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Monday, June 03, 2013

Manufacturing activity in May contracted for the first time since November 2012, according to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). The PMI, the index used by the ISM to measure manufacturing activity—at 49 in May was down 1.7 percent from April’s 50.7.

The National Freight Advisory Committee was established in February. DOT said the objective of the committee is to provide recommendations to the Secretary of Transportation on how DOT can improve its freight transportation policies and programs.

Mid-year less-than-truckload rate hikes—in the form of GRIs (general rate increases) for non-contractual freight—are back. UPS Freight, the LTL subsidiary of transportation and logistics bellwether UPS, and ABF Freight System, the LTL subsidiary of Arkansas Best Corp. each recently announced rate hikes.

South Africa is the newest member of the BRICS grouping of states

Saturday, June 01, 2013

We go inside the second largest internet retailer’s Secaucus, N.J., fulfillment center to explore its network-wide transformation from a few standard box options to an almost limitless number of custom, right-sized boxes.

Rail and intermodal continue to improve service and create value for shippers despite an uneven economy engulfed in an atmosphere of political uncertainty. Our panel of top analysts maintains that the railroads are only looking at extending their lead.

Logistics professionals appear to be enthused by the gradual economic recovery and see the need for improved visibility to better meet new supply chain demands, but they’re still not ready to make the big investments necessary to fully realize those goals.

Global logistics professionals are increasingly encouraged to undergo a systematic analysis of their exposure to risk and total landed cost related to a variety of procurement strategies. Often overlooked, however, is the financial health of their sub-tier suppliers.

The pressure is on retailers to deliver anything, anytime, from anywhere. Three experts answer four key questions that will help traditional brick-and-mortar retailers revolutionize their use of WMS and their shipping processes on the way to a multi-channel transformation.

While top truckload carrier executives are doing their best to manage the elements currently battering their returns, we set our sites on three areas that carriers say will make the biggest impact on their ongoing relations with shippers-capacity, regulations, and fuel.