UScellular, the fourth largest wireless service provider in the US, embarked on a supply chain transformation journey. The company’s cellular network includes approximately 7,000 cell sites. In 2020, UScellular took the major step of initiating the deployment of 5G technology across its network. Although the company has its roots in regional development, its growth opened up opportunities to gain efficiencies from centralized supply chain planning. The team knew that they wanted to be able to scale and move quickly and realized […]
Metcalfe’s law states that the value of a network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users of the system. In short, each new user does not just make the network more valuable; they make the network much, much, much more valuable. The implication is also that there are network effects – […]
In today’s supply chain business, where customers increasingly expect faster, better, cheaper service, success often turns on gleaning real-time visibility into shipments in transit. Indeed, who couldn’t benefit from improved transportation visibility? Yet, for many operators, orders are still tracked using lagging carrier information gleaned from phone calls, websites, spreadsheets, emails, and other old-school forms of reporting. Then, when schedules aren’t met, it’s an unpleasant surprise to all involved. Bottlenecks form. Labor stalls. Customer satisfaction suffers. And in some cases, service penalties ensue.
Over the last couple of years, as the Covid pandemic has changed the way consumers interact and shop with retailers, brands, and consumer goods companies, last mile delivery has become increasingly important. Customer expectations for expedited delivery are becoming more commonplace, in both the B2B and B2C world. And as the lines continue to blur […]
There have been massive supply chain disruptions since the pandemic began. These disruptions have driven up prices and led to shortages of goods. Congestion at ports has certainly played a role in these disruptions. The world’s fleet consists of approximately 6,000 ships. These ships carried nearly 150 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers last […]
Note: Today’s post is part of our “Editor’s Choice” series where we highlight recent posts published by our sponsors that provide supply chain insights and advice. This article is from Longbow and looks at the ongoing labor shortage and supply chain visibility. Over the past 20-22 months, we have experienced worldwide disruptions that have altered […]
As more consumers flock to e-commerce, purchasing big & bulky goods such as furniture, appliances, and wholesale electronics online is becoming more common. A Statista study found that in 2020, the furniture and appliance e-commerce global market volume was $383.2B. Larger types of retail goods such as furniture and appliances, also known as oversized, are […]
