Articles
Manufacturing
Aerospace Logistics: Building for Growth
Supply chain improvements, and specialized service providers, keep the aerospace industry flying high.
Read More
Heroic Logistics Saves the Day for DC Comics
The DC Comics team leaps into action to create special 3D covers for 52 titles, fighting evil production setbacks along the way.
Read More
Maximize Nearshoring Value to Minimize Supply Chain Complexity
Latin America—particularly Mexico—continues to gain favor as a sourcing hotspot. Its close proximity to the U.S. border has always been a draw, but recent developments have shifted the global trade landscape in favor of the Western hemisphere. Nearsourcing may never entirely replace production in Asia, but trading partners in the Americas should be an essential […]
Read More
Nearshoring in Mexico: The Benefits of Shared Borders
Offshore manufacturing has been synonymous with the Pacific Rim for decades, and it’s still often the best option for saving a line of business that might otherwise decline because of rising labor costs. As the offshoring trend has progressed, however, the drawbacks of moving production far from demand have become more obvious. For example, the […]
Read More
Feeding the Line
When you make materials or components for other companies, their production rhythms become just as important as your own.
Read MoreCintron Quenches Thirst For Order Management System
A Web-based OMS provides a shot of energy to Cintron’s inventory and order management processes.
Read More
Guiding an Energy Renaissance: Questions and Answers With Michael O’Neill
The emergence of domestically sourced natural gas heralds significant changes in the North American energy market—especially in the way suppliers and producers move product.
Read More
Trends—June 2013
Is American-Made on the Mend? Rumors abound that U.S. manufacturing is making a comeback. The promise of cheaper domestic energy sources—and rising labor costs elsewhere around the world—are tipping the total landed cost balance off its Far Eastern axis. Does this portend a domestic manufacturing renaissance? A recent report by AlixPartners suggests companies are open […]
Read More
We Need Jobs…Let’s Raise Taxes?
Balancing a budget is an exercise in best judgment. Add politics to the equation, and logic flies right out the window. One example: the Minnesota legislature is finalizing its $38-billion state budget, which includes a 6.5-percent sales tax on warehouse services. A wide-ranging tax hike on warehouses will have far-reaching implications. None good. A warehouse […]
Read More
Shoring up Sourcing Strategies
Q: What factors are driving reshoring/near-sourcing consideration? A: A balance in labor rates between China and North America is warranting a second look at sourcing and manufacturing closer to demand. Mexico may be a first choice because of its labor cost differential, but the United States, with the promise of cheaper energy, presents another opportunity. […]
Read More
Going Green to Save Green
Can reducing environmental impact generate significant financial rewards? For Caterpillar, the proof is in the profits.
Read More
Trends—February 2013
Green: The United Color of Benetton Sustainability has gained fashion appeal over the past few years. But apparel companies are growing even more sensitive to social responsibility, especially as it relates to materials procurement and use in the supply chain. Benetton Group is the latest apparel brand to join Greenpeace’s Detox Program, launched in 2011 […]
Read More
Comfort Zone: A Better, Faster FTZ
The Alternative Site Framework designation is changing the Foreign Trade Zone landscape, allowing shippers a more expedient process for streamlining the supply chain.
Read More
Five Signs Your Production Logistics Needs Help
Most manufacturers experience and address common inbound logistics challenges, but one area of improvement that many overlook is the discipline of production logistics — ensuring each machine and workstation is fed with the right product in the right quantity and quality at the right time. As the crucial link that connects inbound materials to on-time […]
Read More
Logistics Providers Steer Auto Industry on Road to Recovery
The automotive industry is rapidly rebounding from its recession lows as consumer demand for new vehicles grows. In response, auto manufacturers and their suppliers are quickly increasing manufacturing output. While this is great news for automakers and the overall financial health of the auto industry, there is a downside: The quick spike is severely straining […]
Read More
Navigating Pharma Logistics
Temperature control, security, chain of custody, and regulatory compliance obstacles can stop pharmaceutical manufacturers at every turn. Strategic supply chain management helps provide a way out.
Read More
Supporting a Glass Act
When Mexican automotive glassmaker Vitro opened a distribution center in the United States, it became crystal clear that the site would need a logistics-savvy workforce.
Read More
The Truth Behind “Made in the USA”
Much talk across the American political and economic landscape centers around the importance of domestic manufacturing. Yet the issue and challenges of "Made in the USA" are so poorly understood that fatalistic hand-wringing and stump speech vitriol are obfuscating its rapidly emerging potential for near-term revitalization. Revitalization implies that there has been a reduction in […]
Read More
Is U.S. Manufacturing Coming Back?
Shifting perspectives on supply chain management, coupled with the realities of total landed cost, are driving manufacturers to weigh the benefits of flinging production operations in China back to the United States.
Read More
Who Says You Can Never Go Home?
Are we headed for a resurgence in U.S.-based manufacturing? Could be, according to a recent Boston Consulting Group (BCG) report that finds the United States, in some instances, holds a productivity advantage over China. If this trend is real, can business logistics practitioners help guide us to greater economic recovery by supporting growth in domestic […]
Read More