Issue Archives: Special Issue 2010
Glimmers of hope
Logistics costs plunged dramatically last year as the economy contracted. Preliminary data for 2010 show that a recovery is under way, but shippers still face a host of challenges.
The sun will come out tomorrow
Now that the economic outlook has brightened, logistics service providers must switch gears and adopt new techniques and management strategies.
10 warehousing trends to watch
To weather the recession and succeed during the recovery, companies will have to adapt to 10 trends that will profoundly affect the U.S. warehousing industry.
Trucking market shifts gears
Rising demand has stabilized rates for now, but shippers should prepare for capacity and service issues down the road.
Light at the end of the tunnel?
With road congestion and high energy prices predicted to continue, railroads can expect more traffic to come their way. Can they handle it?
Improving economy demands flexibility
To succeed in the recovery, shippers need to take advantage of the tactics ocean carriers will employ as demand increases. That means changing their own strategies.
At a crossroads
The United States has a choice: Invest now in infrastructure and make it a powerful tool for development, or ignore it and watch our roads, bridges, and ports become a roadblock to business success.
Prepare for a liquid fuel emergency
Global oil production will peak within the next five years, and transportation will be especially hard-hit. It's time (or past time) to prepare for the crisis.
Brightening skies, but still cloudy
Airfreight traffic has risen by double-digit percentages, but is it sustainable?
Columns
Perspective
Don't breathe a sigh of relief just yet
Despite the recovery, companies are likely to pressure supply chain managers to cut costs even further.
Direct Connection
A bright future... together
We must move beyond the typical approach of "state the problem and talk about the frustrations."
Afterword
What's the ROI for infrastructure?
It's not easy to measure the return on investment in things like roads and bridges. We all know they can pay off in improved safety and reduced congestion, but how much exactly?
Supply Chain Executive Insight E-Newsletter
Each month the Supply Chain Executive Insight e-newsletter will include brief articles about developments that are often overlooked by other supply chain publications. We will present you with summaries of the latest research as well as new ideas on how to make your supply chain operations more effective. And we'll offer commentary that sheds light on what's happening in supply chains today.Sign up now!
Free Articles From The Current Issue
Supply chain segmentation: 10 steps to greater profitsSegmentation lets companies boost profitability by tailoring their supply chain strategy to each customer and product in their portfolio. Here are 10 key practices that will ensure success.
Turn your reverse supply chain into a profit center
Selecting the right disposition strategies and understanding their financial impact can help you turn the reverse supply chain into a revenue generator instead of a cost center.
Panama Canal expansion: game changer, or more of the same?
Some ports and ocean carriers expect significant new business to come their way following the Panama Canal expansion. But do the "shipper math," says the author, and it's clear that U.S. distribution patterns are unlikely to change much.
"Imagineering" a supply chain
Disney's supply chain executives coined the term "imagineering" to describe the convergence of precise engineering and execution with the imagination and "magic" that makes the company one of the world's cultural icons.
SCPro certification: the path to leadership
Even though today's supply chain talent may be better educated than previous generations, they still need to gain experience in the depth and breadth of logistics and supply chain management in order to become high-impact leaders.
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Perspective
What additive manufacturing could mean for supply chains
Years from now, individualized production could change transportation and logistics patterns.
Forward ThinkingWhat additive manufacturing could mean for supply chains
Years from now, individualized production could change transportation and logistics patterns.
Survey finds production continues to flee China
The United States, Vietnam, and South Asia are proving attractive to more manufacturers of retail goods, says a new report.
Forward Thinking
Deutsche Post DHL report forecasts the future of logistics
A new report from the mail and logistics conglomerate forecasts future trends in trade, business, and society—and how supply chains and logistics may fit into those scenarios.
Forward Thinking
Playbooks guide Dell's response to customer demand
Predetermined guidelines help the computer giant coordinate actions across its supply chain functions.
Forward Thinking
Retailers balance cost, service as they deal with multichannel commerce
Annual study by the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) finds retailers will focus on multichannel operations and shift from cost cutting to growth.
Forward Thinking
Supply chain costs remain key corporate concern
Respondents to annual executive survey rank supply chain cost reduction as "important" or "extremely important" this year.
Forward Thinking
Book offers tips on creating a green supply chain
In the new book The Lean Sustainable Supply Chain: How to Create a Green Infrastructure with Lean Technologies, author Rob Palevich draws from his own experience to offer advice on creating a green supply chain.
Forward Thinking
Global trade declined marginally as countries contend with economic uncertainty
Due to a decline in both imports and exports of goods and services, global trade levels marginally contracted by 0.26 percent in Q4/2011.
Forward Thinking
A peek inside Wal-Mart Canada's "green" distribution center
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has opened a distribution center in Western Canada that is expected to reap US $4.8 million in energy cost savings through 2015.
Forward Thinking
More companies press suppliers on carbon reductions
A new report shows that more companies are considering suppliers' efforts to reduce greenhouse gases in their procurement policies and decisions.
Forward Thinking
Warehouse automation projects: beyond labor costs
Professors advise considering broader supply chain implications of distribution center automation.
