Articles
Commentary
Precision Starts with Visibility
The new must-have supply chain qualities are speed and accuracy—and the cost for not measuring up is unequivocally high. Manufacturers have been given a seemingly simple choice: maintain optimal levels of accuracy, dependability, and responsiveness, or pay the hefty price. Assuming success will be easy is a costly mistake.
Read MoreHow can brick-and-mortar retail make a comeback?
Retailers are wise to prioritize flexibility rather than putting all their eggs into either in-store or online baskets. The future of retail may be brick-and-mortar for some, however many factors are still at play. It’s not a simple answer. The future is not one-size-fits-all. The ability to be nimble and proactive not only boosts efficiency, […]
Read MoreEnabling Supply Chain Agility
The world is in the midst of mass disruption due to the global spread of the COVID-19. Entire industries face new challenges as a result of this pandemic. Workers are finding themselves having to perform jobs remotely, suppliers looking for new ways to connect, and logistics solutions are being put to the test. Unfortunately, it […]
Read MoreSupply Chain Predictions for 2021
I think we can all agree that 2020 is a year that we’ll be excited to leave behind. With a global pandemic, and all its associated side-effects, day-to-day life has been a challenge. But with every challenge comes an opportunity, and this has certainly been the case in the world of e-commerce. With millions homebound, […]
Read MoreCreating a Business-Friendly Environment
At the crux of Michigan’s central expressways, five Class A rail lines, and the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, you’ll find the City of Romulus, which residents refer to as the “Home of Opportunity.” The city’s access to transportation and 3,146 acres of undeveloped land have positioned Romulus as a logistics hub for developers from Michigan and across the nation.
Read More3 Ways to Bolster Your Supply Chain
Organizations across industries have spent decades optimizing supply chains for maximum profit, but the pandemic highlighted almost overnight how little attention these companies have paid to resilience. As production and mobility of goods experienced historic disruptions, demand quickly exceeded supply and forecasts have failed to produce reliable information for months.
Read More10 Ways to Improve Your Supply Contract
Brexit, COVID-19, and the Suez Canal congestion brought Force Majeure clauses in supply chain contracts into sharp focus. Force Majeure clauses seek to limit the liability of a party whose performance is affected by an unforeseen event beyond that party’s control.
Read MoreFor Beyond Meat and QSR Brands, Asking “What if?” Will Prevent “What Now?”
The supply chain disruptions of 2020 resulted in a highly challenging year for the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry. Wendy’s, for instance, ran out of menu items containing beef in almost one-fifth of its restaurants. As a result of the beef shortage, Wendy’s, along with McDonald’s and Burger King, resorted to importing beef during the earlier […]
Read MoreIt’s Time for All Retailers to Go Hybrid
Marcia Brey is vice president, distribution, with GE Appliances, a Haier company.
Read MoreWhat is the secret to a successful shipper/3PL partnership?
Three fundamental pillars define a successful partnership: a direct application programming interface (API) integration, a shared target customer, and a partnership mentality focused on solutions. When any one of these pillars falter, the client suffers and that is unacceptable. As a 3PL, it’s our responsibility to help clients mitigate pain points and enable growth.
Read MoreOther Reasons Why Supply Chain Stress Won’t End Soon
Our "new normal" global consumption reality won’t be ending soon. It’s not just e-commerce, virus buying, and the resultant impact on transport lift availability that’s driving shortages. Other factors augment long-term stress on your ability to marshal supplies and source transport to serve customers. Millennials with buying power, and there are lots of them, will […]
Read MoreIt’s Time for Women in Transportation
When the pandemic first hit the United States, it wiped out millions of jobs, particularly among women who found themselves back home and coordinating everything from elderly parent medical issues to home-school activities for kids.
Read MoreAvoiding Freight Detention and Seizure
Knowing the most common reasons CBP seizes a shipment can help you avoid the hassle.
Read MoreThere’s No Easy Button for AI and ML
It’s easy to get excited about using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to transform supply chain and logistics operations. Take a bunch of data, run it through a model, and uncover the hidden answers that take your business to the next level.
Read MoreIt’s Time to Rethink the Routing Guide
The routing guide is the manifestation of a shipper’s transportation strategy and a rough estimate of its budget for the upcoming year. It connects the annual bid with actual load tendering within a TMS, and strategically allocates and assigns each shipment to the appropriate carrier.
Read More3 Ways Dynamic Pricing Helps Retailers
Dynamic pricing is everywhere. Just about anything purchased through Amazon has been impacted by some element of dynamic pricing. Surge pricing on Uber, toll road prices that rise as traffic builds up, and even concert tickets are using the technology.
Read MoreHow to Import Duty-Free with Section 321
Running an e-commerce business can be a great source of income, but it can also be complicated. Ordering products from the other side of the world, navigating global logistics and even setting up successful sales channels are all a huge problem for retailers to overcome. Then throw into the mix of this a huge trade […]
Read MoreNavigating Unexpected Hiccups
Uncertainties and unexpected hiccups can hit businesses at any time. Without resilience and enough preparedness, a business can struggle to cope with these unforeseen events.
Read More7 Critical Questions You Need to Ask
With a huge number of constantly shifting variables, suppliers, and other factors to consider, it’s easy to feel that managing supply chain risk is an unending battle that you’ll never win.
Read MoreBuild an Agile and Resilient Supply Chain in 4 Steps
In an era when the most unpredictable challenge imaginable, a global pandemic, turned the business world upside down, the need for a reliable supply chain that can react quickly to any and all disruptions became the top priority for organizations. This is by no means an easy feat, and many are familiar with the concept […]
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