Filed in Transportation

Monday, October 01, 2012

A senior vice president of a major national carrier recently asked me if I thought that tomorrow’s shippers have the commitment to maintain the depth of talent necessary to manage one of the value-added programs that I allude to in my columns. I have always maintained that committed process and performance excellence bring exceptional benefits to both the company and its carrier partners, but they require a combination of developmental and seasoned talent.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Do you have a great supply chain? Or do you have an optimized version of a not-so-great supply chain? This new white paper challenges readers to rethink the fundamental design of their transportation network, and asks "How can you design a transportation network that achieves its full potential?"

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Most executives today readily acknowledge the critical value of supply chains. A sobering truth, however, is that thousands of U.S. companies never even consider supply chain strategies when creating business plans

Monday, September 17, 2012

The American Society of Civil Engineers unveiled a new economic study late last week which makes a compelling argument for seaport investment.

Friday, September 14, 2012

In a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, a trio of United States Senators made their case for transportation programs to not be cut in a six-month continuing resolution for fiscal year 2013 funding.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Consensus views on a U.S. manufacturing resurgence have largely centered on rising labor costs in markets such as China as the key driver of re-shoring back to the U.S.

Saturday, September 01, 2012

The 2012 ranking of supply chain leaders from Gartner includes a broad mix of global companies—a few new to the list, but most having recorded multiple appearances. These leaders share certain characteristics that drive day-to-day performance while solidifying the foundation for future growth. Their standout performance is raising the supply chain leadership bar for companies everywhere.

With the Eurozone in full free fall, the continent’s forwarding giants continue to dominate the global market. This disconnect can be explained, say analysts, by the fact that these leaders adhere to one fundamental business practice: building upon established worldwide networks.

As shippers consider entry into an outsourcing arrangement for freight management, they quickly discover a range of pricing options from various service providers. These service providers have a variety of business models that drive their market offers, and shippers need to understand what these models are so they can evaluate not just the offer, but the potential for long-term satisfaction with the contract.

Once you retire from the traditional 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. work days, new hobbies and picture puzzles become a part of everyday life. Sounds boring? Well, it’s just the opposite. Ron and Linda Arnett, highly skilled “puzzlers” with extraordinary insight and sequential awareness, recently introduced me to picture puzzles. Their tutelage provided me with a greater appreciation of the challenges logisticians face in determining the fine points of vendor qualification criteria, assembling the best pre-qualified providers, and selecting the players who can do the precise points of detailed tasks both effortlessly and consistently.