In this Issue:
- Labor: Bring over talent
- The private fleet differentiators
- Putting LMS to work
- Cross-border partnerships
- Ocean Cargo: Carriers, shippers navigate choppy waters
- Top 50 3PLs: Big challenges and huge rewards
Logistics Management Magazine Archives
June 2022 Logistics Management
June 6, 2022 · With a smaller labor pool to pull from and e-commerce sales continuing to escalate, logistics managers need solid tactics for winning the race for talent.
June 2, 2022 · Returns are a proverbial mess for all but the most accomplished retailers. Going forward, part of a company’s reputation and success will be a reflection of the sophistication and responsiveness of their reverse logistics strategy and processes.
June 2, 2022 · As fulfillment centers and warehouses become more highly automated facilities with multiple types of automation, software’s role looms larger. Issues like coordinating multiple systems around cut-off times and service levels, as well as knowing when and how to scale automated systems to accommodate peaks in demand, are two leading reasons why.
June 2, 2022 · Escalating fuel costs, competition for labor, and a world demanding sustainable operations is the reality all companies are faced with today. Private fleet owners that operate with a total cost of ownership mentality see this as another opportunity to lead and set the standards for the industry.
June 1, 2022 · With no end in sight to the labor shortage, companies are turning to labor management system technology for help optimizing their current labor resources.
June 1, 2022 · Ever-shifting Customs regulations are causing shippers to stay on their toes. Our experts suggest partnering with experienced north-south carriers and Customs brokers in order to execute seamless cross-border moves in 2022.
June 1, 2022 · While there’s no single solution, our analysts suggest that shippers enhance their communication with ocean carriers, particularly by providing good forecasts of their shipment volumes and booking early so that planning of capacity and operations is improved.
June 1, 2022 · Just like last year, 3PLs continue to face a host of critical and pressing issues that challenge their skills at managing a client’s supply chain. And while company financials for 2021 were staggering, the state of the market in 2022 depends on the pace of global recovery— which currently seems to be slowing.
June 1, 2022 · The best 3PLs are helping their customers innovate for success. What’s your 3PL’s mission?
June 1, 2022 · While last month we fixed the spotlight on what we’re now referring to as the “democratization of supply chain technology,” this month LM spends time on the pressing subject of labor—or the increasing lack thereof.
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Latest in Logistics Management
Port Tracker report is bullish on import growth over the balance of 2024
May 8, 2024
For March, the most recent month for which data is available, Port Tracker reported that import volume, for the ports covered in the report, came in at 1.93 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU), down 1.4% compared to February and up 18.7% annually, a period when Asian export activity was slow on the heels of Lunar New Year shutdowns, it noted.
Varying opinions on the tracks regarding STB’s adopted reciprocal switching rule
May 8, 2024
Feedback regarding the recent adoption of the reciprocal switching rule by the Washington, D.C.-based Surface Transportation Board (STB), an independent adjudicatory and economic-regulatory agency charged by Congress with resolving railroad rate and service disputes and reviewing proposed railroad mergers, could be viewed as mixed.
National diesel average falls for the fourth consecutive week, reports EIA
May 8, 2024
The national average, at $3.894 per gallon, fell 5.3 cents, below the $3.947 national average, for the week of April 29.
New Descartes’ study examines consumer preferences, changes, and shifts in e-commerce home delivery preferences
May 7, 2024
A new study issued today by Waterloo, Ontario-based Descartes, a provider of logistics based on-demand, software-as-a-service offerings, showed some disparities in the intersection of online buying and home delivery processes. The study, entitled “Online Buying Grows But Too Many Customers Still Experiencing Delivery Woes,” was based on feedback from 8,000 consumers surveyed by Descartes and SAPIO Research, across Europe and North America over the first quarter. This is the third annual edition of Descartes’ e-commerce home delivery report.
Potential Canadian rail strike could damage the country’s economy
May 7, 2024
Over 9,000 rail workers poised to walk off job, disrupting critical transportation routes used by various industries.
C.H. Robinson highlights progress of its AI-focused offerings with a focus on automating shipping processes
May 7, 2024
Taking steps to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) in order to automate various types of shipping transactions conducted over e-mail, Minneapolis, Minn.-based global third-party logistics (3PL) services provider and freight forwarder C.H. Robinson (CHR) today heralded the progress it has made on that front, calling the utilization a key step in breaking “a long-standing barrier to automation.
UPS announces CFO Newman to leave company, effective June 1
May 6, 2024
Atlanta-based global freight transportation and logistics services provider UPS said that effective June 1, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Brian Newman will leave the company.
Preliminary April North American Class 8 net orders are mixed
May 6, 2024
FTR reported that preliminary April net orders, at 14,400 units, were off 25% compared to March and 12.5% annually. And it added that over the last 12 months, total Class 8 orders were at 267,700 units. ACT reported that April Class 8 orders, art 15,600 units, were off 1,800 units compared to March, while posting a 30% annual gain, in what it called a very easy year-ago comparison.
Senators take a close look at Amazon with Warehouse Worker Protection Act
May 6, 2024
The proposed legislation aims to regulate the use of productivity quotas and improve safety for workers.
Despite American political environment, global geopolitical risks could be easing
May 6, 2024
While there is plenty of danger around the world, the reality of interconnected supply chains may be prevailing.
Maryland DOT: $1.9 billion and up to four years to rebuild bridge sunk near Baltimore port
May 6, 2024
It will take just over four years and up to $1.9 billion to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge after it was hit by a cargo ship and fell into the Patapsco River, according to an estimate by the Maryland Department of Transportation. The state plans to build a new span by the fall of 2028, spokesman David Broughton said. He also said it will likely cost anywhere from $1.7 billion-to-$1.9 billion to rebuild the span after the container ship Dali lost power...
April Services PMI contracts after 15 months of growth, reports ISM
May 3, 2024
The Services PMI, at 49.4 (a reading of 50 or higher signals growth) fell 2.0%. The last time the index contracted was in December 2022, when it came in at 49 and prior to that the last month seeing contraction was in May 2020, when it came in at 45.4.
2023 industrial big-box leasing activity heads down but remains on a steady path, notes CBRE report
May 3, 2024
In the report, entitled “2024 North America Industrial Big-Box Review & Outlook,” CBRE said that Food & Beverage was the third most active occupier for big-box leasing activity, at 8.6%, with Automobiles, Tires & Parts, E-commerce Only, and Building Materials & Construction rounding out the top six, at 7.0%, 5.4%, and 5.3%, respectively.
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Comau’s Advanced Solutions Drive The Benefits Of Automation For Diversified Industries May 3, 2024
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U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are mixed in April, reports AAR
May 3, 2024
Rail carloads, at 848,882, were down 6.5%, or 58,751 carloads, annually. Intermodal containers and trailers, at 1,018,569 units, increased 8.6%, or 80,471 units, annually.
