Protectionism is in the air. Clinton, Sanders and Trump have all come out against the Trans Pacific Partnership ( TPP ). Regardless of what you feel about it, TPP is going to face tough sailing. There has been additional national political discussion about putting up domestic trade barriers. We already see these being erected overseas. […]
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Leave a Comment (0) →FedEx and UPS are set to implement a new dimensional surcharge for parcel shippers. While this will not apply to every shipper, it will be a significant cost increase for those parcel shippers that it impacts. The change for both are effective on June 1st. Both carriers are reducing the maximum standard package length to 48”. […]
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In early April, a monumental event occurred in Europe. Twelve semi-automated trucks, in 6 convoys, arrived at the port of Rotterdam. These tractor trailers drove autonomously over the European highways, utilizing their drivers only on city roads. Similar, smaller scale tests have occurred in the US. Autonomous vehicles will provide substantial relief for driver shortages, […]
Continue Reading →How safe are the Motor Carriers that you use on a daily basis. Part of your sourcing selection criteria should include the carrier’s safety rating. The FMCSA has recently issued new guidelines to evaluate a carrier’s risk of adverse incidents. The following is exerted from the: Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 44 / Monday, March […]
Continue Reading →Are There Ghouls and Goblins in Your Supply Chain? 4 Steps to Exorcising Them Happy Halloween! For many manufacturers and retailers, we are now in the make-or-break time of the year. The pipeline is full from beginning to end and while in many cases it is now too late to be proactive, it is never […]
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Leave a Comment (0) →Truckload, Air, Ocean, LTL and Parcel rates are rising. Carriers are regularly announcing price increases. Their increases significantly impact YOUR BOTTOM LINE. But what can you do, you have already negotiated a good discount. Most companies tend to focus all of their energies on the “rate” and / or discount. While not wanting to belittle […]
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Leave a Comment (0) →The United States has just finished enduring the longest West Coast port slowdown in modern memory. It will take months to clear the backlog of ships. The effects will be widespread and varied. These effects include: negative impact on GDP and company sales, decreased product margins with increased mark-downs, increased inventories, increased ocean transit times, […]
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Leave a Comment (0) →To quote Bob Dylan, the “times they are a’changin.” While many have moved on from a pallet-based store delivery supply chain and have brick and mortar stores doing fulfillment, and may even be implementing better inventory management: the underlying cost structure has started to rapidly change. Compounding this change is an Omni-channel customer with a […]
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Leave a Comment (0) →SupplyChainGroup would like to wish all of our families, customers, and business partners a very happy post-Thanksgiving! The Turkey and feasting may be done, but there is a lot more to do this holiday season before the end of the year. All of us in the Supply Chain Operations and Technology should be grateful to […]
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Leave a Comment (0) →Providing an Omni-Channel shopping experience (meaning the consumer is connected and tracked across all shopping channels, including those online and in person) for customers and clients is increasingly becoming the norm for businesses of all sizes. Customers have increasing expectations that their orders can be shipped to their homes or picked up at brick and […]
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