Logistics Management Magazine Archives

September 2020 Logistics Management

In this Issue:

  • Are We Ready to Change? 29th Annual Study of Logistics and Transportation Trends
  • A collaborative cold chain
  • Mobile technology "arms race"
  • 3PLs Digital Transformation
  • The Cloud and supply chain software
  • Top 25 Freight Forwarders: Coping with the great unknowns
September 18, 2020 · One tradition that will continue this year regardless of the pandemic is the release of the “Annual Study of Logistics and Transportation Trends,” a study that Logistics Management refers to as “The Masters of Logistics.”
September 16, 2020 · While technology is a key part of digital transformation in logistics and transportation, strategy, structure and processes must be aligned accordingly to create value for the company and its supply chain partners.
September 16, 2020 · That was the goal of Scandinavian retailer Varner. The result is a most highly automated, omni-channel retail distribution center that is also flexible, cost-effective, ergonomic and sustainable.
September 16, 2020 · Now more than ever, the international cold chain community feels a need to come together to evaluate the lessons learned from the pandemic. At the same time, stakeholders are rethinking industry fundamentals and examining the role digitalization, automation and other technology innovations will play in the future.
September 15, 2020 · A mobile technology “arms race” is underway as companies re-imagine their supply chains, incorporate more mobility solutions into those networks, and work harder to future-proof their business models.
September 15, 2020 · The future of the third-party domestic transportation management market is now centered on creating digital experiences, workflow automation, and optimizing customer and carrier focused service performance. Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening in what many call the most dynamic segment in logistics.
September 14, 2020 · How Software-as-a-Service (Saas) took over the supply chain software market, where it stands now and how far we have to go before the supply chain is truly autonomous.
September 14, 2020 · When discussing the current state of freight forwarding, industry analysts say we might as well table the merger and acquisition talk that dominated 2019. This year, it’s all about global resiliency as the pandemic continues to disrupt—and sometimes destroy—the most carefully laid plans.
September 14, 2020 · We’ll begin to see a new postal service that balances its current dedication to delivery everywhere, every day with a level of efficiency that makes it sustainable without an annual labor cost supplement.
September 14, 2020 · Fast and free delivery is a race to the top. And it’s one that retailers and parcel delivery organizations must join—now.
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Latest in Logistics Management

In Pyrrhic victory, Teamsters win as judge tosses Yellow’s $137 million lawsuit
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has won what the union calls “a major victory” in a breach of contract lawsuit against Yellow Corp. Unfortunately for about 24,000 Teamsters who lost their jobs when Yellow ceased operations last August, the victory arrives about nine months too late.

project44 and Everstream offer up analysis on Port of Baltimore situation
Chicago-based supply chain visibility services provider project44 noted that in addition to the Dali, there are also three other container vessels currently moored in the Port of Baltimore. And for container vessels that were scheduled to arrive at the Port of Baltimore now re-routing to alternative ports, Everstream Analytics reported the following: four at the Port of New York and New Jersey; three at the Port of Norfolk; one at the Port of Philadelphia; and one unconfirmed.

Industry experts examine the impact of Baltimore bridge collapse on supply chains
Following yesterday’s bridge collision in Baltimore, when the 32,000-ton container ship, Dali, collided into the 1.6-mile Francis Scott Key bridge over the Patapsco River in Baltimore, causing it to collapse and stopping ship traffic at the Port of Baltimore, for an indefinite period, it has created yet another uncertain situation for supply chains.

Port of Baltimore closed indefinitely to ships after 1.6-mile Key Bridge collapses following maritime accident
The most severe U.S. bridge collision since the Tampa Skyway Bridge disaster in 1980 happened at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday near Baltimore where a 32,000-ton cargo ship Dali rammed a bridge over the Patapsco River in Baltimore, causing it to collapse. The collapse of the 47-year-old, 1.6-mile Francis Scott Key Bridge has brought ship traffic at the Port of Baltimore, an important East Coast trade hub, to a halt. The port said maritime traffic is suspended “until further notice.”

UPS presents updated financial goals and strategic targets at its investor day
Atlanta-based global freight transportation and logistics services provider UPS unveiled details regarding its strategic growth and productivity initiatives and its three-year financial targets at its Investor Day. Company officials stated that through its ongoing “Customer First, People Led, Innovation Driven” strategy, UPS is focused on setting up to the company to be the “premium small package provider and logistics partner in the world.”

Q&A: Mike Burkhart, VP of Mexico, C.H. Robinson
LM Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently spoke with Mike Burkhart, VP of Mexico, for Minneapolis-based based global logistics services provider and freight forwarder C.H. Robinson, about the ongoing nearshoring push into Mexico and what shippers need to know and be prepared for in order to establish cross-border supply chain and logistics operations south of the border.

National diesel average heads up for second straight week, reports EIA
The weekly average, at $4.034, saw a 0.006-cent increase, following a 2.4-cent increase, to $4.028, for the week of March 18.

February and year-to-date U.S. import growth is solid, reports S&P Global Market Intelligence
February imports, at 2.44 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) increased 21% compared to February 2023. And when taking into account the timing of the Lunar New Year, coupled with the impact of ongoing Red Sea and Panama Canal disruptions, the firm explained that U.S.-bound imports over the first two months of 2024, at 5.04 million TEU, posted a 14% annual increase over 2023’s 4.40 million TEU, with 2022 and 2021, at 5.21 million TEU and 5.09 million TEU, respectively.

LM Podcast Series: 3PL market update with Evan Armstrong
Themes focused on over the course of this podcast included: the state of the market; ways in which the pandemic affected 3PL operations; M&A; how 3PLs are adjusting to and leveraging nearshoring; and the economy, among other topics. 

CPOs shift focus on AI from what’s possible to implementation
Annual Voices of Sourcing survey from Keelvar also finds technology use is ramping up as the workforce shrinks

FedEx fiscal third quarter earnings see gains amid ongoing volume declines
Quarterly revenue, at $21.7 billion, was off 2.3% annually, and operating income, at $1.24 billion, rose 16% annually. Earnings per share, at $3.51, topped the $3.05 from a year ago, topping Wall Street expectations of $3.30. Net income, at $879 million, was up 12% annually.

U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are mixed, for week ending March 16, reports AAR
Rail carloads, at 219,586, fell 0.6% annually, and intermodal containers and trailers, at 255,010, saw a 13.8% annual increase.

White House and DOT issue progress update on FLOW efforts
Two years after the White House and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) formally announced the rollout of Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW), which it describes as an information sharing initiative to pilot key freight information exchange between parts of the goods movement supply chain, it provided an update this week on the progress it has made since its inception.

National Retail Federation 2024 retail sales forecast calls for growth
NRF is pegging 2024 retail sales to increase between 2.5%-to-3.5% to between $5.23 trillion and $5.28 trillion. Should this forecast come to fruition, NRF said that it would top 2023 retail sales, which rose 3.6% to $5.1 trillion.

Echo Global Logistics announces expansion of cross-border services in Mexico
As key parts of this expansion, the company said that it has set up new locations in Mexico City, Monterrey, and Laredo, Texas, and also tapped 30-year logistics veteran Troy Ryley as President, Echo Mexico.


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