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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, …

How the Supply Chain Crunch is Transforming Air Cargo Read More »

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 …

Trucking Industry Trends: How Carriers and Shippers Can Adapt Read More »

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 …

Friend-Shoring: The Future Of Trade And Supply Chains Read More »

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 …

What’s Next for 24/7 Supply Chains? Read More »

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 …

Surviving the Amazon Effect With Technological Upgrades Read More »

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 …

Inbound Freight Optimization: Improved Oversight Drives Efficiency Read More »

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 …

How Supply Chain Diversification Can Transform Global Supply Chains Read More »

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 …

Boost Your Employer Brand With Supply Chain Digital Transformation Read More »

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 …

The Shift from Global to Regional Supply Chains Read More »

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 …

Blockchain and Shipping: What You Need to Know Read More »

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 …

How Carriers Can Navigate Today’s Driver Shortages Read More »

Not long ago, shippers were eagerly awaiting the summer of 2022. It was supposed to be when supply chains would begin to unscramble, and the industry would start seeing some semblance of regularity. But Covid’s unrelenting grip on the globe—combined with the war on Ukraine and growing inflation—has shippers tempering their expectations. As 2022’s peak …

4 Supply Chain Trends To Watch For 2022’s Peak Season Read More »

These are challenging times for everyone—suppliers and distributors alike. Chinese factories are still in lockdown. Fuel pricing is affecting ocean transport. Airlines that would usually fly over Russia are rerouting to avoid conflict zones. Planning and executing a resilient supply chain is critical. Although the holidays are months away, it’s time to prepare for peak …

The Time Is Now to Prepare for Peak Season Read More »

Ocean freight is a vital component of global supply chains—with trade volumes expected to increase threefold by 2050. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic prompted global port shutdowns, the industry has been overrun with an unrelenting sequence of obstacles. After the reopening of international trade, a wave of record-high imports and exports has resulted in industry-wide …

The Future of Ocean Freight: Implications for Shippers, Carriers, and Beyond Read More »

The unprecedented pressures affecting supply chains have awakened shippers to the importance of building more visibility into their operations. Combined with the disruptions and uncertainty that have characterized supply chains for the past three years, poor visibility has further hampered firms’ responsiveness and, in many cases, contributed to significant losses. Poor supply chain visibility has …

Supply Chain Event Management: Leveraging Improved Visibility Into Efficiency Read More »

After two years of pandemic-related disruptions, shippers hope for a normal supply chain by 2023. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like normalcy will return next year. Forty-five percent of economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal in October 2021 estimated bottlenecks would ease by the second half of 2022. Now it’s May, and many shippers don’t …

Expectations For Supply Chains To Normalize in 2023 May Not Be Realized Read More »

For companies of all sizes, reliable carrier partnerships are essential. After all, profits, efficiency, and customer satisfaction depend on them—as do new business opportunities in global markets. Today, that’s especially true—and both businesses and carriers need help. Thanks to the pandemic, supply chain disruptions are rising, with carriers struggling to accommodate volume after a long …

Why Logistics Teams Need Winning Carrier Partnerships Read More »

In unprecedented times, businesses must find new strategies to stay competitive. With a global crisis disrupting supply chains and consumer expectations transformed by new technology, many companies eagerly embraced omnichannel fulfillment in 2021. Due to supply chain disruptions resulting from the pandemic, companies found front-end fulfillment more difficult. Surviving these disruptions, and those that will …

Technology For Omnichannel Fulfillment Drives Customer Satisfaction Read More »

Last year, nearly every carrier experienced significant operational disruptions. Fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic was to blame for backlogged supply chains that snowballed into unprecedented delays and shortages of goods throughout the globe. Other threats are taking center stage as we enter what promises to be a less acute phase of the pandemic. For example, …

5 Actions To Minimize The Impact of Carrier Disruptions Read More »

With global warming and ethical sourcing concerns on the rise, the environmental impact of businesses has attracted an unprecedented amount of attention. In light of this growing awareness, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is becoming a priority for firms worldwide—and sustainable practices are a vital component of the effort. Many logistics teams continue to seek scalable …

Powerful Logistics Tech Drives Sustainable Supply Chains Read More »

In an era of global supply chains, opportunities for manufacturers to drive growth and expand into international markets are abundant. Unfortunately, this global reach also comes with various supply chain risks, presenting challenges for modern logistics teams. Thankfully, the right tools can help teams manage these risks and avoid costly shipping mistakes. Automated TMSes can …

How Manufacturers Can Minimize Supply Chain Risks with a TMS Read More »

Climate change makes natural disasters more frequent, so shippers must respond to continuous supply chain disruptions. It’s drastically increasing the likelihood for extreme weather to cause supply disruptions, increases in resource scarcity, and health crises. Shippers can minimize these risks by understanding how climate change will affect supply. Climate Change Disrupts Working Conditions Extreme weather …

Climate Change: How to Weather Supply Chain Disruptions Read More »

Auditing ocean invoices is a highly error-prone process. It involves extensive steps that often require manual entry of each international freight invoice, creating an increasingly inefficient and costly challenge. Duplicated invoices and payments are too common as well, which also allows room for human error. These invoice inaccuracies lead to increased labor costs, mishandled products, …

Auditing Ocean Invoices: What You Need To Know To Get It Right Read More »

The events from the past two years highlighted the vulnerabilities of global supply chains. They also mark a shift toward a climate dominated by volatility and risk. As disruption transitions from isolated episodes to the status quo, it’s essential that firms transform the hard-learned lessons from the pandemic into more adaptable business models and improved …

Three Lessons on Supply Chain Risk Management from the Pandemic Read More »