Food & Beverage

Retail Container Imports to Increase 8.5 Percent in September; Strong Holiday Numbers Ahead?

September 13, 2012

Import cargo volume at the nation's major retail container ports is expected to increase 8.5 percent in September compared with the same month last year, and strong increases are expected into the holiday season despite talk of a possible strike at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturers Project Strong Second Half in 2012

September 13, 2012

Prime Advantage

Prime Advantage, a buying consortium for mid-sized manufacturers, announced the findings of its 10th semi-annual Group Outlook Survey, revealing financial projections and top concerns of its member companies for the second half of 2012. The majority of surveyed manufacturers report healthy revenue projections, strong hiring and capital spending plans. However, for a small portion of respondents these plans may see delays due to uncertainty about the results of the federal elections.

Truckload Rates Hold Steady in August, Intermodal Linehaul Rates Rise in Same Period

September 13, 2012

Cass Information Systems

Truckload pricing remained constant from July to August according to the Cass Truckload Linehaul Index, which for the second month in a row registered a value of 109.5. On a year-over-year basis, truckload rates are up 1.0 percent. After seeing substantial year-over-year growth rates last year and early in 2012, truckload pricing has continued to see its rate of growth move down over the last few months, according to Avondale Partners' recent report.

Ahold USA Enlists FoodLink as Purchasing Platform for Fresh Foods, Floral Products

September 13, 2012

FoodLink

FoodLink will become the online buying platform for all fresh produce, meat, seafood, deli and floral category purchasing across more than 750 stores operated by Ahold USA.

Damco Moving Headquarters to The Hague, Netherlands

September 13, 2012

Damco

Global freight forwarder and logistics provider Damco is moving its headquarters from Copenhagen, Denmark to The Hague, Netherlands. The move, which should be completed in first quarter 2013, brings Damco closer to the heart of the European logistics community and supports its strategy to become a Top Five industry player in the years to come.

VP Quote: TradeStone Has Enhanced Accuracy, Communication and Visibility

September 13, 2012

Challenge: A southern-based retailer/wholesaler was operating four distinct divisions (auto, industrial, office products and electronics). Each division was sourcing independently and most private brands buying was done through agents, which led to higher costs, quality check issues and limited visibility. Quote requests were also being stored in various formats, (spreadsheets, emails, etc) making tracking and organizing a cumbersome issue.

U.S. Rail Traffic Dips in Beginning of September, But Intermodal Sees Strong Growth

September 12, 2012

Railway Age

U.S. freight carload traffic for the week ending Sept. 1 declined 3.4 percent measured against the comparable week of 2011, the Association of American Railroads said. But U.S. intermodal continued its winning streak, up a robust 6.5 percent during the week compared with one year ago.

Solving a Returns Problem Leads to Complete U.S. Fulfillment Strategy

September 12, 2012

Challenge: An online fashion retailers model for distributing product from Europe to end customers in the U.S. created high shipping costs that made it impossible to ship returns back to Europe. The retailer was forced to sell returned merchandise to discounters for a fraction of its value.

For Brick-and-Mortar Retail to Succeed Against Amazon, IT Must Be Given Free Rein

September 11, 2012

Storefront Backtalk

If a retailer really wants to compete with Amazon and the changing realities of today's retail environment, it needs to kill the IT budget, disband the IT Steering Committee and throw away the IT project list. It's time for IT to be moved out from under the CFO's reigns. It's time to let go of the past and start thinking about IT as a business enabler, unleashing its full potential to the organization.

Racing to Success with Vocollect Voice

September 11, 2012

Challenge: The manufacturer of the most recognized and best-selling brand of motocross apparel in the world today needed to accelerate distribution center performance to support company growth and expansion.