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Invest in Productivity
Start with what I consider low-hanging fruit—any investment in productivity that pays for itself in less than one year. Think about that return: 100 percent in one year. If you bought a portfolio of stocks and it went up 15 percent in one year, you would be a savvy investor. Earn 20 to 30 percent, […]
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Access to Reliable Transportation Regardless of Transportation Market Conditions
Over the past 25 years I’ve been in Supply Chain, I’ve come to the realization transportation rates are difficult to forecast due to elastic variables (perceived or real) in the supply chain. Depending upon your role and point of view, rates could increase by low single digits or double digits over the next year. You […]
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Automating Key Steps to Strategically Optimize Inbound Supply Chains
The increasing growth and complexity of global trade means organizations must work with a range of partners, suppliers and functional teams within the organization. Best in class companies use a variety of global trade automation tools to lower inbound costs and improve processes. According to a recent AberdeenGroup report, "Strategic Inbound Optimization: Foreign Trade Zones […]
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Connect, Secure, and Manage the Supply Chain
Q: How are transport and logistics firms using mobility to improve employee engagement? A: Mobility once meant giving each driver a cell phone. Today, however, connected devices with communication applications allow drivers to get news and road updates, connect with family, and do business anywhere and anytime. By accessing training programs while waiting for a […]
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Maximizing the Benefits of Your TMS
Q: What are the best ways to get the full benefit of a transportation management system (TMS)? A: First, work with your solution provider to configure the system to meet your unique requirements and workflow, and to automate managing your transportation network. A system you can implement quickly and that meets your requirements enables you […]
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Accessible Capital, Trustworthy Partners Key to Managing Freight Costs
Q: What is the key to managing freight spend in today’s environment? A: In addition to the slow growth economy, the transportation industry has been hit with significant economic and industry challenges, including increasing regulations, driver shortages, fluctuating fuel costs, and a tight credit environment. Carrier costs are going up—costs that will likely get passed […]
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The Fundamentals of Successful Value Chain Partnerships
Q: How can value chain partners cooperate to create and share efficiencies? A: With an unprecedented global reach, access to new markets, increased regulation, and huge advances in technology, today’s supply chain environment is more complex than ever. Coupled with increasing customer demands for speed, flexibility, cost efficiency, quality, and customization, it is very difficult […]
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Big Data Tools Enable Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics
Q: What is different in transportation technology today compared to five years ago? A: Two words: big data. It has become significantly less expensive in the past five years to store and analyze large amounts of data. Due to these decreased costs, companies can now afford to use data to gain additional insight into their […]
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Get Real: What ROI to Expect from Your TMS Implementation
Q: Transportation management system (TMS) solution providers routinely claim their automation tools will deliver cost savings as high as 25 to 30 percent of annual transportation spend. Is this accurate? A: Sales representatives have a tendency to oversell things in their pursuit of new clients. This is problematic for the industry because it discredits TMS […]
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Avoiding Pitfalls to TMS Implementation
Q: What can go wrong when launching a transportation management system (TMS)? A: Implementing a TMS is a proven way to reduce cost and gain control of your organization’s transportation expenses. Yet many companies implement systems only to fall short of the return on investment (ROI) they expected. Sometimes the problem stems from failure to […]
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Untangling the Complications of Free Trade Agreements
Q: Why should companies consider trade agreements when looking to find the best sourcing option? A: Companies need to factor into their sourcing decisions the opportunities provided by free trade agreements if they are to truly reduce lead times and take advantage of cost savings available throughout their supply chain. By incorporating trade agreements into […]
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Keys to Developing Strong Supply Chain Partnerships
Q: How can value chain partners collaborate to enhance performance and efficiencies? A: Collaboration among supply chain partners can improve supply chain performance, create new capabilities, and increase efficiencies. Meeting to review performance objectives helps build stronger partnerships based on definable measurements and greater transparency, and encourages more effective supply chain practices. Part of this […]
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Efficient and Compliant Hazmat Shipping: Today You Can Have Both
Q: What are the common hazmat violations, and what are the consequences for shippers and carriers? A: In the United States, both the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulate hazardous material (or dangerous goods) transportation. Penalties can range from a few thousand dollars to more than one million dollars, and […]
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Heading North: Navigating Alaska’s Supply Chain
The road to success in the Last Frontier is paved with logistics demands and challenges.
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The Benefits of Using a Foreign Trade Zone
From large manufacturers to individuals, any size importer or exporter can take advantage of a foreign-trade zone (FTZ). However, many companies are unaware of the sizeable cost savings and other benefits they can achieve by taking advantage of an FTZ program. Utilizing an FTZ can significantly reduce costs from customs duties, taxes and tariffs; improve […]
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A Strategic Approach to Strengthening Supply Chains
Q: What is a leveraged platform? A: A leveraged platform means a logistics service provider employs the same best practices to manage its own supply chain needs as it does for its client base. Benefits to shippers include mode optimization and greater usage of co-load products, as well as intermodal conversion from truckload (TL), or […]
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Georgia: Logistics Sweet Spot
Many elements make The Peach State appealing to site selection teams. But the seeds of its success are firmly planted in its logistics assets.
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E-Commerce DC Site Selection: Connecting the Dots
Online and omni-channel retailers set their sites on distribution network optimization, picking fulfillment locations that suit shifting consumer demand.
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Scaling Supply Chain Partnerships
Partnerships are an interesting phenomenon in business. It astounds me that so many companies look for partnerships to remain static over time, even as market conditions change. Partnerships can’t maintain a status quo, regardless of the industry. They need to evolve. Scaling your supply chain can trigger some significant adjustments in the requirements of nature […]
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Plan, Write, and Implement a Successful Software Project
Thankfully, most software projects succeed. Look around, virtually everything is running on software, and it all (pretty much) works. Maybe an out-of-the-box solution will work, or maybe you need to buy and modify that out-of-the-box software to suit your needs. Or maybe you will write your own. The worry, of course, is that software projects […]
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