Archive for Transportation Management Systems

This morning I am giving a presentation on “Putting Leadership Development and Education Back on Your Calendar…and Budget” at the CSCMP New England Roundtable Executive Breakfast. I wrote about this topic last year in “What’s Missing in Your 2012 Budget?” and I’m sure I’ll gain some new insights from this morning’s conversation, which I’ll share in a future posting. In the meantime, here are some news items that caught… Continue reading

The current headlines about Walmart paying bribes in Mexico to obtain building permits has overshadowed (and tarnished) an important announcement the company made last week: the release of its 2012 Global Responsibility Report. The scope of the report is so broad — including initiatives related to the environment, diversity, associates, global supply chain, health and safety, and corporate giving — that it’s impossible to summarize it all… Continue reading

There were several new product announcements this week, so let’s get right to them…

Transportation Management Systems (TMS) were initially designed to handle the complexities of outbound shipments. And to this day, companies are still far more likely to implement a TMS to reduce outbound freight costs than to manage inbound or international moves.

I realized just how complex inbound transportation can be when I spoke with the North American Director of Logistics at a Tier 1 automotive company. This company has suppliers… Continue reading

Many industries have complex supply chains, but the food and beverage industry has some of the most unique issues. A great example of sophisticated transportation execution is Topco Associates, one of the largest retail grocery cooperatives in the United States. Topco provides sourcing, innovation, packaging, label management, quality assurance and nutritional assistance through store brand and private label services. The true competitive advantage Topco provides to members is based… Continue reading