Articles
Commentary
ISF Regulation: 10+2 Much?
Effective Jan. 26, 2010, U.S. ocean freight importers must complete a properly executed Importer Security Filing (ISF) before loading cargo onto a vessel at a foreign port. Also known as 10+2, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulation, intended to ensure the safety of ocean containers entering U.S. ports, requires U.S. importers or agents to […]
Read MoreOn the Road to Recovery: Strengthening Our Transportation Infrastructure
Although the Dow was recently flirting with 10,000, there is no celebration on Main Street. This is a jobless economic recovery, and without job growth there will be no sustainable economic recovery on either Main or Wall Street. Compounding the loss of jobs is the explosive economic growth of China and its ominous effect on […]
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Less Lip Service, More Customer Service
When times are good, everyone says they are focused on customer service, but admittedly some of that is lip service. When times are bad, are carriers and service providers truly focused on providing you good customer service, or are they cutting customer service corners? Are you as concerned about customer service these days, or is […]
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Eco-operation in Action: Collaborating to Achieve Green Goals
As a company with tens of thousands of suppliers around the globe, Walmart’s bold move to promote a sustainability index has planted new seeds across entire industries. It’s a significant event for manufacturers, and has caused many businesses to take notice of new customer aspirations and re-think their supply chain designs. Walmart’s efforts to reduce […]
Read MoreSelecting Pallet Types: One Size Does Not Fit All
At any given time, nearly 1.5 billion pallets transport products of all shapes and sizes throughout the United States. The majority are wood pallets, which have remained popular with supply chain and logistics managers for decades because they cost less than alternative pallets made of plastic or steel. Because pallets are used across several diverse […]
Read MoreJust Say No to Slow-Mo
When the economy slows, so does the pace of shipments. To cut costs, some companies shift to less-expensive deferred delivery services. But there are cases where speed helps reduce overall costs, even when economic activity is flat. Here’s one example that bucks the slow-mo shipment trend line. Acoording to press reports, an Australian retailer, Coles […]
Read MoreSoftware Tools Optimize Green Logistics
By now most third-party logistics (3PL) service providers, big and small, have jumped on the sustainability bandwagon. They’re reducing ship and truck speeds, designing and restructuring warehouses to cut power consumption, implementing bio-fuels, packing products with reusable and environmentally friendly packaging, and consolidating freight for full truckload runs. But they could be doing more. Maybe […]
Read MoreThe Intellectual Risk of Complexity
The rules of business in a global world are thorny and often intractable. As supply chains grow more complex and outsourcing gains favor, long-range risks become harder to judge, or even understand. One consequence of a complex global supply chain is a subtle shift in the nature of intellectual property and how it factors into […]
Read MoreIs Your 3PL a Brand Builder?
Abrand represents many intangible aspects of a product or service; it’s a collection of perceptions about quality, image, lifestyle, and status. In short, a brand represents a promise made and honored. When was the last time you challenged your third-party logistics provider (3PL) to help you build your brand? For most shippers, the answer lies […]
Read MoreA Lesson From Ghana
“Ghana will not become a middle-income status country without a coherent supply chain strategy.” So says leading African academic Dr. Douglas Boateng in an open letter to Ghana’s government (http://snipurl.com/ilghana). Dr. Boateng takes the government to task on its lack of supply chain vision, pointing out that despite the abundance of natural resources≠gold, cocoa, diamonds, […]
Read MoreEmbargo Violations: Ignorance is No Excuse
Q:I recently read that DHL paid a $9.4-million fine to settle a claim by the United States for violations of sanctions against shipments to Iran. Can you discuss what happened and how I can avoid a case like this? A:The case you refer to was an action taken by the U.S. Treasury Department regarding 309 […]
Read MoreChoosing and Using a Freight Forwarder
Choosing the right freight forwarder to support your transportation efforts can mean the difference between satisfied customers or unhappy ones; efficient, cost-effective distribution of your products or careless, wasteful handling of them. The following are some suggestions for choosing and using a freight forwarder. DO YOUR HOMEWORK Before entering into negotiations with a logistics provider, […]
Read MoreDialing 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 MoreEnsuring Your Carrier Promotes Supply Chain Value Through Sustainability
Consumers used to appreciate an environmental consciousness in the businesses they patronized. Now they expect it. Improved sustainability has become the right choice for corporations—economically, environmentally, and legally. Corporate sustainability programs should provide guidelines and measures for strategies such as reducing fuel consumption, reducing or eliminating materials for disposal, and preventing pollution. Shippers formalizing and […]
Read MoreThe Costly Art of Tracking
On Aug. 4, 2009, Astronaut Heidimarie Stefanyshyn-Piper’s $100,000 NASA tool bag dropped out of its heavenly orbit and into the Pacific Ocean. The 30-pound bag, filled with grease guns, trash bags, and a scraper tool, was detected not from a locating signal in the bag, but by sight. Clearly, Boeing’s contract with NASA does not […]
Read MoreDefining the Ideal Pacific Rim Warehouse
Warehouses may serve the same function regardless of where they are located, but the criteria for choosing and operating these facilities is anything but consistent from one continent to the next. If manufacturing or distribution in Asia is part of your business, keep in mind the following ways in which the ideal facility might look […]
Read MoreFinding and Attracting C-Suite Leadership
The days of fragmentation characterizing global logistics are drawing to a close. With globalization, more companies are striving to become end-to-end service providers for global customers. They see an opportunity to greatly improve profitability by offering higher-value services and gaining increased market share. To get there faster, they will continue to pursue mergers and acquisitions […]
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 MoreLearning to Play by New Rules: Managing Logistics Through the Recession
Managing a global business today is brutal. The collective business wisdom is being tested, and our organizations’ hard work on strategy, lean management, and disciplined forecasting and operations planning can’t wipe away current economic woes. The global supply chain isn’t broken, but we’re dealing with a game-changing scenario. As the economy plays havoc with volume, […]
Read MoreHealthy Seaports: An ‘Open for Business’ Sign
Nearly everything we buy or consume—from the clothes we wear, to the food we eat, to the coffee we start our day with—comes to us on a ship, through one of our nation’s seaports. In turn, nearly everything the United States sells in the global marketplace makes its way there via our seaports. This includes […]
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