Articles
Trends
Trends-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 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 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 […]
Read MoreTrends-July 2008
With Washington abuzz about the fall presidential election, the Federal Reserve dodging rumors of recession-fed inflation, and news outlets awash with images of flood-ravaged Midwest farms and independent truckers protesting rising fuel costs, this year’s annual State of Logistics Report echoed prevailing political and economic circumstances – with some difficult-to-swallow truths, easily digestible speculations, and […]
Read MoreTrends-June 2008
In light of the recent and sudden news that New Jersey-based LTL trucking company Jevic Transportation terminated operations and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, motor freight carriers will likely find the road noticeably more barren this summer. If the past is any indicator, the industry will be beset by further insolvency as trucking companies continue […]
Read MoreTrends-April 2008
Flipping through Backpacker‘s 2008 Gear Guide recently, I happened upon the magazine’s Zero Impact Challenge – a call to action for outdoor equipment manufacturers to design backpacks with “greener” footprints. In the spirit of environmental awareness, the magazine featured five brands in the process of developing new packs that are lighter, simpler in design, made of […]
Read MoreTrends—March 2008
10+2: Anything But Elementary The Importer Security Filing mandate proposed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been a hot topic of late – as much for speculation about its loose provisions as for its underlying purpose of tightening offshore supply chain links. When CBP announced its Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) in early […]
Read MoreTrends-February 2008
The push for green compliance is slowly permeating the logistics sector as businesses find greater incentives for designing and constructing distribution and retail facilities with sustainability guidelines in mind. As an example of this emerging trend, ProLogis, the world’s largest owner and developer of distribution facilities, recently introduced a directive mandating that all new developments […]
Read MoreTrends-2008
From tracking global containers to maintaining rail tracks, Inbound Logistics takes a closer look at recent legislative rumblings on Capitol Hill, industry causes and concerns, and what they portend for U.S. trade in 2008 and beyond
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