Articles

How-To

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Prepping Your DC for Peak Season

Are you ready for the holidays? Today’s retailers and their logistics partners need to ask and answer that question well in advance of the holiday season. Mark Sibley, vice president of customer support for BEUMER Corporation, offers this advice to prepare your distribution center before holiday orders come rolling in. 1. Start early. Don’t start […]

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Using Social Media to Empower Your Supply Chain

Social media benefits supply chain management in many ways. Through their social channels, companies enhance communication with customers, generate demand, reduce operating costs, mitigate risk, increase productivity, and gain marketplace intelligence. Companies that aren’t active on social media are at a disadvantage because most of their customers, suppliers, and competitors are. Ready to leverage social […]

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Making Your Distribution Data Work For You

Consumer shipping expectations are changing faster than ever, putting more pressure on omni-channel retailers. While retail giants spend seemingly endless resources catering to customer whims, many other retailers struggle to optimize shipping and distribution practices, increase customer loyalty, and maximize sales without wasting precious resources. With technology permeating every aspect of e-commerce and shipping, retailers […]

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Choosing a Warehouse Management System

Before selecting a warehouse management system (WMS), it’s important to know what drives your company so you can identify the key needs you want the solution to address. Steve Hitchings, senior vice president of information technology for Kenco, offers this advice for choosing the right WMS. 1. Assess your business needs. Know the problem you are […]

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Creating a Lean and Green Culture

Focusing on saving money or going green doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition. Fabio Duque, global head of consumer vertical for APL Logistics, offers tips for creating efficiencies that have both environmental and financial benefits. 1. Re-examine your international expedited transportation mix. If you routinely use air cargo to expedite global shipments, consider switching […]

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Simplifying the CFR Shipping Rules

Even Einstein would have trouble understanding hazardous materials or dangerous goods (DG) regulations, agree 56 percent of respondents to a recent Labelmaster survey. And simply keeping pace with the changes in regulations is an inherent challenge, say 59 percent of respondents. With their daunting appearance, and massive word count, regulations can seem intimidating. They aren’t. […]

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Optimizing Freight Spend

Managing your transportation budget is the key to shedding excess cost. Working in today’s competitive market provides many options to help slim down freight spend. As freight transportation continues to change, service providers are using technology to improve and meet the dynamics of the supply chain. Tim Quinn, director of procurement for Freightquote, offers the […]

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Becoming a Shipper of Choice

Supply chain partners are instrumental to business success. Taking steps to become a shipper of choice delivers benefits across the supply chain, and helps sustain and grow your bottom line. Greg Braun, senior vice president of sales and marketing at C3 Solutions, offers these tips for becoming carrier friendly. 1. Offer a flexible delivery window. […]

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Supporting Sustainability Throughout the Supply Chain

Companies can support sustainability throughout their supply chains with many different approaches. Reducing paper by automating manual business processes, optimizing shipments and loads with end-to-end visibility, saving fuel and lowering emissions by avoiding supply chain disruptions, and sourcing materials from suppliers with like-minded sustainability goals are just a few examples. Ed Rusch, vice president of […]

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Selecting a Global Trade Management Tool

Selecting the right global trade management system is an important factor in growing your business. Analyzing features such as customization and security can help you determine which solution best meets your company’s needs. Ron Atapattu, president and founder of Overseas Cargo Inc., offers the following recommendations for selecting global trade management software that can take […]

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Analyzing Lift Truck Fleet Data 

Collecting and analyzing lift truck data is critical to optimizing materials handling equipment (MHE) fleet utilization and maximizing cost savings. Good data helps fleet managers budget short- and long-term costs, determine correct fleet size, and evaluate whether to lease or buy new equipment. Allen Polk, director of business development for Kenco Fleet Services, offers the […]

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Getting the Most from Professional Association Memberships

Membership in a supply chain or logistics association can be significant to your professional development.Actively participating helps advance career growth and offers continuous learning. Dino Moler, executive vice president of client solutions for third-party logistics provider LeSaint Logistics, member of several logistics and supply chain organizations, and president of the board of directors for the […]

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Safeguarding Your Loading Dock

No matter how thoroughly you follow OSHA’s safety training requirements, or how diligently you supplement safety requirements with in-house training and programs, there are still likely to be gaps in your company’s loading dock safety efforts. Andy Brousseau, manager of warehouse safety for third-party logistics services provider APL Logistics, offers the following recommendations for efficiently shaping […]

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Overcoming LTL Shipping Challenges

Less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation involves moving shipments that won’t fill a 48- or 53-foot semi-trailer. LTL could be half of a full shipment, a single pallet, or a single box. LTL shipping creates many challenges, and understanding how to overcome them is key to efficiency. Adam Robinson, marketing manager of third-party logistics (3PL) provider Cerasis Inc., […]

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Cutting Costs While Delighting Customers

North American companies increasingly are seeking data-driven supply chain strategies to lower costs while improving customer satisfaction. Robust technologies and advanced analytics drive the business insight needed to streamline processes and reduce costs from raw materials to end delivery. Sophie Dabbs, vice president of client solutions for third-party logistics provider Transportation Insight, discusses the art […]

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Improving Shipper/Carrier Relationships

From shippers, receivers, and purchasing agents to carriers and third-party logistics companies, everyone has an opinion on how to reduce trucking costs. But they all agree that to help save money, shippers should build strong relationships with their less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers. Mark Hamblin, vice president of sales, west, for LTL carrier Saia, offers some advice […]

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Maximizing Intermodal Efficiency

Intermodal transportation was developed to improve efficiency as U.S. consumer demand and shipment volume grew. When a trucking entrepreneur realized it would be more efficient to use the same conveyance for different shipping modes, without having to handle the cargo, intermodalism was created. The resulting interoperability of the assets themselves—containers, chassis, railcars—is evidence of improved […]

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Supporting a Multilingual Workforce

As today’s workforce becomes increasingly multilingual and diverse, employers are focusing on ways to effectively communicate with their staff. Open lines of communication are key to avoiding confusion, mistakes, and accidents. While it is not necessary for managers to be fluent in every language the staff speaks, it is important to take steps to make […]

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Choosing a Route Planning System

Time is money, and a route planning system can drastically reduce the time it takes to plan your transportation schedule. Not only do route planning systems lower mileage, they also help cut fuel usage, decrease carbon emissions, improve asset utilization, and increase customer service. William Salter, CEO and president of Paragon Software Systems, recommends choosing […]

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