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TradeLens Caps Blockchain Initiative
In an effort to apply blockchain to the world’s global supply chain, Maersk Line and IBM have collaborated to develop TradeLens, a blockchain-enabled shipping solution to promote more efficient and secure global trade, bring together supply chain partners to support information sharing and transparency, and encourage industry-wide innovation. To date, 94 companies are actively involved […]
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Home Depot Builds New Supply Chain
Home Depot will spend $1.2 billion to overhaul its supply chain to offer faster delivery for consumers and businesses. Walker Sands’ 2018 Future of Retail report offers the home improvement retailer some advice: To compete with Amazon, Home Depot should focus not only on delivery speed, but transparency as well. Only 30 percent of consumers […]
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Is Asia The New Bermuda Triangle?
Large shipping losses declined by 38 percent globally over the past decade, but losses in Asia rose year-on-year, with incidents in the South China, Indochina, Indonesia, and Philippine maritime regions rising 25 percent. That makes Asia the top area worldwide for major shipping incidents in the past decade, leading it to be dubbed the "new […]
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Big Apple Polishes Freight Transportation System
New York City plans to overhaul its aging freight distribution systems through strategic investments to modernize maritime and rail assets and create new distribution facilities. Freight NYC is a $100-million plan with the ultimate goals of creating nearly 5,000 good-paying jobs for New Yorkers and a more sustainable and resilient supply chain network. New York […]
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In Iceland, There’s No Place Like Drone
Consumers in Reykjavik, Iceland, will soon just have to walk out their back door to receive their packages. Drone technology company Flytrex, in partnership with Aha.is—Iceland’s largest online marketplace—launched 13 new routes for an autonomous on-demand urban drone delivery service to serve nearly half of Reykjavik. The upgraded service also includes an advanced “InAir” wire-drop […]
Read MoreIoT Clears the Air for Transportation Companies
The Internet of Things (IoT) is set to help transportation and logistics providers significantly reduce emissions, enabling compliance with clean air targets. It will also improve worker health and safety while maximizing resource efficiency and reducing expenses. That’s according to Inmarsat’s 2018 research project, which analyzes IoT adoption across the transportation and logistics sector. The […]
Read MoreKnow Your Product: How Blockchain Will Transform the Supply Chain
As consumers, we’re predisposed to trust the name-brand companies that form our commercial ecosystem. We believe, for the most part, that the products we buy are genuine. And for the products that aren’t, we have confidence that protocols exist to ensure that they never make it to market. It’s an optimistic point of view, but […]
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Europe Stays in the Loop
Virgin Hyperloop One will open a $500-million Advanced Technology Development and Testing Center in Spain, the company’s first European development facility. In return for this investment, Virgin Hyperloop One will receive 126 million euros in public aid through loans and grants to help establish the new center, advance its technology development and testing, and stimulate […]
Read MoreHow Using BI Can Transform Your Business
Many industries, such as transportation and logistics, have deployed enterprise software to help operate and manage work processes for decades now. And, as a result, companies and the solutions providers have collected a treasure trove of information, not only about an individual company, but about the industry as a whole. Until recently, with the advent […]
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7 Ways to Integrate Demand and Supply
Companies can achieve cohesive demand and supply integration (DSI) by following seven fundamental rules, recommends a recent University of Tennessee Global Supply Chain Institute study. The paper, based on the work of Mark Moon, PhD, a UT professor and global supply expert, focuses on 18 companies in a range of sectors with successful DSI as […]
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What Do the New UPS Surcharges Mean?
To help shippers understand UPS’s recent surcharge increases, Spend Management Experts, a supply chain spend management consultancy, outlines the carrier’s new fees and their potential impact. The Increases: Effective June 4, 2018: The fee for over maximum limits and the oversize pallet handling surcharge increased by $150 and a new shipping charge correction audit fee […]
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News & Trends Impacting the Oil & Gas Supply Chain
Automation Takes Center Stage Once considered to be merely on the horizon of the oil and gas industry, highly sophisticated technology is now front and center. Key advantages include: Monitoring capabilities. With automation, oil and gas companies can keep track of their pipes and networks with unprecedented oversight. Reduced operating costs. Effective use of digital […]
Read MoreThe Three P’s of Sales & Operations Planning Success
The formula for business success varies greatly from industry to industry. However, most business leaders believe when you focus on the right areas and create a winning culture, success will follow. Marcus Lemonis, the star of The Profit, a CNBC reality show about saving small businesses, says the three keys to business success are people, […]
Read MoreProduct Spotlight: Materials Handling Innovations
inVia Picker: Picking items as small as a pack of gum or as bulky as a case of soda, this robot provides a solution for e-commerce fulfillment centers through a Robots-as-a-Service platform. Pickers operate as an automated storage and retrieval solution, picking totes, bins, and boxes weighing less than 40 pounds from warehouse shelves. The […]
Read MoreChewing the VAT
“Filing VAT returns on time is crucial to your business,” warns Mohammed Fathy, general manager of Al Dhaheri Jones & Clark. “A delay can not only cause a huge amount of stress, but also threaten your entire business should you fail to comply.” Value-added tax (VAT) is a consumption tax that applies to all goods […]
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DP World Extends Services to Europe with Unifeeder Acquisition
To expand its presence in Europe, Dubai port operator DP World acquired Danish logistics company Unifeeder from Nordic Capital Fund VIII and certain minority shareholders for $765 million. The aim is for DP World to boost its presence in the global supply chain and broaden its product offering to shipping firms and cargo operators, according […]
Read MoreE-Commerce Supply Chains in 2018: Millennial Consumers Most Concerned With Speed and Affordability of Deliveries
For today’s millennial consumers, timeliness of deliveries ranks high on the list of requirements for customer satisfaction. In fact, in a study of 3,000 consumers in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, conducted by e-commerce company Radial, over one-third — 39.7% — of respondents ages 18 to 24 said that speed of delivery […]
Read MoreHow to Know if Your Freight Broker Is Legitimate
Freight brokers act as intermediaries in moving shipping and logistics forward, and in recent years, more brokerage operations have flooded the scene, making it easier to secure a partnership that is beneficial to your overall business. While having more options for freight brokers is beneficial in finding the best fit intermediary for the best price, […]
Read MoreSetting New Standards: Six Key Trends Reshaping Enterprise Software User Experience
Businesses are increasingly realizing that user experience (UX) correlates closely to user engagement. The implications of a successful UX make it way more than just a satisfaction ranking. Here are six key trends that I see reshaping enterprise software UX. Mobile is the new norm: The increased use of mobile devices has raised the bar […]
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