All Columns Entries

Friday, March 01, 2013

In a recent article by Cornelius Frolik in the Dayton Daily News, we learned that the number of licensed truck drivers in the State of Ohio dropped for the first time on record.

In this column—the third in a series of five articles focused on dynamic operations—we look at the role and importance of adaptable structure.

Brian Conrad, executive administrator for the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (TSA), is not only regarded as a “thought leader” in the ocean shipping arena, but also as a man of uncommon candor. For the past several years now, he has weathered the storm brought on by shippers’ associations challenging pricing and operations in the world’s most active—and vital—trade lane linking North America and Asia.

Friday, February 01, 2013

The concept of collaboration is nothing new. The idea of opening doors, dropping defenses, and improving how shippers and carriers work together has been kicked around for decades as a sure-fire cure to the annual rate and capacity negotiation dance.

I recently had the honor of facilitating workshops for large shippers and their current and prospective carriers in the midst of major contract RFPs and renewals.

In our previous column we introduced the concept of “dynamic operations:” supply chain networks that respond quickly and smoothly to changing business conditions. We also identified dynamic operations’ four enabling capabilities and looked briefly at how they work together to help companies identify, accommodate, and even benefit from supply chain disruptions. The first of these capabilities is “insight to action.”

Lance Armstrong and Greg LeMond have both stood atop the Tour de France podium on numerous occasions, but that’s not all that they have in common. They were both obsessed with winning, and in a way, they both cheated.

Location: Say it three times, and you have the real estate mantra. However, shippers and providers are beginning to understand what it means to their long-term plans, especially when it comes to improving service on the West Coast.

Saturday, December 01, 2012

Let’s compare notes: Here’s what my colleagues and I saw this year in logistics and transportation management and what we expect next year—along with some suggested actions on important issues.

Thursday, November 01, 2012

I’m pleased to announce that the National Industrial Transportation League (NITL) and Logistics Management (LM) magazine are presenting Bill Graves, former Governor of Kansas and current president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations, with the 2012 McCullough/NITL Executive of the Year Award.