October 2014

Three years ago, Candace Holowicki, the company’s director of global transportation and logistics, joined its Global Services Organization and helped to level functional silos and bring together procurement, logistics, operations, and continuous improvement areas—a move that now saves millions annually.

New research and analysis offers suggestions of a new modal mix and a subsequent distribution process designed to help retailers meet more pressing customer demands.

We explore the progress supply chain management (SCM) applications are making in the cloud, pinpoint key benefits, attempt to demystify the concerns, and discuss which solutions are helping to solidify cloud delivery in this somewhat reluctant market.

While shippers may generally be content with the reliability of their 3PL partners, new research indicates that there’s considerable concern about the value of long-term, strategic relationships. Industry analysts explain how innovation and a deeper commitment to collaboration will become the key differentiators in the 2015 marketplace.

As the industry successfully harnesses the wealth of available lift truck fleet data, opportunities for improvement extend throughout the operation.

Maersk caused a stir last summer by raising its full-year profit forecast for 2014 due to higher freight volumes and lower costs. Industry analysts wonder, however, if many of the other Top 30 carriers will exercise the same discipline to achieve similar goals.

The editorial staff of Logistics Management(LM) is thrilled to again have the winner of the NASSTRAC Shipper of the Year Award grace our October cover. For 15 years, LM has partnered with NASSTRAC, one of the leading logistics and transportation advocacy organizations in the market, to fix the spotlight on a savvy logistics operation that has demonstrated excellence in the execution of a strategy designed to streamline its company’s operations and contribute to the bottom line.

The data generated when shippers buy and sell goods typically includes dozens of key fields including dates, volumes, transit times, prices, accessorial costs, locations, and most recently dimensions.

Big Data analytics is a big deal, particularly in supply chain management where this technology is broadly applicable but often underutilized. This month, I’ll present a brief overview of Big Data analytics, discuss its burgeoning role in supply chain management, and examine some recent research.