Articles
H.O.W.
How to Manage Peak Season Variability
August is usually the busiest time of year for global manufacturers, retailers, steamship lines, and transportation and logistics intermediaries as they begin ramping up inventories and capacity to manage the holiday freight surge. In 2011, however, a sluggish economy, continuing changes in consumer buying habits, and leaner ocean carrier fleets conspired to toss peak season […]
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How to Evaluate a 3PL Partner
Shippers, carriers, and even small intermediaries increasingly rely on third-party logistics (3PL) service providers to manage non-core logistics and supply functions, access capacity, and tap technology capabilities. 3PLs create value by pushing the envelope and helping customers reduce costs through tactical improvements, and enhance overall supply chain performance with strategic business process enhancements. Making the […]
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How to Ensure Successful Transportation of Your Project Cargo
When it comes to transporting over-dimensional or heavy-lift cargo—whether it’s equipment bound for Alberta oil fields or turbine components for an Iowa wind farm—transportation and logistics demands are infinitely greater because they are unique to each situation. The complexity of moving unwieldy cargo as quickly and economically as possible requires collaborative partnership, attention to detail, […]
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How to Drive Collaborative Distribution
MORE TO THE STORY: Playing the Part In the retail space, competition among small and medium manufacturers is fierce. But many are missing out on significant cost savings by failing to recognize and execute shared strategies that consolidate shipments in the interests of all supply chain stakeholders. The collaborative distribution concept leverages freight consolidation as […]
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How to Select Expedited Services
MORE TO THE STORY: 5 Steps to Expediency, Efficiency, Economy Expedited delivery is a necessity for all companies, whether they are meeting unexpected seasonal demand or managing shipments by exception. They use expedited service to move parcel and temperature-sensitive packages, specially packaged product, oversized equipment— and everything in between. Cost is secondary to timeliness and […]
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How to Develop a Direct-to-Store Delivery Model
MORE TO THE STORY: Is a Direct-to-Store Delivery Model Right for You? Speed is the name of the game in today’s retail landscape. How quickly products are purchased from store shelves depends on a myriad of factors: consumer preference, special promotions, and brand recognition, to name just a few. The real trick to gaining speed […]
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How to Find the Best EDI Solution For Your Operations
MORE TO THE STORY: 7 Rules to Finding the Best EDI Solution In today’s supply chain, change is a constant. Businesses have to gather and communicate information in real time to manage variability and efficiently match supply to demand. Flexibility and scalability are important. But with new sets of transactional requirements and data elements emerging, […]
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How to Enable a Proactive Supply Chain
MORE TO THE STORY: 5 Steps to Supply Chain Empowerment Tomorrow’s supply chains will be intertwined supply networks predicated on responding to supply and demand changes as they happen, not after the fact. Transaction and shipment exceptions are common, so businesses must be able to account for these variables by enabling a proactive supply chain. […]
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How to Leverage Rail/Intermodal For Refrigerated Freight
MORE TO THE STORY: A Refrigerated Case Rail/intermodal solutions are fast gaining traction among shippers looking for additional capacity, exploring more cost-effective transportation options, and seeking means to reduce their impact on the environment. While there has always been a captive rail audience among bulk commodity and dry goods shippers, more specialized freight, including refrigerated […]
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How to Ship to Alaska
MORE TO THE STORY: Finding the Right Partner Alaska RFP/RFI Alaska can be a challenging place to move freight. The state’s vast and varied terrain, harsh and unpredictable weather, and distance from the rest of the United States present unique challenges for shippers. Whether the task is transporting consumer goods to cities in southeastern Alaska, […]
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