Negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership have at long last come to a successful end. But ratification of the agreement is far from assured - and some key questions remain to be answered.
For 130 years, Chicago and New York City have been locked in a battle of the skyscrapers. Nine of the tallest buildings in the U.S., as well as more than one-half of the nation's towers greater than 785 feet, were built in just those two cities.
Companies shifting manufacturing from China back to the U.S.? That's old news. Given the recent economic setbacks in the Chinese economy, however, you have to wonder whether the trend will continue.
Are companies really shifting their manufacturing operations out of China and back to the West? The answer isn't a simple one, says Akhil Oltikar, vice president of supply chain solutions at Riverwood Solutions. He looks at the many issues that global manufacturers take into account when deciding where to site their operations.
Tom Enright, research director with Gartner, talks about his recently completed survey on the challenges that are confronting multichannel retailers today, with a particular focus on the issue of returns. He offers his view on what constitutes excellence in the returns process.
The Reshoring Initiative recently announced a program in partnership with Walmart to help companies manufacture more consumer products in the United States.
E-commerce retailers are starting to add smaller, urban warehouses to their supply chains as the pace of online shopping and delivery transforms distribution demands.
The dynamics that have long favored China as the world's center of low-cost manufacturing are changing. And no one - not even China - seems to have a problem with that.
