Much like the last few years, we here at Logistics Viewpoints thought our readers would be interested in seeing what 2016 posts obtained the most views over the year. It is nice to see articles written throughout the whole year garnering so many views, not just those that have been on the site since the beginning of the year. It’s also nice to see articles written by various Logistics Viewpoints contributing authors. The most popular article by far this year was a joint piece written by myself, Steve Banker, and Clint Reiser on logistics and supply chain trends to monitor in 2016. It will be worth revisiting this article in 2017 to see if some of our predictions were right.
And now, without further ado, here are the top 10 most popular articles, with a link and brief description of each.
- Logistics and Supply Chain Trends to Monitor in 2016 by Steve Banker, Chris Cunnane, and Clint Reiser
Writing about trends is tough. Many trends are slow moving trains. Sometimes few people question that the trend is underway, they just want to know when it will impact them. The other thing about making predictions, is ideally a prediction should be specific enough and testable enough that after the fact someone can look back and see whether it was right or wrong. With those thoughts in mind, ARC will attempt to make pertinent and testable predictions. - Autonomous Mobile Robotics in the Warehouse TODAY? By Clint Reiser
Last year, ARC Advisory Group published its first formalized research study on the global warehouse automation & control market. The publication was well-received by market participants. Due to the high level of demand, ARC has decided to update the study this year. I came into the office on January 4th with this market study update in mind, thinking to myself “what will I find to be the areas of greatest change over the last year?” - Predictive Analytics Comes to the Logistics Industry by Steve Banker
Big Data has led to a discussion of predictive analytics in supply chain management. I’m not sure we have a good understanding in the field of how predictive analytics differs from forecasting. Here is how I would differentiate the two. All forecasting involves making a prediction, but not all forecasts are based on Big Data. Using historical data to make a regional forecast for most companies would not require Big Data. Forecasting demand at the store level probably would. The more inputs, the more granular the data, the more granular the forecast, the more we are in the realm of Big Data analytics. In short, when I hear predictive analytics I am apt to think this is a forecast based upon Big Data. - The Uberization of Last Mile Freight by Steve Banker
Uber has disrupted the taxi industry. Can anyone copy the Uber model and disrupt the freight market? That question is generating a great deal of discussion among logistics executives with the “last mile” freight market generating the most buzz. Transporting goods long distances can be done far more cost efficiently than the delivery of the last few miles when goods arrive in congested metropolitan areas. Last mile delivery has taken on added urgency as traditional retailers have embraced omni-channel capabilities as a way to compete with ecommerce giants like Amazon. - Will Blockchain Technology Revolutionize Supply Chain Applications? By Steve Banker
Public cloud B2B solutions have special advantages when it comes to transportation execution and tracking. These solutions offer a large preexisting network of shippers and carriers already connected to the platform, which means key supply chain partners are apt to find it easier to provide visibility to each other. And these solutions offer a record of marketplace transactions that greatly reduces “he said, she said” type arguments surrounding supply chain contracts. - How “Uber for Freight” Apps seek to Transform the Industry by Steve Banker
There have been several articles published on the trucking industry that describe the money flowing into startup firms that are looking to disrupt the freight industry the way that Uber disrupted the taxi industry. Actually, the startups are not looking to disrupt just trucking, there are startups focused on other modes of transportation as well. Further, they are not just focused on the North American freight market; CargoX, for example, is focused on Brazil. - 3PL Market Continues to Shrink by Neelam Singh
The third-party logistics (3PL) market – encompassing non-asset-based transportation, warehousing, and integrated supply chain services – witnessed a decline of 8.9 percent in organic growth. Organic growth is the growth that would occur absent the effect of acquisitions. The analysis compares first quarter 2016 revenues to first quarter 2015 revenues. - Top Young Tech Companies Poised to Transform Supply Chain Management by Steve Banker, Chris Cunnane, and Clint Reiser
The young companies that are poised to transform the supply chain management profession fall into a relatively few categories. The most interesting start-ups we are seeing have business models based on the sharing economy, the Internet of Things (IoT), predictive analytics, and robotics. - Is Amazon Building a First Mover Advantage in Logistics? By Steve Banker
com undoubtedly reaped first mover advantages in e-commerce. Amazon continues to steal market share from traditional retailers year after year. Many in the logistics and financial industries have noted with wonder that Amazon is not expected to be profitable. Financial analysts seem to reward them as a first mover that has created the kind of scale and network and technology platform that will create huge profits whenever Amazon decides to scale back the aggressive pace at which they make capital investments. - Hostess Brands Builds a Unique, New Supply Chain by Steve Banker
If you live in the US, you are undoubtedly familiar with Hostess bakery treats like Twinkies, Cup Cakes, Ding Dongs, and my favorite, Ho Hos. You may also remember the company ceased doing business for a while. This occurred in November of 2012. When that was announced, there were bidding wars for boxes of Twinkies and other Hostess products on auction sites like EBay.
And there you are, the Top 10 Most Popular Articles as determined by your clicks. Let us know your thoughts on your favorite articles of the year or additional topics you’d be interested in reading about. And remember, the best way to get Logistics Viewpoints on an ongoing basis is to subscribe by email.
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