Talking Logistics

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

That was the main theme of a panel session I led at last month’s MercuryGate User Conference 2013 , which included the following 3PL executives: Shelli Austin , VP at Integrated Distribution Services (IDS). Jane Sandifeer , VP Business Solutions at Advanced Shipping Technologies. Tweet The post 3PL Executive Insights from MercuryGate User Conference 2013 appeared first on Talking Logistics with Adrian Gonzalez.

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Talking Logistics

JUNE 11, 2013

At the Manhattan Associates Momentum 2013 conference last month, the answer was a great conversation about transportation trends, challenges, and opportunities. The big test will come in Q4 when shipping volumes increase for the holidays. Tweet The post Takeaways from Shipper-Carrier Roundtable at Momentum 2013 appeared first on Talking Logistics with Adrian Gonzalez.

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Conference Capacity Transportation Management 3PL 140

Talking Logistics

MAY 17, 2013

What I found most interesting, however, was this statistic quoted in the press release: “According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, as of January 2013, 31 percent of American adults own a tablet computer , up from 25 percent in August 2012 and four percent in 2010.” In related news, Maersk downgraded its forecast for ocean shipping demand. Tweet The post This Week in Logistics News (May 13-17, 2013) appeared first on Talking Logistics with Adrian Gonzalez.

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Talking Logistics

SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

With SPS and Accellos, we seamlessly automated our trading relationships with major drop-ship and traditional retailers including Amazon.com, Costco.com, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Wal-Mart and others within a few short weeks. Tweet The post This Week in Logistics News (September 16-20, 2013) appeared first on Talking Logistics with Adrian Gonzalez. “Half the countries in the world have an even number of chickens.”

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Talking Logistics

OCTOBER 18, 2013

Free-Shipping Offers Abound This Holiday Season, According To Shop.Org. Years from now, when we look back at 2013, we might say this was the year where logistics truly became a strategic weapon for companies. As the holiday season heats up, some interesting findings related to free shipping and mobile commerce from Shop.org’s eHoliday survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.

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Talking Logistics

JUNE 7, 2013

In this week’s news… UPS Freight Announces 2013 Rate Adjustment. New Distribution Strategy For Market Leading Kewill Clippership® Parcel Shipping Software. Cass Freight Index Report for May 2013. The rate adjustment will take effect on June 10, 2013, and applies to minimum charge, less-than-truckload (LTL) and truckload (TL) rates, and accessorial charges.”. Rates have still remained quite flat as they have most of 2013. Welcome to June.

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Talking Logistics

NOVEMBER 1, 2013

Reports 2013 Third-Quarter Results. Con-Way this week reported 2013 third-quarter net income of $30.6 The sophisticated software combines customer’s shipping requirements with customized map data the company has compiled to provide UPS drivers with optimized routing instructions that meet service-level requirements, while reducing miles driven. . One of my predictions for 2013 was that we would see increased adoption of alternative fuel vehicles.

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Logistics Miami Journal Course 141

Talking Logistics

DECEMBER 13, 2013

Same-day delivery (or is it shipping?) NAFTA Trade in September 2013 than in September 2012. German shipping banks face $22 billion in losses: Moody’s ( Reuters ). Side note: I received a comment yesterday about my Home Depot posting because the title referenced same-day delivery but I also mentioned same-day shipping in the writeup. According to the article: UPS and FedEx…are now eager to help traditional retailers deal with [ship-from-store].

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Japan Vietnam Journal Singapore 136

Talking Logistics

JUNE 28, 2013

NAFTA Trade in April 2013. Menlo Worldwide Logistics and Temasek Polytechnic Establish Scholarship Programme, Announce 2013 Winners. It provides the key warehouse management features needed to quickly deliver ROI, including the tracking and visibility of inbound orders, directed put-away, variety of picking methods, shipping, directed replenishment and inventory control. .

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Logistics Singapore Security Education 144

Talking Logistics

JULY 19, 2013

SAP Announces Second Quarter and First Half Results 2013. As I’ve commented in previous postings, if you are a 3PL or transportation company and you’re not involved in cross-border shipping with Mexico, then you are missing out on a growing business opportunity (see Reuters article from December 2012). Overcapacity in the global air freight market, increasing customer preference for lower-yielding shipping solutions, and a slowing U.S.

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Talking Logistics

NOVEMBER 15, 2013

And in Women’s Wear Daily , an interesting article highlighting how the Gap is rolling out ship-from-store capabilities across its network, and introducing a new program called “Reserve” where shoppers select items online and have them held in the stores for purchase and pickup. Tweet The post This Week in Logistics News (November 11-15, 2013) appeared first on Talking Logistics with Adrian Gonzalez. Lots of interesting news to discuss today, so let’s go straight to it.

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Maryland Los Angeles Dallas Phoenix 136

Talking Logistics

AUGUST 9, 2013

As I’ve said before, the true test of how detrimental the new HOS regulations will be to the industry will come in Q4 when shipping volumes increase for the holidays, especially when you couple it with the impact CSA is having on driver hiring and retention ; a lot also depends on what happens with the economy in the months ahead too. Apparently, if 3D printing has the potential to disrupt parcel shipping down the road, then UPS wants to have a stake in it too.

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Logistics Germany DC Retail 136

Talking Logistics

MAY 3, 2013

Reports 2013 First-Quarter Results. NAFTA trade in February 2013. Cass Freight Index Report – April 2013. Overcapacity, Fuel Costs Hit Shipping Industry ( Fox Business ). million for Q1 2013, compared to $25.6 Stotlar, Con-way’s president and CEO: “On a consolidated basis, our first quarter 2013 results were below our expectations and therefore were disappointing. It’s the beginning of May and the Red Sox have the best record in baseball.

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Norway Journal Logistics Report 136

Talking Logistics

JULY 12, 2013

Truckload and LTL Driver Turnover Rises in First Quarter of 2013. According to the press release: The SMC³ LTL reference tariff will be accessed directly from LLamasoft Supply Chain Guru and Transportation Guru software and will provide the rate data necessary to help determine the cost and feasibility of new network structures and shipping locations. Tweet The post This Week in Logistics News (July 8-12, 2013) appeared first on Talking Logistics with Adrian Gonzalez.

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California Logistics Journal America 130

Talking Logistics

FEBRUARY 8, 2013

FedEx Introduces Enhancements to Deep Frozen Shipping. Cass Freight Index Report – January 2013. 2013 is off to a slow start for freight shipments, according to the Cass Freight Index Report for January. Here is an excerpt: Both shipment volume and total freight payments declined significantly from December [2012] to January [2013], as the economy slowed to a near stall.

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Fresno Sacramento California Report 100

Talking Logistics

FEBRUARY 22, 2013

FedEx Helps Small Businesses Streamline Shipping with fedex.com Integration Manager. As I highlighted in my supply chain and logistics predictions for 2013 , tablets and smartphones are quickly becoming the preferred computing platform for business professionals, which is why technology providers are designing and optimizing their applications for these devices.

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Mexico North Dakota Montana Nebraska 100

Supply Chain Opz

JANUARY 7, 2013

Apple Inc purchases raw materials from various sources then get them shipped to an assembling plant in China. From there, assembler will ship products directly to consumers (via UPS/Fedex) for those who buy from the Apples Online Store. NAVIGATE. Basics. Case Studies. Graphics. All Posts. About. Copyright. Privacy. Blogroll. Is Apple Supply Chain Really the No. A Case Study.

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Case Study Study Examples Supply Chain 219

LeanCor

NOVEMBER 19, 2013

You can ask them to change how much they ship (smaller lots), when they ship (more frequently), and how they ship (consistent documentation and packaging). Supplier Collaboration: A Critical Requirement. Supplier collaboration and the resulting improvements are critical requirements for implementing lean flow across the entire supply chain. Many companies recognize this, but question how to go about creating supplier collaboration, especially how to start the interaction.

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Lean Analysis Education Supplier Management 196

LeanCor

SEPTEMBER 4, 2013

The provider should have a reliable IT team that can be flexible and respond quickly to daily changing supplier and shipping scenarios. 5 Things You Should Expect From Your Third Party Logistics Provider. The new role of the third party logistics provider will not just be to transport and store, but rather to serve as a trusted partner in the lean journey by identifying problems, implementing solutions, and adding value in global and complex supply chains.

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Third Party Logistics Logistics Lean Continuous Improvement 201

The Logistics of Logistics

DECEMBER 27, 2012

I have listed the best logistics websites for 2013. George’s website explains shipping basics and is the ideal resource for shippers. The post Best Logistics Websites 2013 appeared first on The Logistics of Logistics. I subscribe to each of these websites and I consistently steal ideas gain knowledge and inspiration from each one of them. Below is a link to the specific logistics website, along with a brief summary.

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Logistics Journal Supply Chain Groups 100

LeanCor

AUGUST 7, 2013

Manufacturing Lead Time: The amount of time it takes to send an order to production planning and for the goods to be manufactured and made available for shipping. Outbound (Customer) Lead Time: In logistics and supply chain, outbound time is the amount of time it takes for a customer order to be received, processed, and shipped to the customer. What is “Total Lead Time” in Terms of Logistics and Supply Chain?

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Logistics Supply Chain Inventory Lean 183

LeanCor

NOVEMBER 13, 2013

In a perfect world, when we receive an order from our customer, we order what we need from our suppliers, build the product, and ship it to the customer. This means that the goal of the warehouse is to receive product in and ship product out as quickly as possible, creating velocity and speed in the supply chain. Lean Warehousing – From Paradox to Operational Excellence.

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Lean Warehousing Six Sigma Third Party Logistics 186

SCM Research

JULY 18, 2013

2013), recently published in Ecology Letters, discusses the risk of marine bioinvasion caused by global shipping. 2013). The Risk of Marine Bioinvasion Caused by Global Shipping. We all know that economic, ecological, social, and ethical aspects need to be considered when managing global supply chains. This includes topics such as resource scarcity , climate change , and labor conditions. So far, however, I did not associate bioinvasion with our field.

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Supply Chain Global Shipping Supply Chain Risk Management 146

LeanCor

DECEMBER 4, 2013

A PFEP is typically organized into four sections: Accounting/purchasing: Price and price history, shipping terms, terms of sale. Logistics: Packaging dimensions, lot-size details, and shipping/receiving information. Does Your Logistics Company PFEP? Creating standard ordering processes is crucial for a logistics company to provide value to its customer. When doing so, it’s beneficial to bring together all of the people involved with ordering and planning inbound materials.

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Company Logistics Packaging Lean 179

Supply Chain Shaman

JULY 29, 2013

Amazon can now deliver almost every category of item to your home with no shipping cost for Amazon Prime customers. It happened on Thursday morning last week. It will probably happen again on Tuesday. And, again on Wednesday. I am driving on a campaign to change thinking. It is hard to change a mindset. The brain is wired to believe what it has been told for many years. Every time that it happens, I smile. I understand. I was once there also. Let me start with a story.

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Aerospace Currency Research Comparison 274

The Logistics of Logistics

FEBRUARY 15, 2013

White Paper: The Essential Guide to LTL Shipping Improvement: Action Plan and Metrics for Rapid Transformation. The best 3PLs provide strategic and comprehensive solutions that address all aspects of shipping. Highly effective 3PLs have developed the right habits, culture and processes to deliver excellent service to their clients. Innovation and new technology are obviously important, but when evaluating a 3PL, go with the one that excels at blocking and tackling.

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3PL Continuous Improvement Examples KPI 197

Supply Chain Shaman

SEPTEMBER 24, 2013

The supply chain team takes and ships orders. Chutzpah: A personal confidence or courage that allows someone to do or say things that may seem shocking to others. Merriam Webster. If you are fluent in Yiddish, you know chutzpah, meaning nerve , is akin to the Spanish word ” cojones ” meaning courage , but without an anatomical context as in tener cojones.

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Supply Chain Shaman

JULY 24, 2013

Macy’s had been bragging at conferences about their work on cross-channel fulfillment with progress made in using their stores to ship directly to customers. Macy’s requested that I ship the damaged bowls back. With the introduction of Amazon Prime with free shipping, why do customers need to enter a physical store? I love retail research. While some gals would call it retail therapy, I actively converge my days of shopping with supply chain research.

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Metrics Omnichannel Research Customer Service 257

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 6, 2013

More advanced supply chain leaders model the role of complexity (product and customer), the impact of risk, and opportunity of innovation as well as product shipping and manufacturing locations, and inventory policies. Yesterday, I finished a post on supply chain planning maturity. A client had asked me, “How do I know if we have a mature supply chain planning organization?”

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Big Data Supply Chain Planning Supply Chain Execution Metrics 260

LeanCor

JULY 15, 2013

Not only do companies have to ship products to customers, they are customers to many other companies for raw materials and supplies. Management is freed from issues related to shipping and warehousing to focus on their core business. The Unseen Supply Chain. As consumers continue to buy record amounts of products, there is a largely unseen and unappreciated aspect to business that remains in the background.

Third Party Logistics 171

Third Party Logistics Logistics Lean Education 171

The Logistics of Logistics

JUNE 16, 2013

Old Dominion also provides household moving services, white glove services, and trade show shipping as part of their expedited division. The 5 largest LTL carriers together have $16.2 billion in annual revenues and 46.4% market share. Each of the top five companies has a national footprint with tons of resources and top notch teams. There is a brief profile of each of the carriers below. The 5 Largest LTL Carriers. Largest LTL Carrier: FedEx Freight.

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North Carolina Memphis Virginia Packaging 175

Talking Logistics

SEPTEMBER 11, 2013

The cartons were then transported just a few hundred feet through a tunnel to an adjoining building that was operated by a 3PL, where the products were stored and later shipped to retail distribution centers. I remember reading a case study at the time where Unilever HPC had nine different plants that shipped product to 60 co-packers and then to 15 distribution centers. About a decade ago, I visited a packaging facility operated by a contract packaging provider.

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Packaging Supply Chain 3PL Case Study 162

DELMIA Quintiq

DECEMBER 23, 2013

Now, imagine if companies could dispense with shipping altogether by “manufacturing” goods near their final destination? Nobody likes to wait – that’s how Jeff Bezos, the Amazon.com founder sees it. Amazon.com, eBay and Wal Mart are all heavily investing in the same-day delivery concept. The thing is, only large players can afford to play the same-day delivery game.

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Distribution Company Shipping Inventory 158

The Logistics of Logistics

APRIL 6, 2013

Transportation Cost Drain #4 - Supplier Shipping Terms. Supplier shipping terms are often under scrutinized because of the potential conflict with the buyer, purchasing department or vendor. Transportation Cost Drain #10 - International Shipping. Transportation freight costs managing freight cost reducing freight costs reducing LTL costs reducing shipping cost reducing transportation costs Transportation Cost Drain transportation costs

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Transportation Third Party Logistics Policies Guidelines 138

Talking Logistics

JANUARY 28, 2013

Transportation trends, including collaborative shipping, alternative fuel vehicles, being a “carrier friendly shipper,” and Hours of Service. In our “Executive Perspective” episodes, we explore the key issues and topics that are “top of mind ” for supply chain and logistics executives today.

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Trends Logistics Supply Chain Shipping 161