Sourcing from far-flung countries such as China is leading to growing uncertainty about the actual supply of purchase orders. The supply chain solutions for the 24-hour economy lie primarily in a flexible IT platform which enables the various internal software applications, such as for manufacturing execution, warehouse management and transport planning, to be connected to external systems such as for customs handling. MORE

At the end of every fully funded Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign, there will be a warehouse full of product that needs to get into the hands of your backers. If you’re like a lot of small business startups, however, you might have forgotten to figure in fulfillment costs, including shipping and warehouse storage fees. A crowdfunding fulfillment provider can track and warehouse your products once they arrive from the manufacturer. Source: Indiegogo. Subscribe Here! MORE

Your eCommerce sales channels are integrated with your warehouse systems. When one of your customers places an order, the software at your fulfillment warehouse generates a packing slip. A warehouse worker takes the packing slip and picks the items for the order from the warehouse shelves. You move around the warehouse, picking the items for the order off the shelves. Each batch of orders is for items that are in the same area of the warehouse. MORE

Chad Collins, the CEO of HighJump, formally announced the transition of HighJump to Körber Supply Chain, and further stated that all of the twelve Körber Supply Chain companies will transfer to the Körber brand by this summer. MORE

I appreciate Carol and Chad’s work in this area. I like Lokad’s use of machine learning using open source database techniques (think about attribute-based machine modeling in a modified Apache Spark-like architecture.) We discussed the use of machine learning with drones for continuous cycle counting in the warehouse. PINC was an early adopter of drone technologies for fleet and yard management and has now moved into the warehouse. Oh my! MORE

Vet carriers using multiple sources - It’s a good practice to confirm a carrier’s phone number from a reliable source. Use SaferSys, DAT CarrierWatch , Company Reviews and as many sources as you can to vet carriers. Chad Boblett, Owner-Operator, Boblett Brothers Trucking, Lexington, KY: 4. Meet carriers face to face - Des Moines Truck Brokers has a nearby warehouse and carriers are encouraged to stop in the office to meet the team. MORE

Vet carriers using multiple sources - It’s a good practice to confirm a carrier’s phone number from a reliable source. Use SaferSys, DAT CarrierWatch , Company Reviews and as many sources as you can to vet carriers. Chad Boblett, Owner-Operator, Boblett Brothers Trucking, Lexington, KY: 4. Meet carriers face to face - Des Moines Truck Brokers has a nearby warehouse and carriers are encouraged to stop in the office to meet the team. MORE

Salespeople selling direct to consumers build better relationships and can get feedback directly from the source — a valuable asset for any business. You may be paying upfront for salespeople, delivery vans, equipment and warehouse. Chad is more price-sensitive than Joshua. MORE