Analyst Insight: The top strategic action tied to improving parts management for service and support organizations in a recent Aberdeen research study on service parts logistics was to integrate service parts planning, forecasting and execution with overall logistics functions (i.e., procurement, supply chain management, inventory management) to ensure the delivery of the right part to the end customer when an asset goes down or is not operating at full efficiency. - Aly Pinder Jr., senior research associate, Aberdeen Group
As enterprises look to minimize complexity, improve inbound supply chain efficiency and reduce costs, there is a growing need for intelligent solutions that provide the visibility, optimization and integration required to ensure that every part, component and package is shipped using the most effective service level.
The game of musical chairs in the Pacific Northwest will continue this summer when Grand Alliance carriers NYK Line, Hapag-Lloyd and Orient Overseas Container Line leave the Port of Seattle and move to Tacoma.
Analyst Insight: It can be a struggle for organizations to obtain the right balance between keeping enough inventory on hand to meet customer demand and minimizing costs related to carrying inventory. APQC's research indicates that best-practice organizations achieve this balance through the creation of inventory optimization programs with well-designed strategies, effective processes, appropriate technology, and regular assessment. - Becky Partida, knowledge specialist, APQC
Inttra, provider of an independent platform for booking and managing ocean freight, has created what it says is the industry's first standardized electronic bill of lading.
With dozens of federal agencies having some degree of involvement in the cargo clearance process, importers are crying out for a single government portal at the border.
On any given week, three to seven CP Rail trains laden with crude oil from the North Dakota Bakken field whisk across North America, bypassing the pipeline bottlenecks in mid-continent that are depressing oil prices and unaffected by the noise in Washington, D.C., that is holding back the Keystone XL pipeline.