Articles
Viewpoint: Logistics & Supply Chain Analysis
Reshape and Refresh Your Product Portfolio for a Streamlined Supply Chain
Organizations embrace periods of strategic portfolio expansion as a lever to improve top- and bottom-line growth. But in the wake of product proliferation, portfolio complexity emerges with unanticipated supply chain consequences that can significantly impact customer service, quality, and cost. The accumulation of products spanning multiple life-cycle stages may redirect the organization away from its […]
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Amid Hanjin Backlog, Shippers Can Turn to Port Strike Strategies
While news of Hanjin Shipping’s bankruptcy dominates today’s headlines, shippers will be feeling the ripple effects for weeks or months to come. Of the nearly 100 ships listed on the company’s latest operating vessel status report, dozens carry the status of “waiting in open sea.” Others are “arrested,” “embargoed,” or “returned to owner.” A scant […]
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Getting Ready for ACE
The business of importing and exporting with the United States reaches a milestone at the end of 2016 when the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) is to be fully implemented.
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Five Keys to Selecting the Right Transportation Consultant
Many companies utilize the services of an outside consulting firm to assist in the management of specific transportation projects. This is a good practice, particularly for shippers that do not currently have employees with the existing experience, knowledge, and expertise to effectively manage these transportation projects in-house. However, choosing the right transportation consultant can become […]
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Physics of a Customer-Centric Supply Chain
The supply chain strategy shift from business cost efficiency to customer purchase location flexibility is similar to the Copernican Revolution. Many companies are becoming customer-centric and putting the customer’s experience at the center of business objectives. Nicolaus Copernicus’ Revolution was the creation of a heliocentric model where the sun—instead of the earth—is the center of […]
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Optimizing the Industrial Purchasing Experience
In today’s industrial marketplace, it’s becoming increasingly important for companies to differentiate themselves from the competition. A major component of creating that distinction is offering customers a seamless, easy, and quick buying experience. This is a significant challenge when the products involved are complex, costly, and often must be customized. Companies who embrace this challenge […]
Read MoreFinding a Cure for Sweating Slab Syndrome
Despite the significant strides in medical technology in the 21st century, identifying a cure for the common cold is still one of medicine’s most elusive pursuits. Similarly, the phenomenon in warehouse operations known as sweating slab syndrome (SSS) has perplexed even the most experienced industry experts when it comes to the causes and potential cures. […]
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The EU’s Union Customs Code: New Opportunities for Greater Efficiency, Transparency, and Simplicity
On May 1, 2016, traders in the European Union (EU), North American companies that trade with the EU, and North American companies with operations in the EU, witnessed the beginning of the largest change to European customs procedures in the past 20 years with the introduction of the Union Customs Code (UCC). The UCC brings […]
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Social Media Puts Supply Chain Change at Your Fingertips
More and more companies are using social media to better understand the needs of consumers. When it comes to supply chain management, shippers can gain insight into which products are selling, how they’re being distributed, and how to improve the entire supply chain. Like any tool, social media is a way to collect more information, […]
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Three Keys to Solving the Dimensional Weight Shipping Problem
Shippers are familiar with FedEx’s and UPS’ new dimensional weight pricing policies. But many have put off doing anything to address them. Some companies have enjoyed a grace period from the parcel carriers. Others simply don’t know where to start. However, those that don’t comply with the parcel carriers’ new pricing rules are already seeing—or […]
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How to Use Pallet Collars to Improve Supply Chain Efficiency
Improving efficiency in the warehouse can help boost customer satisfaction and increase overall revenue. In many cases, the simplest change can make the biggest difference in how efficiently your operation can run. A simple review of your warehouse operation can help you identify the changes that can be made to improve the efficiency of your […]
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How the Hub-and-Spoke Model Can Improve Distribution for Rail Networks
Ever since Federal Express implemented a hub-and-spoke model and famously demonstrated its efficacy in Roger Frock’s Changing How the World Does Business, the well-known distribution model has been adopted by organizations in the transportation, healthcare, and aviation industries for the distribution of goods and services. With the success of the hub-and-spoke model in the transportation […]
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Flying High With Electronic Air Waybills
On March 1, 2016, 15 airlines introduced the single-process approach for one of the industry’s most important transportation documents: the electronic Air Waybill (eAWB). Developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in collaboration with industry stakeholders, the eAWB is a digital version of the paper air waybill (AWB). The air cargo industry still relies […]
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Corporate Citizenship Starts With the Supply Chain
In recent years, a noticeable paradigm shift has taken place in the business world. Driven by the realization that business and society can no longer intersect at the crossroads of profits first and society second, business is adopting a new order that puts the interests of society on a level that is at par with […]
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Fine-tuning the Modern Distribution Center
Not long ago, people changed their own oil and did other maintenance on their vehicles. To be sure, some auto buffs still enjoy the thrill of DIY on their cars, but many are content with letting experienced professionals handle the job. After all, vehicles and the technologies behind them are a lot more complex than […]
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Building Strong Supplier Relationships: Procurement Takes the Lead
As external forces change the expectation of procurement to be more than just the cost police, it’s up to procurement professionals to embrace the role as strategists and advisors. As a leader, it is important to cultivate and maintain good supplier relationships to ensure profitability. Companies struggle in relationships with suppliers for many reasons. For […]
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The Perfect Order Has Evolved—Has Your Workforce Management Strategy?
If you’re like most shippers, maximizing customer satisfaction and loyalty is at the top of your list of business goals. To accomplish these objectives, your organization must be dedicated to the pursuit of the “perfect order.” The question remains: What really is a perfect order? The perception of the perfect order continues to evolve and […]
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Naughty or Nice—Which Retailers and Delivery Services Will Make the Grade this Holiday Season?
The holiday retail season is upon us, and already the first lumps of coal have been delivered, with retailers such as Neiman Marcus and Walmart experiencing unwanted downtime on their websites over the Black Friday weekend. And as we move away from Black Friday, and closer to Christmas day 2015, the pressure will shift from […]
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IT Asset Disposition Is the Future of Reverse Logistics
While forward logistics optimizes the flow of goods from the producer to the consumer, reverse logistics inverts that flow from the consumer back to the producer. Most often, this includes warranty recovery, value recovery, repair, redistribution, product recalls, used parts, and replacement materials for refurbishment, service, or product contract returns, and end-of-life recycling. In a […]
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The Do’s and Don’ts of Sales and Operations Planning
Most business executives would agree that effective S&OP should lead to competitive success. But S&OP means different things to different organizations. What makes S&OP a "secret sauce" is dependent on a few key factors. Having the right people in the bus. First and foremost, it is essential to obtain executive-level sponsorship. S&OP strategies fail without […]
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