Supply Chain Trends
Is Same-Day Shipping a Good Investment?
Amazon and other Internet retailers typically offer same-day shipping as an option for people and businesses that need their purchases right way. However, should a business even consider the extra charge? Or do less-expensive shipping options save money while delivering products within a perfectly acceptable time frame? Same-day shipping can be a useful tool for…
Read MoreUnderstanding the Importance of Supply Chain Visibility
In a perfect supply-chain scenario, raw materials would efficiently be produced into finished products that then seamlessly flow on to customers. However, there are always inefficiencies in the supply chain and one way to reduce those inefficiencies is to increase visibility within the chain. Thanks to cloud-based solutions and other technology, increasing supply chain visibility…
Read MoreGet Better at Procurement and Don’t Be Afraid of Changes
Procurement is the business process of acquiring goods and services that allow a company to turn around and then produce a product or service to its customers, or in the case of government to the public. Procurement involves setting up quality standards, funding purchases, bargaining over prices, buying goods, tracking inventory control levels and discovering…
Read MoreHas Lean Six Sigma Become Saturated in the Supply Chain Industry?
First developed to combine the principles of lean manufacturing and the Six Sigma enterprise process improvement methodology, Lean Six Sigma (LSS) became quite popular in the logistics industry during the last decade. But this era might be winding down, considering some companies – most notably Xerox – are cutting back on their LSS programs. Is…
Read MoreMake the Return Process Easy for the Consumer
The advent of eCommerce gives the consumer many different options when it comes to online retailers. Even traditional stores embracing an omnichannel business model are able to compete both online and in person. This competitive environment requires companies to go the extra mile to engender customer loyalty. A retailer’s return policy plays a big role…
Read MoreIs a Centralized Supply Management Function Right for My Company?
As a business grows, a common question arises about whether or not it makes sense to centralize some of the business functions of the company, instead of keeping their operations separate. The supply chain industry is one industry where centralization might make sense, but the final answer truly depends on the specific needs and environment…
Read MoreIs It Legal to Monitor Employees with GPS?
GPS technology and other recent innovations like the “Internet of Things” gives logistics companies the ability to monitor their entire supply chain and improve overall efficiency. On the other hand, does this constant tracking of employees raise any legal issues for your organization? The answer depends on the nature of the tracking and other issues,…
Read MoreAre Customers Going to Require Free Shipping?
With the retail marketplace growing more and more competitive, are customers going to increasingly demand free shipping and other benefits when deciding between retailers? This is question facing many in the logistics industry. Considering the massive success of Amazon in the 21st Century – a company that offers free shipping on every order over $35…
Read MoreHow the Internet of Things Is Affecting Logistics
One of the hottest current technology trends, the Internet of Things (IoT) involves the concept of individual devices, appliances, and equipment that can be accessed and managed over the Internet. The growing home automation (HA) market is one example of the IoT market, featuring a host of lights, doors, windows, and more that are controllable…
Read MorePart 2: How Is Omnichannel Retailing Affecting Logistics?
In last week’s article, we looked at the omnichannel retailing trend that continues to revolutionize the supply chain world in the 21st Century. These logistics innovations allowed companies like Amazon to become dominant in the industry, while forcing others – notably Walmart – to adopt similar techniques to be able to compete. Other companies, like…
Read More