A lead logistics relationship is a significant commitment. There deals should always be based on several key collaborative principals. The XPO/Nu Skin deal is one of the few deals explicitly based on these “getting to win” concepts.
Bid optimization and procurement are truly foundational for companies to achieve supply chain excellence and drive value. Procurement process and bid activities have a significant impact on shippers and carriers, making it critical for companies to establish good sourcing practices. With 2016 being a record year in terms of bid activities for shippers – due […]
I was recently informed of the new start-up company named TransVix that is developing a US trucking futures exchange market. Admittedly, my logistics research is focused more on warehousing than on transportation. However, I do have a solid understanding of both logistics and financial markets, and of financial derivatives such as forward contracts and futures. […]
UPS Invests in a 3D Printing Firm to Learn UPS actively monitors emerging technologies including 3D Printing. 3D Printing, also known as additive manufacturing, was not that interesting to UPS initially. But as industrial manufacturers began making components, not prototypes for R&D, but direct material components used in finished products, UPS began to become interested. […]
Asking, “What’s the point of conducting regular procurement events?” is just like asking, “What’s the point of conducting routine car maintenance?” You could skip some maintenance, but you’d probably pay for it in the end. And the same goes for procurement events. Whether it’s your supply chain or your car, regular “maintenance” can keep things […]
It’s been a busy year for procurement events. A lot of shippers are realigning their rates and commitments with their carriers in what has been a “soft” market. This has proved cost effective with shippers reducing their rates between 5 and 15 percent. But as we all know, the market is ever changing and the […]
McDonald’s is the first to admit things are not going as well as the company would like. In its annual report released in March, CEO Steve Easterbrook owned up to the $18 billion fast food retailer’s disappointing performance – sales up only 1 percent with an operating income decline of 8 percent. To right the corporation, the company […]