Schneider National Inc., a provider of truckload, intermodal and logistics services, is opening a facility in Phoenix, Ariz.

Following negative numbers in four of the last five months, import volume at the nation's major retail container ports is expected to grow 1.7 percent in August over the same month last year and should continue to see gains through the holiday season and the remainder of 2013, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. The year is expected to end with a 2.4-percent increase over 2012.

Logistics service provider Samuel Shapiro & Co. Inc. has created Shapiro University, to supply employees and customers with educational training.

Having completed 16 acquisitions of small logistics companies in the past seven years, Echo Global Logistics knows something about successful takeover strategies. CEO Doug Waggoner talks about the company's growth-through-acquisition initiatives.

A new reform-minded government, a stable economy and sound infrastructure are among the factors combining to make Mexico a good market for logistics operations, says Eric Markeset, who is based in Mexico City as principal of consulting firm Tsol.

As merged channels (also known as omnichannel) become the default for an increasing number of retailers, the challenge of efficiently handling the supply chain and managing inventory becomes exponentially more complex.