Articles
Feature Stories
Piecing Together the Intermodal PuzzleJune, 2006
Stumped by transportation challenges such as rising costs, capacity congestion, and infrastructure meltdowns? Here’s a clue: try mixing up modes to see if intermodal is a fit.
Read MoreHome is Where the Heart (of Economic Development) Is
As state and local authorities survey investments in transportation and distribution infrastructure, one glaring omission interrupts their planning—a lack of oversight and assistance from the federal government. What are they doing about it?
Read MoreWarehousing: The Safety Zone
Increased warehouse worker productivity. Fewer safety claims. Lower workers’ comp costs. Soaring employee morale. You have just entered … The Safety Zone.
Read MoreGainsharing in the Warehouse: Power from the People
Programs that properly motivate and compensate workers can send warehouse productivity soaring.
Read MoreU.S. Site Selection: Building for the Future
Bigger isn’t always better. Many smaller regions are investing in infrastructure and transport capabilities to attract logistics and distribution activity.
Read MoreCross-Border Transport: Keeping Free Trade Safe and Sound
Cross-border shippers who implement and enforce sound security compliance procedures can live happily ever NAFTA.
Read MoreTransportation Management Systems: Pulling It Together
Transportation management systems attract companies with the promise of bringing structure and efficiency to polarized processes. But it’s crucial to weigh the positives and negatives before pulling the product from a wealth of choices.
Read MoreIndia: Asia’s New Frontier
Global pioneers are peeking around China’s corner and beyond the Himalayas into Asia’s next major logistics hotspot—India.
Read MoreCuring Health Care’s Ills
SYMPTOMS: hemorrhaging costs, swollen inventory, impaired visibility & tracking, technological paralysis. DIAGNOSIS: unhealthy supply chain management and related complications. RECOMMENDED TREATMENT: take control of costs, exercise better visibility, optimize infrastructure…and call me in the morning.
Read MoreNebraska: America’s Emerging Logistics Center
Strategically positioned in the center of the country, with a business-friendly climate and well-educated workforce, Nebraska offers an ideal location for transportation, logistics, distribution, and warehousing companies. The state has become a manufacturing growth center and an emerging distribution hub.
Read MoreLogistics Goes to the Head of the Class
Ten years ago, logistics education meant learning how to drive a forklift. Today, schools focus on teaching total supply chain management, and graduates are quickly snatched up by recruiters who know smart logistics managers can help the bottom line.
Read MoreReducing Complexity
Increasing globalization and demand for diverse product offerings puts supply chain complexity at an all-time high for many manufacturers and retailers. Some degree of complexity is inevitable, but too much causes a logistics double-whammy: increased costs and decreased efficiency. Companies are taking a hard look at product mix and processes to find ways to keep it simple.
Read MoreInnovation: 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 […]
Read MoreInnovation: 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 […]
Read MoreInnovation: 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 […]
Read MoreInnovation: 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 […]
Read MoreInnovation: 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,” […]
Read MoreBalancing 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.
Read MoreSupply 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.
Read More