AI, IoT and Cloud Tech: Which is the Future of Supply Chain Technology?
For years, the supply chain sector lagged far behind others in digital transformation. Firms eschewed supply chain technology over lengthy Excel spreadsheets and remained steadfast on cumbersome paper billing. In addition, the limitations of supply chain technology meant the market offering often fell short of firms’ needs. But those conditions have changed radically over the …
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The Need to Know of Rail Freight Labor Disputes
Transportation networks have felt the strain of pandemic-related delays and slow economic conditions since 2020. Port bottlenecks and labor shortages have become the global standard—creating crowded ports and cramped warehouses. These tensions have reached a boiling point in the US rail freight industry. Around 60% of all long-dwell cargo in the Port of Los Angeles …
The Solutions to Managing Compliance Risk
In today’s demanding climate, businesses face a hefty challenge: managing compliance risk in global supply chains. Beyond the technicalities of individual legal regulations—which may vary wildly across borders—logistics teams must consider environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards, corporate directives, and more. Companies are scrambling to stay compliant, both in terms of legalities and consumer preferences. …
Decrease the Impact of Labor Shortages on the Supply Chain
This peak season, a new challenge is topping the list of concerns for supply chain leaders—labor shortages and worker unrest. Firms have struggled to fill record-high openings and retain workers throughout the sector. And disruptions in the form of strikes, closures, and delayed union negotiations are compounding supply chain labor shortages and further disrupting global …
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Shippers Can Prepare For Recession With These Strategies
As shipping rates continue to increase and inflation is the highest in decades, decreasing demand is the writing on the walls of Wall Street. Economists predict that the U.S. is heading for a recession, and the global economy must adjust accordingly. While shippers cannot solve an impending recession, they can adapt their strategies to increase …
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What Suppliers Can Learn From the Baby Formula Crisis
The baby formula crisis isn’t over. For the last six weeks, more than 20% of infant formulas have been out of stock—a slow but notable departure from the peak of the crisis, when the national shortage rate hit a staggering 70%. During the peak, some cities and states experienced especially drastic circumstances: near the end …
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Decentralized Manufacturing Preserves Profit
Today, global pandemics, national disasters, and geopolitical conflicts can bring supply chains to a halt in the blink of an eye. As manufacturers look to preserve profits and increase resilience—from 24/7 supply chains to ‘friend-shoring’—decentralized manufacturing is one strategy that can help them do just that. Decentralizing manufacturing involves transitioning from one centralized factory or …
Improved Food Traceability Saves Money and Lives
Food traceability—the ability to track food throughout the supply chain—has re-entered the national conversation. Recent public health crises, such as COVID-19 and urgent safety recalls, have prompted growing concern worldwide—a fear compounded by longstanding supply chain disruptions. Traceability is crucial to food safety. In 2019, foodborne E. coli infected 167 consumers across 27 states, resulting …
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Sustainable Shipping is Unavoidable. Make it Smart
Organizations are now working to invest in more renewable resources and reduce the effects of climate change on our planet. As this global effort toward sustainability continues, stainable shipping will be a priority for transport infrastructure. Companies are looking for supply chain solutions that are sustainable as well as economical. For suppliers, this means investing …
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Prepare for Shortages With Updated Freight Workflows
Air freight has been revolutionary since its inception, facilitating faster supply chains than ever before. But the wide-reaching power of this industry also makes it vulnerable to disruptions. When Covid-19 turned the entire supply chain on its head, air transport also faced unprecedented obstacles—becoming one of the hardest hit by pandemic shutdowns. With 50% of …
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How ROI is Optimized by a Robust TMS
With supply chains growing more complex every day, transportation management systems (TMS) are no longer just a nice thing to have—they’re vital for success. Shippers seeking to bolster resiliency and optimize efficiency are turning to TMS applications for help fielding an increasingly globalized, digitized, and volatile landscape. Three major factors are currently driving shippers to …
Shippers Must Adapt to Inflation Before it Skyrockets
High shipping costs are driving inflation, or perhaps inflation is driving high shipping costs. Either way, shippers must adapt to inflation by implementing adaptive supply chain models, localized carrier networks, and transparent logistics infrastructures. Diagnosing the problem with shipping costs In June, legislation was passed to reduce prices and alleviate bottlenecks. The legislation aims to …
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The New Art of Negotiation For Shipping Contracts
In today’s demanding environment, skillfully negotiating shipping contracts is essential. As customer expectations continue to soar, logistics teams are scrambling to keep up—all while leading carriers rake in record profits. E-commerce has exploded, largely due to the pandemic. Over the last two years, customers have spent $32 billion more online for the same volume of …
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Supply Chain Crunch Boosts Profits for Air Freight
Once considered a luxury, more firms than ever are turning to air freight to bypass supply chain disruptions. Since the pandemic, supply chain air cargo has enjoyed an unprecedented surge in demand from firms trying to avoid congested ports and seeking speedier routes to get their goods into consumers’ hands. According to a McKinsey report, …
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Carriers and Shippers are Adapting to These Trucking Trends
From port delays to high unemployment rates, the transportation industry is facing its fair share of hurdles—and trucking is no exception. However, global trucking revenues have recovered from a nearly 22% decrease when Covid-19 first hit, but they have not yet reached pre-pandemic levels. Trucking companies and shippers are still feeling the shock waves from …
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Friend-Shoring is the Frugal Future of Trade
As firms and governments seek to adjust to a new normal of uncertainty and tense geopolitics, the concept of friend-shoring has emerged as an alternative model for global trade. The term was coined to describe the shift towards supply chains that skip ‘unfriendly’ countries in favor of ‘friendlier,’ more reliable nations. Friend-shoring is being touted …
Where the Shift to 24/7 Supply Chains is Going Next
Amid skyrocketing demand and global bottlenecks, the logistics industry is embracing a new, ambitious solution: 24/7 supply chains. Round-the-clock operations offer an intuitive answer to rising dwell times and unmanageable import surges for shippers and carriers alike. The Los Angeles and Long Beach ports process 40% of the nation’s containerized imports. That figure fell nearly …
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Survive the Amazon Effect With These Tech Upgrades
Amazon is an economic disrupter in e-commerce, consumer behavior, and shipping. It’s referred to as the Amazon effect—Amazon’s impact on shipping and delivery that causes suppliers to adapt to Amazon’s innovation and best practices to survive in today’s global marketplace. There’s been a domino effect across supply chains, leaving manufacturers and suppliers to invest in …
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How Inbound Freight Optimization is Driving Efficiency
Over the past two years, unrelenting supply chain obstacles propelled innovative manufacturing teams to optimize inbound freight to preserve profits and evade future disruptions. But this is more of an exception than the rule. Logistics experts say companies often focus on high-priority issues when cutting costs—like reducing expenses in the top 80% of spend. If …
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Supply Chain Diversification is a Necessity for Resilience
In today’s unpredictable climate, supply chain diversification remains a tried-and-true strategy. Amidst skyrocketing costs, driver shortages, and demand shocks, an effective risk management method isn’t just an advantage—it’s a necessity. Over the last year, 59% of businesses have adopted new risk management tactics. Many have begun diversifying their supply chains, turning away from single-supplier sourcing …
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Boost Your Employer Brand With Supply Chain Digital Transformation
Most supply chain leaders know that outdated technology and processes undermine competitiveness, making supply chain digital transformation vital to the business and its brand. Siloed systems affect productivity and internal communication. Excess manual processes create ample room for error, and poor supply chain visibility can affect everything from responsiveness to customer service. Outdated technology hinders …
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Regional Supply Chains Survive Global Disruption
The ongoing pandemic has stalled many components of globalization, resulting in a trend of increased localization of global supply chains. What started as a stop-gap solution for many companies is becoming the new normal for shippers looking to reduce costs and build supply chain resilience. Regionalizing supply may further increase labor and transport costs in …
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Blockchain is the Future of Shipping
It’s no wonder that blockchain and shippers are working together to optimize the use of blockchain technology. Blockchain’s digital ledger allows the entire shipping process to be tracked in real-time, providing endless opportunities for supply chain visibility and accountability. It’s revolutionizing the shipping industry with publicly accessible and digitized assets. Blockchain, a public digital record …
Driver Shortages Won’t Stop Carriers With These Solutions
Supply chains have been stretched to new limits amidst longstanding driver shortages. As the global economy emerges from the worst of the pandemic, consumer demand has skyrocketed. Today’s obstacles include equipment shortages, unpredictable pricing, and an industry slow to adopt technological innovation. But the driver shortage remains one of the biggest challenges of all—and businesses …
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