Logistics

Sunny Delight Finds the Balance Between Service and Savings

February 12, 2014

Customer value and safe operations always comes first at Sunny Delight, but the company also keeps a keen eye on costs. Kevin Singletary discusses steps to the perfect service/cost balance.

Third-Party Logistics: Exploring the Direct-to-Consumer Cold Chain

February 12, 2014

SupplyChainBrain

Analyst Insight: Direct delivery of orders to the customer's doorstep is a hot topic for transportation and logistics executives"”from giants like Amazon to mom-and-pop specialty retailers. In particular, there is a lot of buzz around the direct-to-consumer cold chain. Free delivery and free returns, combined with the complexity and cost of cold chain distribution center (DC) and delivery assets, make for a chief marketing officer's dream and a chief financial officer's nightmare. How can you get this capability just right? - Don Anderson, Principal, Tompkins International

Fourth Quarter Strong in Every Segment, Driving Overall Intermodal Growth of 4.6 Percent in 2013

February 12, 2014

IANA

Cementing its role in the North American supply chain, the value of intermodal transport speaks for itself with another year of solid growth. Building on the industry's positive 2012 performance, total shipments improved 4.6 percent in 2013, according to the Intermodal Association of North America's (IANA) fourth quarter and year-end Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics. Domestic container volume "” which doubled over the past 10 years "” outperformed other markets in 2013, capping the year with a 9.4 percent bump, which was consistent with Q4 growth of this segment at 9.0 percent.

Finding Supply Chain Talent: Addressing the Perpetual Challenge

February 12, 2014

SupplyChainBrain

In her August 2013 report, SUPPLY CHAIN TALENT: THE MISSING LINK IN YOUR FUTURE? Supply Chain Insights' Lora Cecere noted that "Companies are feeling the pain of open positions... The talent shortage is greatest for middle-management positions."

Big Picture. Big Value.

February 11, 2014

Genco

When Implementing Global TMS, the World Isn't So Small, After All

February 11, 2014

SupplyChainBrain

Moving a box from A to B is much the same in any country, but paperwork, processes, terminology and regulations vary greatly, presenting a barrier to global TMS rollouts. Elie Hiller of Transwide discusses ways to meet this challenge.

Planning a Successful Global High-Tech Product Launch: Part 1

February 11, 2014

Brandon Johnson, High-Tech Segment Manager, UPS

Product lifecycle management and line extensions are vital to companies operating in the high-tech industry, perhaps more so than any other industry. However, while many high-tech executives believe they are industry experts in regards to product innovation, confidence wanes in their ability to manage other parts of the product lifecycle, particularly when it comes to managing global product launches.

Providers of Supply Chain Services Know Value of Innovation

February 11, 2014

SupplyChainBrain

Analyst Insight: Service providers are blending services across consulting, technology and outsourcing to deliver ongoing operational capabilities to supply chain organizations. Bundling multiple services for a client is not unusual or new. For at least the past five years, providers with multiple service lines have been presenting bundled services to clients. - Michael Dominy, Research Director, Gartner

Packing Lean: Contract Packaging Projects Hitting Continuous Improvement Targets

February 10, 2014

Challenge: A global healthcare company sought to improve packaging and display operations and increase utilization of equipment. The operation was housed in a 140,000 sq.-ft. facility, and suffered from frequent bottlenecks and minimal visibility to productivity reports.

2014 to Be 'Year of the Distribution Center' - and Here Are Four Reasons Why

February 10, 2014

Jones Lang LaSalle

Industrial real estate is poised for a spike in demand, development and delivery according to research by Jones Lang LaSalle. Industrial markets nationwide have been recovering for more than four full years, with 15 consecutive quarters of positive net absorption. Last year marked a five-year high, with 168 million square feet of net absorption, and, with current forecasts, this figure could top 180 million square feet in 2014. So, what's behind this momentum?