Global Supply Chain Management

Surface Transportation Bill Passes. Where Do We Go From Here?

July 9, 2012

Give Congress credit for finally coming to agreement on a new surface transportation bill, after months of acrimonious debate and nine extensions of the old funding law, known as SAFETY-LU. The fact that the Senate and House of Representatives could agree on anything at all is, I suppose, reason to applaud, especially given the toxic atmosphere that chokes the political scene today. And this new measure is something more than a "kick-the-can-down-the-road" effort, given that it maintains current highway funding levels until September 2014.

How Procurement Innovation Can Drive Productivity Gains

July 9, 2012

Chief Executive

Innovation is required if the U.S. is to regain the level of productivity that it enjoyed toward the end of the 19th Century through the mid-20th Century. However, innovation by itself is not enough. Just as our parents and grandparents adopted electricity, the automobile, credit cards and airplanes in the period from 1870-1950, businesses and organizations of the 21st Century must embrace change.

Non-Asset-Based 3PLs & C-TPAT Certification

July 9, 2012

Jeff Vielhaber, Vice President of Operations, TTS, LLC

This past month, non-asset-based third-party logistics companies took a big leap forward in their fight to join the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), one of our nation's leading supply chain security programs. The Department of Homeland Security approved port security legislation that includes creating a pilot program for non-asset-based 3PLs to participate in C-TPAT. The pilot program will give entry to C-TPAT to five 3PLs for one year.

Chief Finance Execs Begin to See Value in Sustainability Initiatives

July 9, 2012

CFO

Before Jeff Piccolomini joined Henkel Corp. in 1997, he was dubious about corporate efforts to address environmental concerns - a "typical skeptical CFO," as he puts it. A CPA by training and a longtime finance executive, Piccolomini wasn't accustomed to dealing with the kind of green goals that the German-owned personal-care company had set in motion, such as reducing carbon emissions.