when we have to shift into reverse. But not all reverse actions are comfortable. Taking in, sorting, and repairing or redistributing returned goods is an onerous task for many manufacturers and retailers. Unlike goods moving out of the factory, goods coming back […]
Injecting Zoom Into Distribution
Kawasaki shifts to a ‘multi-enterprise’ SCM system to rev up product flow and keep dealers and customers humming.
Minimize Total Landed Cost: Strategize, Model, Act
Total landed cost is the sum of all costs associated with making and delivering products to the point where they produce revenue—usually your customer’s door. So, if you employ tactics to reduce costs in all discrete functions from manufacturing through delivery, you’ll have a lower total landed cost, right? Theoretically, yes. But in the real […]
Setting Data Standards
The purpose of any automatic identification and data collection (AIDC) system is to provide a quick and accurate way to enter data into an IT system. But the old maxim, garbage in, garbage out still applies. Without a consistent means to represent data within a bar code, RFID tag, XML, or other form of data […]
Can Bar Codes and RFID Co-Exist?
Last year, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology became a media favorite, spurred by Wal-Mart and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) policies requiring suppliers to ship goods that can be tracked using RFID. Such attention makes it seem as if bar-code technology—today’s standard for data collection—will become obsolete overnight. This is not the case, however. Although […]
Building a China Strategy
Every manufacturing company needs a strategically focused business plan for outsourcing supply chain activities globally. Too often, near-term pressures to reduce product costs or increase overall profitability precipitate outsourced or supplier recruitment activities in product design, manufacturing, and logistics. The decision to source value chain activity in China is certainly no exception. While the pressures […]
Environmentalists: ‘It’s My Way, Not the Highway’
When it comes to balancing environmental concerns with the need to improve and expand the U.S. transport infrastructure, there is a right way and there is a wrong way. Take California, for example. While Governor Schwarzenegger was traveling in China on a mission to forge more trading opportunities, I was touring the part of his […]
Supply Chain Technology: Integrating the Old & New
New supply chain technology can power up existing operations, streamline inventory, and increase revenue—if implemented correctly. Making sure new solutions integrate with existing technologies and processes is crucial. Here’s how it’s done.
Career Solutions: Playing the Job Board Game
Are job boards your winning move? Learn the rules and strategies you’ll need to score your dream job on the web.
Steve Inamorati: Moo-ving up the Supply Chain
Talk about the pressures of supply and demand! With consumers clamoring for natural and organic dairy products, Stonyfield Farm, Londonderry, N.H., has grown by 20 to 30 percent each year. But the company has had a hard time keeping up with growing demand for organic foods. “We’ve experienced an organic milk shortage,” explains Steve Inamorati, […]
Liability Lessons Learned in 2005
This year began with expectations that insurance rates would finally decline as markets recovered from the effects of Sept. 11. Over the past several years, insurers imposed strict underwriting disciplines to restore profitability to the market, which, in turn, attracted new capital. This brought about greater competition and with it, the prospect of softening premiums. […]
Identifying Products: It’s Not Just About RFID
Not all issues surrounding proper identification of products involve RFID. Companies must address some core challenges to reap the maximum benefits of product identification and visibility. In this age of RFID research, development, hype, good works, pilots, case studies, claims, ever-evolving standards, and the force of the big gorillas—super-retailer Wal-Mart and the Department of Defense—it’s […]
Demanding a Better Forecast
A demand forecasting methodology that blends input from multiple sources is the right formula for one chemical manufacturer.
Selecting a Logistics Supplier? Think Supple
We all know why companies outsource logistics functions—outsourcing should allow them to save money and focus on their primary goals. “Should,” however, is the operative word. To turn “should” into “does,” companies need to partner with a supple supplier. What is a supple supplier? One that has no set ideas on best practices when providing […]
Getting Started With RFID
While bar codes took more than 25 years to evolve, RFID is being adopted quickly in the marketplace. By 2007, RFID technology budgets will double, RFID tag purchases will reach 1.6 billion, and 83 percent of today’s pilots will convert to full-scale implementations, predicts Accenture’s global management consulting and technology team. In a 2005 interview […]
Getting Time Limits on Your Side
Shippers are familiar with the rule that they must file claims against carriers in writing within the time limits defined in carriers’ bills of lading or tariffs, or in government statutes or treaties. But rules have exceptions. The Carmack Amendment, for example, states that a motor carrier, freight forwarder, or railroad may not limit the […]
Does RFID Pass the Return on Assets Test?
Proponents rarely discuss RFID without claiming dramatic inventory savings. These savings, however, require businesses to invest in RFID and wait to reap returns. When evaluating investments—such as RFID—aimed at reducing inventory and working capital, consider the impact on Return on Assets (ROA), a proven indicator of an investment’s financial impact. ROA is calculated as revenue […]
Freight Damage Claims: Know, Act, Reap
The Latin phrase Ipsa Scientia Potestas Est may be the most quoted maxim of our information age—knowledge is power. In business we use the “knowledge is power” principle to shape our decisions so we can reap positive long-term rewards. One unsung area where properly applied knowledge yields power is comprehensive management of the freight damage […]
A Ready-Mix Transport Solution
Chemical manufacturer Degussa cements its partnership with a bulk transport provider so it can focus on its core business, meet safety requirements, reduce billing cycle time, and improve customer service.
Diversifying Your Supply Chain Portfolio
Diversification is a sound strategy for investors and logisticians alike. Just as those skilled in arbitrage hedge investments to mitigate risk and allow for modest portfolio growth by taking advantage of small value increases in other areas, supply chain practitioners diversify their proprietary and outsourced logistics assets—abroad and at home—to lay off risk, reduce costs, […]
Food Bank Hungry for an Inventory Management Solution
To feed its need for more efficient warehousing and inventory management, the Food Bank For New York City trades in a manual system for a WMS.
Inventory Velocity: All the Right Moves
The need for speed is clear to retailers, manufacturers, and distributors—especially at this time of year. How are companies speeding their freight and inventory to meet customer demands? By collaborating with technology firms and outside logistics experts to gain greater visibility into the supply chain, increase inventory turns, and get the right products to the right place at the right time.
High Speed Pursuits: Moving Products Faster and Cheaper
A shift is taking place in expedited shipping. While air shipments once reigned supreme—and still do for import and export goods—for domestic expedited cargo, ground transport is catching up. To cut costs and still meet customer demand, savvy shippers incorporate expedited service into their overall transport strategy, making ground a viable expedited option.
Track to the Future
Innovations in web-based communication technologies, global positioning systems, and equipment are taking freight railroads into a new era.
Apparel Logistics & Technology: A Perfect Fit
Technology is the latest accessory to hit the apparel world. By embracing technology solutions, forward-thinking apparel and footwear companies are fashioning tight, visible, integrated supply chains—and reaping the rewards.
Kevin McNelly: Delivering Medical Products, Stat!
Kevin McNelly always keeps an eye on the future. As vice president, supply chain at biotechnology company MedImmune Inc., he must keep materials and finished goods flowing to meet demand for the company’s current products. But he also must make sure that, when the time comes, everything will be in place to satisfy customers with […]
Working on the Railroads
The recent fuel crisis emphasizes just how much we need our national rail system. The rails, with their efficient fuel usage, are a vital link in most supply chains; the only link in others. Rail hubs and intermodal transportation connect shippers to truckers, and to ocean and air carriers. But the fuel crisis has also […]
Riding Out the Storm
An import management system helps chemical distributor Biddle Sawyer navigate in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Selecting an International Air Carrier
When you ship by air, you need to look at the global picture. With world boundaries changing so frequently, and the European Economic Community continuing to emerge and develop, air cargo customs clearance and shipment tracking have become more challenging. You can simplify these challenges, however, by selecting the right air carrier/forwarder partner. Here’s how, […]
States Targeting Logistics Hit the Bull’s-Eye
How much do you know about state and local economic development policy? Here’s a quiz. Check which industry is most favored in terms of federal, state, and local tax incentives: Industry A, where national employment has grown by 12 percent over the last five years, and will continue to accelerate with the globalization of the […]
Don’t Put All Your Eggs In China’s Basket
I recently gave a speech at a Trans-Pacific Air Cargo Conference in Los Angeles titled, “Don’t Put All Your Eggs in China’s Basket,” and I was practically booed offstage. The audience did not want to hear negative, derogatory, or dismissive talk about the booming China economy. My listeners were the economic counterparts of religious evangelists; […]
Do You Need WMS Best Practices? 10 Telltale Signs
Most supply chain managers can share more horror stories than Stephen King. When you have to deal with demanding customers (aren’t they all?), and super-tight shipment schedules, every so often things are bound to get a little dicey. But if you’ve reached the point where just looking at your warehouse sends chills down your spine, […]
Supply Chain Security: Fact vs. Fiction
Man has always been intrigued by transmutation—transforming one element into another. In days of old, we tried changing lead into gold. Today, some are trying to convert the public’s fear of supply chain vulnerabilities into political currency, or solid gold votes. While concern is warranted, some choose to grandstand by floating obviously impossible solutions against […]
Air Cargo’s Highs and Lows
Today’s air cargo market is deeply divided. Integrators such as UPS and FedEx are soaring, while traditional air cargo carriers—choked by soaring fuel prices, excessive taxes, and government regulation—are experiencing serious turbulence. Buckle your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Airfreight Forwarding: Small Companies Get on Board
For some small companies, airfreight forwarders play a large part in the flight path to global success. Lacking the resources of larger players, small companies look to air forwarders to cut costs, improve service, provide know-how, and deliver global capability.
On Your Mark, Get Set, Go Global
As companies race to enter new global markets, many rely on 3PLs to help hurdle cultural and business barriers, while also controlling inbound transportation, driving down costs, reducing inventories, and ultimately mitigating potential supply chain bottlenecks.
Managing Inventory: From Fat to Lean
As more businesses source from offshore manufacturers and suppliers, having visibility and control over moving inventory requires both a tactical and strategic lean approach.
Dennis Sheldon: Leading a Plush Life in Logistics
It’s no wonder Dennis Sheldon gets all warm and fuzzy about his job. Since May, he has been deep into plush and stuffing in his role as managing director, logistics for St. Louis-based Build-A-Bear Workshop. Build-A-Bear Workshop gives visitors the chance to make their own teddy bears or other toy animals. Customers stuff and sew […]
Buying Business Insurance? Dig Deeper
Q: It has been four years since the events of Sept. 11 caused the world’s insurance market to restrict coverage and raise prices. Now, many are wondering if Hurricane Katrina will have the same effect on insurance. What do forecasters predict? A: Insurers are still assessing Hurricane Katrina’s financial impact, gathering details on the magnitude […]
Infrastructure: The Weakest Link
A supply chain is only as strong as its weakest links, which today are found in down-to-earth, practical transportation modes—rail, ocean, and trucks—and their support systems. Too many infrastructure links that enable supply chains to operate in the United States are old and antiquated. They are partly clogged with overcapacity, breaking down, or simply just […]
Metro Transit Gets on Schedule
King County Metro Transit was missing the bus, using an outdated system to distribute its 12 million transit schedules. The fix? A new WMS, advanced mobile technology, and additional warehouse equipment.
3PLs Deliver on the Global Promise
Businesses need many qualities to succeed in today’s global market, but uniformity, consistency, and flexibility are the most critical. Strong organizations leverage these qualities to capitalize on the economic benefits of worldwide sourcing and distribution, while satisfying their customers’ needs—whether the customer is around the block or across the ocean. Best-of-breed 3PLs share the same […]
Locating a European Distribution Hub
It’s official. You’ve decided to take your company global, and because it is no longer cost-effective to reach international customers from your U.S. operation, you need to open a European distribution center. Finding the best place to locate that hub is key. The European Union is made up of 25 countries, all with their own […]
Choosing a DC Location: Keeping Success in Site
The decision to build a distribution center comes with expectations that it will help a company reach key markets, hire an appropriate workforce, and maximize profitability while minimizing operating costs. Finding that ideal location in a community that embraces the company’s operations, however, is more difficult than merely choosing any site within a targeted region. […]
‘Model Contracts’ Not the Right Model
During the past few years, "model contracts" drafted by organizations representing shippers, carriers, and brokers have become common. Such agreements, however, are not in shippers’ best interests because, in drafting them, organizations bargain away some of shippers’ rights and remedies without their input. Recently, the American Trucking Associations (ATA)—which represented truckers during model shipper/trucker contract […]
Pulling Back the Curtain on Logistics, Purchasing Practices
Logistics, purchasing, and inventory management can be thankless jobs when everything goes according to plan. No one applauds when manufacturing deadlines are met, quality products ship on time, and workers have the right supplies. But if deliveries arrive damaged, or low inventory halts production, executives pull back the curtain and discover who’s to blame. Bidding, […]
Should You Sell or Outsource In-House Transportation Assets?
Many companies with in-house transportation capabilities in place to support core operations often explore outsourcing to cut costs and liberate capital. Shareholders of these companies—whether public or private—are often better served by viewing these assets as a standalone business for an eventual spin-off or sale as a going concern. Whether to sell, spin off, or […]
Whatever the Obstacle, Truckers Come Through
While covering this industry for more than 20 years, I’ve learned a lot about the people who work in logistics and transportation. One thing that consistently stands out is their passion and dedication to moving our nation’s freight—and economy—forward. This passion and dedication became apparent yet again as we watched Hurricane Katrina play out. The […]
Design for the Future
A high-tech DC design lets Future Electronics increase staff productivity, consolidate orders more effectively, and increase pick rate.
Trucking Tips of the Trade
Transport buyers face tough questions every day. To help find answers, Inbound Logistics turned to transport buyers and service providers for the inside story.
Mission: Critical
Companies are turning to information technology, logistics specialists, and partnerships with premium service carriers to keep their customers’ mission-critical systems running while minimizing their investment in parts inventory. Here’s a look at the unique challenges and solutions driving critical parts logistics today.
Freight Payment Outsourcing: Getting Finances in Ship Shape
Consider this: Because of administrative overhead, it costs large companies about $11 to pay one freight invoice. For a company with 1,000 carrier invoices a month, that’s $11,000. But if a third-party freight payment/auditing firm processes these invoices, companies pay just 5 percent to 10 percent of this benchmark cost per bill. Companies that outsource […]
Masao Nishi: Managing One Big Network
SYSCO Corporation’s supply chain is undergoing a major transformation, and Masao Nishi stands right in the middle of it. The $30-billion food service distributor recently promoted Nishi to assistant vice president of supply chain management, responsible for the flow of product from suppliers to approximately 70 SYSCO broadline operating companies in the United States. Nishi […]
As the World Shrinks, The Supply Chain Grows
In Detroit, the good old days of General Motors viewing Detroit-based Ford and Detroit-based Chrysler as its main competitors are long gone. Even the days when Volkswagen and Japanese auto manufacturers became apparent competitors to the Big Three’s largely myopic corporate managers have disappeared. These were days of nostalgia and naivete; a great deal else […]
Car 54, Where Are You?
A web-based railcar monitoring service helps American Gypsum keep freight on track.
Monitoring LTL Carrier Performance
If you don’t evaluate your less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers monthly, start now. The only product an LTL carrier has to offer is service, so monitoring is crucial. Every aspect of your evaluation should reflect on how the carrier provides—or fails to provide—the service you require and expect. Joe Heilig, senior transportation specialist for EnVista, a logistics […]
Going Mobile: The Time is Right
In today’s fast-paced world, with online stores, just-in-time inventory, and micro-managed supply chains, near real-time supply chain event reporting is critical. Consumers who shop online from the comfort of their bedroom—or in front of the TV with wireless access to a home shopping network—are not satisfied waiting in the dark wondering when packages will be […]
Non-Asset-Based IMCs: Adapting Yet Again
BNSF Railroad’s decision to eliminate rail-owned intermodal equipment by June 2006 is easy to understand. By only accepting private trailers and containers for transit, BNSF’s cost savings and bottom line should swell. Both Wall Street and shareholders applaud the railroad’s move. Will traditional non-asset-based intermodal marketing companies (IMCs) be a casualty of BNSF’s decision? Strong […]
More Lift, Less Drag
There is an inexplicable failure on the part of many in Washington, D.C., to understand that airlines are in business to make money, according to Air Transport Association of America President James May. May’s recent comments to The Wings Club of New York piqued my interest as I sometimes get the impression that our airline […]
Cool Stuff, Blazing Speed
When consumers need the hottest new gadget, they need it cheap and they need it now. That’s why logistics leaders such as Hewlett-Packard power up their supply chain to deliver the goods. Now that’s cool.
SCM: Pharma’s First Aid Kit
Pain points plague the pharmaceutical industry—skyrocketing expenses, stringent regulations, costly product development. Is supply chain management the cure?
Fast Forwarding
Globalization and security concerns are thrusting the air cargo industry into full throttle. From their unique perspective as both service provider and shipper, airfreight forwarders air their views about the growing challenges facing global businesses.
James Carlin: A Strong Man for the Job
When a construction worker on a job site drops a hammer, and no one on the street below gets hurt, James Carlin is one person to thank. His company, Strong Man Building Products Corp., Fairfield, N.J., distributes tarpaulin and netting used in construction, including the huge nets contractors drape over scaffolding to protect their job […]
Protecting High-Value Cargo
Q: My company moves sensitive, high-value instruments throughout North America for hospitals, universities, and government facilities. Because these instruments are difficult to handle, we use special riggers to install them. Given these instruments’ specialized nature, when damage occurs during transit and the instruments must be repaired or replaced, it means significant costs and delays. We […]
ERP and SCM: Making the Marriage Work
Once a cozy nook for enthusiasts, supply chain management has turned into a major focus for enterprises worldwide. That’s why IFS North America has extended its services from pure Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to offer component supply chain software. “ERP and supply chain management need to work hand-in-hand,” notes Cindy Jaudon, president of IFS North […]
Redi-to-Go Vehicle Tracking
A fleet-tracking system gives Brookshire Brothers tighter control over fuel costs, driver payments, and store deliveries.
Getting ROI from RFID
With so many companies providing RFID systems, and so many expensive choices, how do you buy smart? Here are 10 tips on selecting an RFID system that provides a return on investment, according to a customer survey by Waltham, Mass.-based OAT Systems Inc., an RFID software and services provider. 1. Get educated. Learn best practices […]
7 Tips for Negotiating Small Parcel Contracts
Small businesses are the cornerstone of the U.S. economy, representing 99.7 percent of all U.S. employers, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy. A vast amount of small package freight moves throughout the United States on behalf of these companies, and in most cases, parcel carriers such as FedEx, UPS, and the […]
Not-So-Friendly Foreign Liability Laws
The United States may be the largest trading nation in the world, but U.S. importers do not always dictate the rules by which imports are governed. This is especially the case when it comes to establishing carriers’ liability for lost, damaged, or delayed shipments originating in foreign countries. Some foreign nations have adopted novel rules […]
The RFID Revolution: Desperately Seeking Standards
Radio frequency identification (RFID) is about much more than Wal-Mart. The world’s largest retailer may have singlehandedly caused the intense publicity that surrounds the technology, as it forced suppliers around the globe to scramble to comply with its strict RFID mandate. The real issues, however, extend far beyond Wal-Mart’s four walls. RFID is fundamentally changing […]
Sourcing in China? Give BLPs a VIP Role
As global sourcing continues to lengthen the inbound supply chain, companies are placing more focus at the beginning of the chain, where product originates. The growing number of manufactured products originating in Asian countries such as China presents challenges for manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers that are sourcing inventory there. Companies have not fully developed […]
Diving Into Pool Distribution
By moving from piecemeal to pool distribution, perishable foods provider Chef Solutions cuts costs and boosts customer satisfaction.
Here Comes the Judge; There Goes Your Business
Judicial activism impacts all business. Not content to legislate from the bench on social issues, the courts have now gone off the legal reservation and applied the activist and collectivist bias to business, your business. Whether or not you agree with the results of an activist decision is not the point. The point is that […]
The Great Trane Robbery: Stealing Back Efficiency
A new WMS puts HVAC manufacturer Trane in the comfort zone, helping increase shipping efficiency and improve material flows.
Extreme Outsourcing: Tales from the 3PL Wild Side
When mere execution is not enough to accomplish extraordinary logistics challenges, companies turn to a special breed of 3PLs to deliver extreme results. What makes them special? Stellar leadership, plenty of resources, effective communications, precise project management, a deeply committed team, a passion for achieving a common goal, and sometimes the ability to function well on little sleep. Welcome to extreme outsourcing.
Rethinking Reverse Logistics
Companies have become more aware of the benefits of managing reverse logistics. But now it’s time to decide between merely managing returns more effectively and rethinking reverse logistics’ role as a supply chain strategy.
From Factory to Foxhole: The Battle for Logistics Efficiency
Military and business logistics managers share some challenges—tracking, moving, and storing inventory while maintaining visibility—but the differences are dramatic. For the military, the goal is survival, not profitability. The competition is an enemy force. And the customer is a warfighter on the move in hostile territory.
Supplier Logistics in the Driver’s Seat
Increasing complexity in the automotive supply chain has created a host of global logistics challenges that have auto suppliers operating in overdrive. How are they steering their supply chains in the right direction? By finding creative ways to keep inventories lean, improve velocity, and cut costs to meet manufacturer demands.
Going for (Not So) Broke: The True Cost of RFID
The cost of RFID implementation has been over-hyped and exaggerated. Early cost predictions had vendors seeing green, but in reality, an RFID implementation need not bust your whole technology budget. Find out the true costs of taking the RFID plunge.
Bryan Goins: It’s All About the Execution
In 1994, Bryan Goins joined Associated Food Stores (AFS) to help re-engineer major business processes at the Salt Lake City-based grocery distribution cooperative. It was not an easy transition. ” I went home almost every day for one year asking myself, ‘What have I done?’” Goins says. Goins spent the previous 18 years at Ryder […]
The Care and Feeding of Your Global Supply Chain
When an enterprise goes global, the nature of its supply chain has to change—not once, but continually. Nationwide may be big but worldwide is much, much bigger, with more factors exponentially governing the health of an enterprise operating a complex global supply chain. Scaling up to manage a global supply chain means dealing not just […]
Keeping the Promise
An ATP solution helps integrated circuits manufacturer more consistently make good on commitments to customers.