The expectation is that two mega ships will arrive at the ports to pick up empties this week as the equipment is needed in China. Industrial and chemical sectors are maintaining at seasonally expected shipping volumes as of this time. Mexico and Cross-border. into Mexico by truckload and the increase of CPG export products from Mexico to the U.S., Spot market rates are increasing for freight going from Mexico to the California, Washington, and Oregon areas. MORE

There are so many potential issues that can impact a supply chain to cause delays (such as fluctuating availability of raw materials, hold-ups in customs, adverse weather, staffing problems, political issues, procurement problems, changes in legislation and so on) that being able to realistically foresee and safeguard against each of them will only ever be partially successful, and it takes up a lot of resources. Metrics such as Perfect Order Rate tell businesses a lot. MORE

Recently, a shipping manager asked me what selection criteria he should use when selecting a 3PL. As a sales guy for a 3PL I am always anxious to impress shipping managers, so I created the following 9 things to consider when selecting a 3PL. Pros: If the 3PL is good at procurement, they can build a large network of partners / carriers. The most important measure is the Paydex metric. Metrics / Key Performance Indicators (KPI). Canada & Mexico. MORE

CombineNet and Transplace Extend Partnership in Delivering Advanced Transportation Procurement Solution to North America. FedEx Helps Small Businesses Streamline Shipping with fedex.com Integration Manager. Mexico trade. According to the press release: Con-way Truckload today derives 35 percent of its revenue from shipments destined for or originating in Mexico. MORE

Pros: If the 3PL is good at procurement, they can build a large network of partners / carriers. The most important measure is the Paydex metric. Transactional shippers typically don’t ship much and they don’t commit to any one logistics company. Strategic shippers ship more than transactional shippers and they typically require customized solutions and a dedicated team. Bigger 3PLs will typically have a carrier procurement group and thousands of partner relationships. MORE

To survive the increasing customer demands you need shorter lead times and faster shipping and delivery times. It will also track your goods right from the moment an order is received, its journey through the supply chain until it leaves the warehouse for shipping. Dave Munson @saddlebackbags Dave Munson is the founder and CEO of Saddleback Leather and of their leather factory, Old Mexico Manufacturing. Who should we source and procure from and in what quantity? MORE

“I need you to go down to Mexico right away. And they were dealing with Invoices and issues from every site around the world, not just the one in Mexico. We got on the phone with the Supply Chain team in Mexico to try to get our arms around the problem and develop an action plan. For the foreseeable future we were all committed to spending our time in Mexico solving the Case of the Unpaid Invoices. Subscribe Here! Email Address. MORE

Recently, a shipping manager asked me what selection criteria he should use when selecting a 3PL. As a sales guy for a 3PL I am always anxious to impress shipping managers, so I created the following 9 things to consider when selecting a 3PL. Pros: If the 3PL is good at procurement, they can build a large network of partners / carriers. The most important measure is the Paydex metric. Metrics / Key Performance Indicators (KPI). Canada & Mexico. MORE

My first Monday in, I asked for a full report of all our supply chain metrics, and my analyst told me he could get it to me by Friday. You can either ship it by boat from China (30 days) or by plane (FedEx). At Flex, Tom had a scope that included the entire end to end supply chain: procurement, transportation, warehouse management, as well as customer order fulfillment, customer service, procure to pay, and trade relationships. MORE