Logistics Management Magazine Archives

May 2016 Logistics Management
In this issue:
  • Expanding markets and increasing savings
  • 5 tips for strategic sourcing
  • Supply chain software convergence
  • Cross-border ease
June 7, 2016 · Ever-changing regulations are making it risky for U.S. companies engaged in cross-border trade endeavors, experts say. However, savvy shippers are paying better attention to the details and are finding solutions that save time, money and frustration.
June 7, 2016 · The briefly considered merger of the Norfolk Southern (NS) and Canadian Pacific (CP) railroads is illustrative of the changes rail shippers should be watching for in both intermodal and bulk rail services.
June 6, 2016 · In the wildly unstable ocean cargo carrier arena, three major consortia are fighting for market share, with some players simply hanging on for survival. Meanwhile, shippers may expect deployment shifts as a consequence of the Panama Canal expansion.
June 6, 2016 · With no end in sight to the e-commerce explosion, warehouse and DC operators will continue their push to automate. However, the current proliferation of technology is making the right solution choice more difficult than ever.
June 6, 2016 · By enabling collaboration and optimization across previously siloed functions, supply chain software convergence helps shippers better leverage their IT investments across the enterprise. Here’s how the concept has evolved—and the vendors that have jumped into the game.
June 6, 2016 · In a masterpiece of collaboration, Birdsong discovers an intermodal route to China in an innovative solution that melds rail, port and ocean carrier partners to handle unexpectedly large export needs.
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Latest in Logistics Management

USPS cites continued progress in fiscal second quarter earnings despite recording another net loss
Operating revenue, at $19.7 billion, were up 2.1%, or $410 million, annually, and total quarterly volume, at 28.011 million pieces, fell 2.1% annually. USPS also reported a quarterly net loss of $1.5 billion, compared to a $2.5 billion quarterly loss a year ago.

U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are mixed, for week ending May 4, reports AAR
Rail carloads, at 213,410, fell 5.1% annually.Intermodal containers and trailers, at 249,696, were down 4.9% annually.

New Ryder analysis takes a close look at obstacles in converting to electric vehicles
The analysis, entitled “Charged Logistics: The Cost of Electric Vehicle Conversion for U.S. Commercial Fleets,” takes a deep dive into the myriad challenges related to converting to EVs, including what it called evolving state and federal legal requirements focused on transitioning to zero-emissions vehicles.

Norfolk Southern shareholders sign off on 10 board of directors nominees
Facing questions about its leadership in advance of its Annual Meeting of Shareholders today, due to a proxy bout and attempted management takeover by activist investor Ancora Alternatives LLC, Atlanta-based Class I railroad carrier Norfolk Southern is likely breathing a collective sigh of relief today.

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Inflation and economic worries are among top supply chain concerns for SMBs
Study finds that 45% of SMBs are concerned with inflation as they seek to improve their supply chains.

Port Tracker report is bullish on import growth over the balance of 2024
For March, the most recent month for which data is available, Port Tracker reported that import volume, for the ports covered in the report, came in at 1.93 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU), down 1.4% compared to February and up 18.7% annually, a period when Asian export activity was slow on the heels of Lunar New Year shutdowns, it noted.   

Varying opinions on the tracks regarding STB’s adopted reciprocal switching rule
Feedback regarding the recent adoption of the reciprocal switching rule by the Washington, D.C.-based Surface Transportation Board (STB), an independent adjudicatory and economic-regulatory agency charged by Congress with resolving railroad rate and service disputes and reviewing proposed railroad mergers, could be viewed as mixed.

National diesel average falls for the fourth consecutive week, reports EIA
The national average, at $3.894 per gallon, fell 5.3 cents, below the $3.947 national average, for the week of April 29.

New Descartes’ study examines consumer preferences, changes, and shifts in e-commerce home delivery preferences
A new study issued today by Waterloo, Ontario-based Descartes, a provider of logistics based on-demand, software-as-a-service offerings, showed some disparities in the intersection of online buying and home delivery processes. The study, entitled “Online Buying Grows But Too Many Customers Still Experiencing Delivery Woes,” was based on feedback from 8,000 consumers surveyed by Descartes and SAPIO Research, across Europe and North America over the first quarter. This is the third annual edition of Descartes’ e-commerce home delivery report.

Potential Canadian rail strike could damage the country’s economy
Over 9,000 rail workers poised to walk off job, disrupting critical transportation routes used by various industries.

C.H. Robinson highlights progress of its AI-focused offerings with a focus on automating shipping processes
Taking steps to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) in order to automate various types of shipping transactions conducted over e-mail, Minneapolis, Minn.-based global third-party logistics (3PL) services provider and freight forwarder C.H. Robinson (CHR) today heralded the progress it has made on that front, calling the utilization a key step in breaking “a long-standing barrier to automation.

UPS announces CFO Newman to leave company, effective June 1
Atlanta-based global freight transportation and logistics services provider UPS said that effective June 1, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Brian Newman will leave the company.

Preliminary April North American Class 8 net orders are mixed
FTR reported that preliminary April net orders, at 14,400 units, were off 25% compared to March and 12.5% annually. And it added that over the last 12 months, total Class 8 orders were at 267,700 units. ACT reported that April Class 8 orders, art 15,600 units, were off 1,800 units compared to March, while posting a 30% annual gain, in what it called a very easy year-ago comparison.

Senators take a close look at Amazon with Warehouse Worker Protection Act
The proposed legislation aims to regulate the use of productivity quotas and improve safety for workers.


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