Logistics Outsourcing

Truckers Propose a Gasoline Tax Increase to Pay for Infrastructure Plan

March 1, 2018

The country’s biggest trucking group thinks it has a way to convince Republicans to raise the gasoline tax: Don’t call it a tax.

Corporate America’s New Dilemma: Raising Prices to Cover Higher Transport Costs

February 28, 2018

Reuters

The drive for cost cuts and higher margins at U.S. trucking and railroad operators is pinching their biggest customers, forcing the likes of General Mills Inc and Hormel Foods Corp to spend more on deliveries and consider raising their own prices as a way to pass along the costs.

'People Have Gone Chicken Crazy': What the KFC Crisis Means for the Brand

February 27, 2018

The Guardian

At lunchtime on Friday, George Cheah, or George Junior as he is known, doesn’t really have the time to talk. "Honestly we are so busy, it’s gone absolutely mad. People have gone chicken crazy," he says over the phone, while people shout orders in the background.

Availability, Cost of Labor Drive New Ways of Thinking about DC Strategy

February 20, 2018

SupplyChainBrain

The availability of labor (or lack thereof) is requiring us to think differently about network strategy and site selection. Distribution network strategy is no longer just about optimizing traditional costs (transportation, operating expense, fixed costs and capital). Today, when evaluating different network strategies, total supply chain cost, including availability, cost and quality of labor, real estate occupancy costs, inventory working capital and possible economic incentives must be considered alongside service level improvements that drive revenue growth. -Chirag Modi, Director, Global Strategy, Fortna Inc., and Tray Anderson, Vice President, Strategy, Fortna Inc.

Freight Brokers See Profits Surge on Shipping Rush

February 16, 2018

The Wall Street Journal

Freight middlemen are seeing a surge in business as growing economic demand and tight capacity sends companies rushing to find shipping space.

Digital Disruptions Continue to Drive Retail Evolution

February 14, 2018

SupplyChainBrain

Digital disruptions continue to play an important role in the evolution of retail. The dot-com era of the 1990s begets the dot-com bubble that burst to create the dot-com collapse. By 2003 the few dot-com survivors began playing an important role in retail. By 2010 e-commerce had reached a level of significance creating the term multichannel retail, describing retailers who participate in stores and online. The field has evolved, and entered the era of New Retail. -Jim Tompkins, CEO, Tompkins International and MonarchFx

Avoid Strategic Drift in Your 3PL Relationship with a Sound Governance Structure

February 12, 2018

SupplyChainBrain

Even the seemingly most aligned and value-enhancing 3PL relationships can falter badly if the parties fail to “keep up” with each other over the course of their agreement. I call this problem “strategic drift.” It’s a question of good governance, which includes regular communication and meeting cadences throughout the involved organizations. -Kate Vitasek, faculty member, University of Tennessee Haslam College of Business Administration; author of six books on the Vested business model

Making a Crypto Utopia in Puerto Rico

February 12, 2018

The New York Times

They call what they are building Puertopia. But then someone told them, apparently in all seriousness, that it translates to “eternal boy playground” in Latin. So they are changing the name: They will call it Sol.

Rising Freight Costs Are Weighing on Companies’ Profits

February 12, 2018

The Wall Street Journal

A number of U.S. companies told investors that rising shipping costs in recent months have cut into earnings.

How Big Data is Revolutionizing Six Sigma Application in Manufacturing

February 9, 2018

SupplyChainBrain

The digital revolution is well underway and big data is no longer just a buzzword found in journals. Instead, data and the direct application of that information is being used to advance manufacturing around the world. This change is revolutionizing the way we look at Six Sigma approaches and application. -Melissa Hadhazy, Associate Partner, Infosys Consulting