Every cybersecurity expert’s favorite axiom is that security is only as strong as its weakest link. This truth makes supply chains particularly vulnerable, since they frequently involve hundreds or thousands of contracts, stretching over multiple continents. Managing information flow across these systems is a challenge, since a manufacturer may not even know who their second […]
It’s a time-honored tradition in the world of logistics: after the holiday decorations are all taken down and the last of the cookies are eaten, the season of returns begins. Brick and mortar retailers are used to post-holiday returns, but for online retailers, this season increasingly lasts all year. Reverse logistics–the complicated science of feeding […]
When Silicon Valley startups set their sights on trucking and freight brokerage, they promised to “disrupt” the industry, employing the familiar, utopian condescension with which tech companies have promised to solve all the world’s problems. (The heading of Convoy’s website reads: “Transporting the World with Endless Capacity and Zero Waste.”) Yet in the short time […]
As relations between the U.S. and China remain in turmoil, and China shifts the focus of its economy away from low-value manufacturing, supply chain managers are increasingly scouting for new countries in which to do business, and many are particularly curious about India. India, after all, boasts the world’s ninth-largest economy, a booming IT sector, […]
Navigating conflict in any relationship–whether it’s between people, companies, or nations–is largely a matter of weighing your desire to win the current battle against your desire to protect the relationship as a whole. Resorting to bullying might help you come out on top of a single dispute, but it will make it that much harder […]
Perhaps the most frequently repeated truism in logistics and supply chain management is that it’s all about relationships, and the supplier scorecard may be the best way to judge the health of those relationships. Designing a scorecard that accurately reflects your business’ needs and priorities is the most effective way to clarify your own expectations, […]
In 2018, American business leaders are grappling with several profound shifts in the economic and social landscape: sweeping demographic changes, uneasy international relations that threaten supply chains, the stunning rise of ecommerce, and a serious national discussion on the role of business in fostering social good. Taken together, these issues can seem overwhelming, but the […]
In recent months, anyone whose business takes them through US ports has faced an increasingly chaotic and expensive environment. Despite a robust economy and higher-than-expected export volumes, shippers are facing thinner profit margins as they run into a trucking bottleneck. Drayage rates are skyrocketing, fueled by a driver shortage and the demands of the ELD […]
When it comes to big construction projects (be it a new bridge or Amazon’s new headquarters), transportation issues are one of the major ways budgets skyrocket, frustrations mount, and deadlines sail by. The problem begins with legions of subcontractors, who hire their own subcontractors ad infinitum, leading to chaos and cluttered work sites. Everyone has […]
In recent months, while most Americans have been distracted by an exhausting and embittered news cycle, the Chinese government has been extending its reach throughout the globe in an unprecedented bid to reshape the world economy according to its own values and ambitions. In launching its “One Belt, One Road” initiative, China is pouring over […]