Retail

Joe Andraski: An Incredible Supply Chain Journey

February 21, 2014

Supply-chain veteran (and former logistics executive with Nabisco) Joe Andraski, founder of Collaborative Energizer LLC, talks about his life in supply chain, the lessons he's learned along the way, and his new book detailing his adventures.

Amazon Plans to Handle Own Indian Logistics Network

February 21, 2014

India Times

In the next two years Amazon, the world's largest retailer, will use its own logistics network to deliver nearly every product sold on its Indian portal.

Doll Importer Needed Reliable Drayage Capacity for Highly Seasonal Business

February 20, 2014

Challenge: A manufacturer/importer of brand-name dolls and other entertainment products needed help managing its highly seasonal business. Specifically, in the intense shipping period prior to the holidays, the company needed the drayage capacity to pick up a large and steady influx of containers at LA and Long Beach ports and transport them to the company's Inland Empire warehouse.

Apparel Marketer Relies on Weber Logistics for Retail-compliant Fulfillment

February 20, 2014

Challenge: A large importer/marketer of brand-name socks and other clothing needed a full service 3PL on the West Coast that could pick up product at the port, store and manage its 3,000-SKU inventory, pick and pack orders for large retailers, then ship in precise compliance with the retailers' routing guides. They turned to Weber Logistics based on our expertise in vendor compliance.

Optimized Planning For A World Leader In Aluminum Production

February 20, 2014

Challenge: Quintiq needed to optimize company planning for one of the world's largest aluminum production companies. The solution needed to manage the synchronization of resources, and increase throughput to support over 1.3 million tons of annual production, producing $8 billion in annual revenue.

Dispatching Optimized For Globally Leading Postal Company

February 20, 2014

Challenge: Europe's leading postal service was seeking a solution to improve its complex dispatch processes by better organizing pick-up and delivery of nearly 1.8 billion annual shipments, while maintaining consistent customer service.

How PepsiCo Created a Plant With 'Near-Net-Zero' Impact

February 20, 2014

SupplyChainBrain

PepsiCo undertook the ambitious goal of transforming a Frito-Lay plant in Arizona into a facility with almost no net environmental impact. A finalist in the Supply Chain Innovation Award competition of CSCMP and SupplyChainBrain.

Where You Place Automotive Inventory Is a Strategic Decision

February 20, 2014

SupplyChainBrain

Analyst Insight: Customers want orders faster and without additional shipping cost. And that's impacting how companies deploy inventory across their networks. In addition to defining the parts (SKU) mix and inventory levels needed to support service goals, you must consider how many distribution nodes you'll need and where to locate them. You must balance cost and service across several variables. And the decisions have ripple effects throughout your operations. - John Giangrande, Automotive Industry Leader, Fortna Inc.

U.S. Retail, Consumer M&A Deal Value in 2013 Surpasses $100Bn for First Time in Five Years

February 20, 2014

PwC US

U.S. retail and consumer (R&C) total transaction value for 2013 surpassed $100bn for the first time since 2008, according to PwC's US retail and consumer deals insights 2013 Year in Review and 2014 Outlook report. Deals in the food and beverage sector and private equity investment in the apparel, footwear and accessories sector continued to drive activity in the R&C industry.

Almost 40 Percent of Businesses Still Not Selling Online, Study Finds

February 19, 2014

Grant Thornton

These days, it's widely assumed that most businesses are selling directly to customers via the internet. However, surprisingly, a Grant Thornton survey found that 39 percent of businesses are not yet selling online. Online sales might seem like a dream come true "” you reach larger markets with no middlemen, at higher margins "” but, according to the Grant Thornton survey, the dream can easily turn into a nightmare.