Logistics & supply chain - Articles - Page 72

Is the Rail Industry Rolling Toward Powering Its Engines with Natural Gas?

October 15, 2012

On a 300-mile stretch of railroad in the plains of eastern Alberta, a test train chugs across the landscape burning a fuel that once made sense only to environmentalists. It runs on natural gas. And today, that makes sense to business leaders whose top priority is cutting costs.

Assessing and Balancing Trade-offs in Supply Chain Optimization

October 12, 2012

Chet Chaffee, Vice President, Life Cycle Assessment, FirstCarbon Solutions

Optimizing supply chain operations to cost less and be more effective has long been a top priority for businesses. Now, companies must consider new sustainability measures such as carbon. Identifying, tracking and managing supply chain emissions is quickly becoming essential to optimization efforts, with the primary goal of detecting inefficiencies in fuel, electricity and water consumption and then correcting those inefficiencies to help eliminate waste and reduce costs. But improving one benchmark in an optimization effort may adversely impact another. It's rare that everything aligns perfectly.

Logistics Companies Weathered Tepid Economic Conditions in 2011, Survey Finds

October 10, 2012

Penske Logistics

In spite of a slow economic climate, 74 percent of the North American logistics companies surveyed achieved or exceeded revenue projections in 2011. However, companies that failed to meet their financial projections were up sharply from 14 percent in 2010, to 26 percent in 2011.

Vehicle Seating Supplier Relaxes with New 3PL

October 10, 2012

SupplyChainBrain

Shelby Foam Systems, which supplies padding and Velcro to one of the world's largest seating manufacturers for cars and trucks, wasn't sitting comfortably with its transportation provider. It needed better inbound monitoring, and at a lower cost.

Future of Healthcare Industry Requires a 'Borderless' World, FedEx Head Says

October 9, 2012

FedEx

With a current world population of more than seven billion, and expectations that number will exceed eight billion by 2030, the global healthcare industry is growing exponentially. But to achieve its potential, providers across the industry - from R+D and manufacturing to the caregivers themselves - must go "borderless." This interconnected view of the industry's future was the focus of the FedEx Corp. healthcare industry summit, held in New York City recently.

Time and Money Advantages of Logistics Clusters

October 9, 2012

Yossi Sheffi, Director, MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics

These clusters are agglomerations of logistics activities in a region or logistics park, and there can be huge cost-saving advantages to locating in them.

Wider Acceptance of 'Green' Buildings Requires Better Documentation of Benefits

October 8, 2012

Environmental Leader

Wider financial, environmental and social benefits need to be documented for green building if it is to maintain the growth seen in the past decade, according to research by McGraw-Hill Construction.

Is There a Talent Generation Gap in U.S. Distribution?

October 8, 2012

SupplyChainBrain

A conversation with Tim Hotze, vice president of supply chain management of Panalpina USA.

The Healthy Supply Chain Transformation at Boston Scientific

October 2, 2012

Inside Supply Management

The business of helping people live longer, healthier lives is not taken lightly in any regard. Suppliers to Boston Scientific must guarantee extremely high quality and delivery, because the smallest imperfection or delay could be life-threatening. For this reason, the entire supply chain depends on efficiency and quality. The global indirect sourcing and procurement (GISP) organization at Boston Scientific is responsible for all strategic and tactical procurement of indirect materials and services, using a center-led operating model to organize sourcing around the world.

U.S. Airfreight Industry Stagnating, Study Suggests

October 1, 2012

Air Cargo World

The U.S. airfreight market generated revenues of $28bn in 2011, a 7.4 percent, year-over-year, increase. Although a seemingly positive development, this figure is on par with the revenues the industry recorded in the 2000-2001 financial year. Such statistics show that the U.S. - despite the domination of integrators FedEx and UPS - isn't immune to the sluggishness affecting the global airfreight market, a new study conducted by Air Cargo Management Group asserted.