Many retailers are likely familiar with and perhaps even own a Staples Easy Button. They may have even tapped the tchotchke a time or two, prompting the bright red plastic button to cheerfully chirp the office supply retailer's tagline, "That was easy!" But calling out the retailer's tagline was the extent of the Easy Button's capabilities. Until now.
The International Monetary Fund has downgraded its global growth projections for 2016 and 2017. It is now forecasting the global economy to increase at a 3.1 percent pace this year and 3.4 percent next year, both down 0.1 percentage points from previous projections.
Continuing growth in e-commerce is fueling a tight market for distribution and fulfillment centers space, either leased, purchased or through a partner, as companies look to expand their networks to meet growing consumer demand for rapid parcel delivery.
Confronted with shrinking profit margins, capacity concerns and rising customer expectations, today's logistics organizations are looking for innovative ways to provide better service at a lower cost and to ultimately increase profitability and competitive advantage. This is why supply chain success extends beyond your workforce and into your partner ecosystem.
If you manage factories, airlines, hospitals or farms, you probably know something about the Internet of Things. If you don't, your thoughts on the IoT may start and end with wondering why a coffeepot needs to talk to a toaster. But the fact is that the continuing development of precision technologies could dramatically transform our planet's fundamental infrastructure.
The latest supply-chain news, analysis, trends and tools for executives in the consumer packaged goods industry. Learn how consumer packaged goods companies and their suppliers around the world are managing the flow of products across all channels of the enterprise. Experts sound off on forecasting and demand planning, supply-chain visibility, logistics outsourcing, inventory optimization, transportation management, warehouse management, supply-chain security, corporate social responsibility and more.
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