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Trends-December 2008
Pacific Coast ports have anchored U.S. trade during the past two decades, but shifting globalization and sourcing tides are altering domestic transportation currents. These changes are gradually recasting the U.S. intermodal footprint with potentially long-lasting implications, suggests a recent report by Drewry Supply Chain Advisors. Intermodal routings linking major West Coast port gateways with the […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics-December 2008
Imagine what it would be like to slice inventory in half, cut out 2,000 suppliers, and whittle almost $500 million in total costs from your supply chain. With the help of IBM’s Integrated Supply Chain organization, Australia’s leading telecommunications player, Telstra, is bringing this demand-driven vision to reality. In September 2006, Telstra entered a strategic […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics-Nov
In a move that will get CN a little closer to its customers, the Montreal-based Class I is acquiring three principal railway subsidiaries of the Quebec Railway Corp. (QRC) and a QRC rail-freight ferry operation. The purchase comprises 540 track miles of rail line CN formerly owned in eastern Ontario, eastern Quebec, and northern New […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics-Nov 2008
In a move that will get CN a little closer to its customers, the Montreal-based Class I is acquiring three principal railway subsidiaries of the Quebec Railway Corp. (QRC) and a QRC rail-freight ferry operation. The purchase comprises 540 track miles of rail line CN formerly owned in eastern Ontario, eastern Quebec, and northern New […]
Read MoreTrends-November 2008
Outsourcing demands spin third-party logistics providers in countless directions, a reality manifest in the array of value-added services today’s players bring to the market. Look no further than where 3PLs have evolved from—warehousing, transportation, forwarding, freight payment, truck lease, chemical, automotive, electronics—and the level of complexity, breadth of resources, and geographic scope they now wield. […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics-Oct 2008
In tough economic times you can’t nickel-and-dime logistics process improvement. That, in itself, is a lesson for struggling retailers. The United Kingdom arm of Woolworths, the original five-and-ten discount chain, knows this reality firsthand, and is making supply chain management and leadership top priorities as it looks to reverse its fortunes. Beset by rampant stockouts […]
Read MoreTrends-October 2008
The New York City Department of Education (DOE) is learning the fundamentals of transportation and vendor management the hard way—and it shows. Facing a $300-million budget deficit, this past spring the DOE decided to revamp its decades-old milk purchasing arrangement and consolidate suppliers, according to the June 18, 2008, edition of the New York Post. “Our […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics-September 2008
Building on successful efforts in China, India, and the United Kingdom, FedEx Express is introducing its first domestic offering in Latin America—FedEx Express Nacional. The new service, which debuts Oct. 6, 2008, provides domestic next-business-day shipping, online tracking and tracing, and a money-back guarantee to businesses across Mexico. “Adding domestic service to our portfolio of […]
Read MoreTrends-September 2008
On Aug. 10, 2008, JDA Software signed a definitive agreement to acquire i2 Technologies for approximately $346 million, uniting two key rivals in the transportation management system (TMS) space. While the implications for current customers won’t become manifest until JDA releases its much-anticipated product roadmap, it is clear that the situation for mid-sized companies seeking […]
Read MoreTrends-August 2008
West Coast ports have endured their fair share of growing pains lately, what with congestion and capacity recurring quandaries for stateside shippers and consignees. Still, the ports are moving forward with efforts to increase throughput efficiency by spreading existing traffic across more hours and optimizing valuable port assets. PierPASS’ OffPeak program, for example, has diverted […]
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