Best Practices

The key to choosing the right WMS in maximizing customer service and satisfaction. A good WMS will provide a spike in customer service, leading to greater customer satisfaction and increased profitability. Not having a good WMS means constant struggles to keep a stable customer base.

Before entering this vibrant marketplace, trade experts advise logistics managers to conduct a very careful examination of the region’s transportation and regulatory infrastructure.

In today’s highly global — and highly competitive — marketplace, most businesses have realized the value of investing in supply chain improvement. Of course, whenever investments are made, there must be an analysis of their returns. For that reason, most businesses have also created metrics that document real-world supply chain performance and track changes over time.

With the unprecedented power of the omni-channel consumer driving behavior in the global marketplace, companies — regardless of where they sit in the supply chain — must not only find new ways to achieve efficiencies and operational control, but also to accomplish these objectives with the agility necessary to competitively serve today’s end consumer.

American Shipper recently released its annual benchmark report entitled “Global Transportation Management Benchmark Study: Climbing the Visibility Sophistication Ladder.” The study surveys practitioners from a variety of industries as well as a cross section from a diverse organizational scale.

The challenges that retailers face during Christmas naturally vary according on the sector and from company to company. For many specialty retailers, having to cope with long lead times, Christmas challenges centre around estimating the season’s demand both well in advance and accurately; not an easy task.

In just one night, Santa has to visit millions of homes to deliver presents. If he could travel at the speed of light, the task would be simple. However, Einstein’s formula, E=MC², tells us that anything with mass cannot travel faster than the speed of light. And as we all know, Santa has mass.

Selecting the right firm that can meet your requirements can be challenging, however, consultants vary in their level and type of ERP expertise, experience, geographic coverage, size and vertical industry knowledge. Fortunately, there are some common criteria to consider when selecting your next ERP consulting firm.

Supply chain managers have no peer in understanding the complexity of the global economic and regulatory environment. And, they are well positioned to expedite a cutting edge approach to public-private security cooperation.

Much of the analytics effort to date has focused on the demand side of the supply chain equation. Yet analytics can be applied just as effectively to the supply side to assure reliable and cost effective inventory, capacity, and supplier capabilities. The insights here can help companies build a supply analytics competency that will lead to better business decisions.

Sourcing your goods usually means dealing with multiple suppliers located everywhere - time zones, cultures, distance, and languages - it's logistics.

Career paths are not narrow, ladder-like pathways; they consist of broad, irregular landscapes. Along the way, you will almost certainly make lateral moves in response to unexpected obstacles, opportunities, and shifting ambitions.

The future of globalization and supply chains may very well be characterized by how well companies learn to overcome the "last mile" challenges associated with the bottom billion consumers.

Inventory optimization—the process of scientifically determining the right inventory levels across the supply chain—has never been easy. But advanced tools now available are enabling companies to do the job faster, more accurately, and with greater business impact. In fact, industry leaders are finding that IO can drive greater profitability through lower inventories, better fill rates, and ultimately a more satisfied customer.

In many organizations, including those with DC operations, it is common to initially evaluate a capital project in terms of the payback period. A recent Peerless Research Group poll of DC executives revealed that 27% of respondents expected a ROI in 6-to-12 months while 36% anticipated a 12-to-24 month payback.

The handbag and accessories maker’s new DC was designed to handle store replenishment, wholesale distribution and direct-to-consumer sales under one roof.

As a shipper or carrier, you're constantly asking yourself the same question: How can we better manage the whole freight audit and payment process?

As a shipper or carrier, you're constantly asking yourself the same question: How can we better manage the whole freight audit and payment process?

Performance improvement through effective labor management is critical to the success of any labor-driven operation and effectively managing your labor expense is often the single biggest opportunity for performance improvement and cost reduction in your distribution center, manufacturing plant, retail store and/or delivery operation.

For a business moving into the internet space, setting up a slick eCommerce website with sophisticated online ordering and payment processing is only the tip of the iceberg. If you don’t deliver the goods according to a customer’s expectations, they may never return.