Articles
Checking In
Dialing Into Truck Tone
You pick up the phone and get a dial tone. You move to a keyboard and you have Web tone. Many of us take these amazing enablements for granted, rarely considering how they work, just expecting that they will—all the time, every time. We only consider their absence when and if they fail. But what […]
Read MoreShades of Green
Inbound Logistics is green—as a mission and as a magazine. Matching demand to supply, our founding principle, is an evergreen strategy that eliminates waste: energy, money, and time. By embracing demand-driven practices, companies optimize transportation, reduce warehouse inventory and costs, increase transparency, and trigger countless efficiencies elsewhere in the enterprise. Executing on demand, and specifying […]
Read MoreI Love My Customer
If you think your love for a 3PL is an exclusive one-way street, think again. The feelings are mutual. Sure, you appreciate the value a logistics service provider brings to the relationship: the core intelligence, the sense and sensibility, the thoughtfulness when planning on future demand. But don’t be fooled. 3PLs have a vested business […]
Read MoreI Love My 3PL
Based on the 6,000+ responses to our annual survey of the third-party logistics market, readers really love their 3PLs. Despite the economic downturn in 2008, more companies responding to the survey—from small B-to-C startups to large multinationals, from healthy businesses weathering the maelstrom to names in the news suffering through privation detailed in today’s headlines—increased […]
Read MoreWrong Street Journal?
A recent Wall St. Journal article, “Clarity is Missing Link in Supply Chain” (May 18, 2009) wrongly defines just-in-time (a small and strictly defined subset of demand-driven logistics), then concludes that practicing JIT in a recession makes things worse. The article opens with the CEO of chip designer Zoran Corp., Sunnyvale, Calif., wondering why his […]
Read MoreFrom Sow’s Ear to Silk Purse
Turning adversity into opportunity is standard practice for logistics professionals, but it seems everyone is taking that approach in today’s economic climate. Like most businesses, warehouses and third-party logistics providers (3PLs) are feeling the pinch. The part of their business based on creating value for customers, and sharing in that, is doing OK. But for […]
Read MoreSaaS: A Distribution Model For Tough Times?
The lead article in our annual technology issue 15 years ago featured Barbara Barnhill, transportation supervisor for Elizabeth Arden. She excitedly shared the details of her company’s “revolutionary” inbound transportation program, which racked up million-dollar savings by using the latest technology—a fax machine. Times have changed since the fax machine and its dial tone were […]
Read MoreA Speaking Truth to Power
In a monumental case of bait and switch, the current White House administration is set upon a course that will handicap every U.S. worker and business, and give global economic advantage to all who are not lucky enough to live here. Energy policy—specifically, the carbon offset cap and trade plan—will transfer wealth to the government […]
Read MoreA New World of Logistics Enlightenment
Our annual education issue honors the importance and value of logistics education. Acing logistics basics helps practitioners master supply chain complexity. It’s practical to the core and strategic when it needs to be. But it isn’t static. The challenges of globalization continue to present new ways and means to engage learning. In this sense, history […]
Read MoreMeasure for Measure
You don’t have to dissect Shakespeare to understand that what you put into something you redeem in equal measures—and often more. But in these Dickensian times, businesses are tasked with squeezing out costs and cinching their purse strings. Putting together this year’s Logistics Planner issue, we took William’s advice ≠- investing more time, more resources, […]
Read MoreSuccess’ Measure?
Success has many fathers, failure is an orphan, as the saying goes. Economic news in many quarters is grim. The economy is in tatters, failure abounds. Who is at fault? Everyone else it seems. Those still standing look over their shoulders to see if the economic Grim Reaper lurks behind them. How then do we […]
Read MoreMacro? No, Micro Economics
“The economy is bad so we’d better make cuts that hurt customer service.” OK, no business would set out with this goal, but often the results are the same. And the consequences of poor service in today’s economic climate are irrevocable. While the macro economic news is bad, customer service is all about managing micro […]
Read MoreGetting All, Like, Demand-Driven
Did you know that a 16-year-old girl in Spain is the logistics genius behind one of the most sophisticated and effective retail supply chain operations on the planet? Neither does she. The typical Zara demand signal—to buy or not to buy—sets in motion a demand-driven process that has the global apparel chain retailer, based in […]
Read MoreBoeing, Boeing Gone?
When times get tough, supply chain/logistics redeployment grows increasingly important. Part of evaluating site locations for your manufacturing and logistics facilities involves considering fundamentals such as proximity to sources and customers, and transport infrastructure. But there is a “softer side” of site selection. As I write this, Boeing is in the midst of a strike […]
Read MoreThe Short Loop is Better
Suppose, for some unknown reason, the hot/cold water valves for your shower were installed in the basement, next to the water heater. When you wanted to take a shower, you’d have to go to the basement, turn the water on, then walk upstairs to the bathroom. If you needed to adjust the water temperature or […]
Read MoreAll the Low-Hanging Fruit Have Not Yet Been Picked
Many retail logistics practitioners who are good at their jobs will swear to you that all the low-hanging fruit on their optimized logistics tree has already been picked. Sure, one way to face today’s challenges is to cut transportation and logistics costs. But what’s hanging on the other side of the tree in the orchard […]
Read MoreChange: Count On It
In my 25 years with Inbound Logistics, I can recall few times of such rapid change. One was the dot.com era and the promise that new technology would help us make our logistics networks more efficient and our companies more responsive to customer demands. Another was the advent and meteoric growth of the 3PL segment […]
Read MoreSupply Chain Bifocalism: Go Short or Long?(Biondo)
When economic times get tight, even the most visionary business logistics managers feel pressure to set strategic goals aside and focus on savings derived from process optimization and operational ROI. Are you balancing strategic with tactical plays as you head down the field to the goal line of supply chain efficiency? Consider these questions: Q: […]
Read MoreLess Pie in the Sky And More Meat and Potatoes
When asked about the economy, Harry S Truman said he wished for a one-handed economic advisor so he could never say, “on the other hand.” In certain sectors, the economy is bad and likely to get worse. Why? Could it be that the decades without a national energy policy are coming home to roost as […]
Read MoreHanging in the Balance
If one theme threads its way throughout this issue – from cover illustration to featured articles to the logistics solution providers we have selected for our annual Top 100 Logistics IT Providers list—it’s balance. Businesses today routinely balance on the brink between too much and too little – whether it’s forecasting demand, carrying safety inventory, […]
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