Logistics service provider Samuel Shapiro & Co. Inc. has created Shapiro University, to supply employees and customers with educational training.

Having completed 16 acquisitions of small logistics companies in the past seven years, Echo Global Logistics knows something about successful takeover strategies. CEO Doug Waggoner talks about the company's growth-through-acquisition initiatives.

Companies that want to reduce their carbon footprint need to pay attention to the energy they use. But at least as important - and in some cases even more so - is paying attention to the energy used by links in their supply chain.

Remember the early days of cell phones when a new model seemed to appear every week and each one looked dramatically different? This is typical of a new product market. Initially, wildly different variants are released and tested in the market, but eventually they converge on a common core set of features. That is, a dominant design emerges from the pack that becomes the de facto standard. Is a similar process redefining logistics in the US?

Smith and Associates surveyed 200 respondents spanning across the electronics industry and found that 68 percent identified mobile applications as the most influential technology in the supply chain. Although some organizations are still using traditional tools in the supply chain process, more companies are now turning to smartphones, handheld computers and other mobile devices to reap the benefits of improved mobility and flexibility.

A new reform-minded government, a stable economy and sound infrastructure are among the factors combining to make Mexico a good market for logistics operations, says Eric Markeset, who is based in Mexico City as principal of consulting firm Tsol.

As merged channels (also known as omnichannel) become the default for an increasing number of retailers, the challenge of efficiently handling the supply chain and managing inventory becomes exponentially more complex.