As hard as it is to believe, the year is already more than half-way over. Which makes this the perfect time to look back at what have been the most popular Logistics Viewpoints articles for the first half of the year. It’s nice to see a wide range of topics on the list, as well as the variety of authors on the list. All three regular contributors (Steve Banker, Clint Reiser, and myself) are included, […]
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We’re all operating in a social world and communicating through software. It’s what we do. So where the old days of logistics management were focused on getting cheaper carrier rates, companies operating in today’s freight environment must focus on collaboration—both with carriers and with one another. So how can a company go about gaining new efficiencies by collaborating across supply chains without disrupting current logistics processes? The Answer Lies in the Cloud Cloud-based transportation software […]
Read More →Lidl has opened up its first store in the US. Walmart has a reputation for low cost, Amazon for low cost and a wide assortment. But based on what I’ve seen, they can’t touch Lidl’s prices. There is a supply chain story here.
Read More →Back to school? My kids are only a couple of weeks into summer vacation and I’m already seeing ads for back to school shopping. I simply can’t wrap my head around that one yet. But, when I hear those words, there are three immediate thoughts that jump into my head. The first is of my own memories of going back to school (the excitement faded as I got older). The second is of Rodney Dangerfield […]
Read More →If you’ve been in transportation or logistics for any length of time, you already know that nothing stays the same for long. Recent less than truckload (LTL) rates and capacity levels have been below the historical levels we saw from 2005-2010. But that could change—and it’s already started. Most general rate increases (GRIs) happened late last fall. They’re typically on an annual cycle, so we expected to see them come this fall. But they’re here […]
Read More →ARC Advisory Group conducts an annual in-depth analysis of the worldwide global trade management (GTM) software market. The research process includes the analysis of large amounts of information and interviews with executives from numerous GTM companies. The process concludes with the publication of ARC’s Global Trade Management Market Research Study. I am nearing the end of the study update process and thought I would take this opportunity to discuss some of the GTM market’s current characteristics. ARC’s […]
Read More →Figuring out the right TMS for your business typically boils down to your vendor’s data structure, which affects every facet of the software. One way to know whether the TMS will work for your needs is to look at its accounts receivable capabilities (AR). This is where the data structure really comes to light. What’s so important about AR? Think of an AR record as a sell-side load. While a load is essentially an intermediate […]
Read More →There has been an explosion of new sensor data available to be used to create digital supply chains. While we use the term “digitization”, Bill Gates had a better label close to 20 years ago, “the digital nervous system.”
Read More →A few weeks ago, I wrote about Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods, and how it plays into its bigger rivalry with Walmart. New details have emerged about the acquisition, namely that Amazon beat out six other suitors to land Whole Foods. Whole Foods was initially approached by four private equity firms and two unnamed companies about an acquisition. The two unnamed companies were only identified as “Company X” and “Company Y,” with reports indicating that […]
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Supply Chain Brief
America’s Infrastructure Remains a Topic of Spirited Debate: How Can TMS Help Users of the Nation’s Highways Avoid Potholes?
Infrastructure is a topic most of us don’t think about. We just expect it to work in the same way we expect the lights to come on when we flip a switch. However, there has been increasing concern by trucking companies, shippers, and even the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that the infrastructure we all count on – safe roads, bridges, waterways– is showing its age and in need of repair. That is not surprising when […]
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