SCTUSA

Omni-channel retailing is upending the way consumers shop and interact with their favorite brands. In response, retailers must redesign their supply chains to meet growing customer expectations in a new retail world without limits.

The supply chain software market is evolving toward platforms that optimize end-to-end processes and juggle constraints at all levels. Roberto Michel, Editor at Large, talked to a few leading suppliers who are making progress on this vision.

Manhattan Associates hosted the Inaugural “Shipper/Carrier” Exchange included an array of large shippers, 3PLs and carriers including GENCO ATC, HEB Grocery, Publix Super Markets, Celadon Trucking and Knight Transportation.

Manhattan Associates and The Home Depot Co-Present Transportation Management Session at the Supply Chain & Transportation USA Conference.

Gone are the days when retailers and wholesalers could allow their warehouse management systems to operate in isolation from their transportation management activities.

Customers tell us that mobile apps are actually improving the relationship between the supervisor and the employee. Supervisors have more quality time to spend with that employee one on one, improving morale and enhancing productivity.

Network alignment is the true power behind a successful transportation procurement event and getting the right carrier assigned to the right lane is the goal.

Mobile technologies offer fleet managers an advantage their predecessors didn’t have—continuous connectivity with their drivers, assets and cargo—this technology adds value to the enterprise and to your customers.

Through stochastic optimization and simulation, the variability of data can be modeled in a manner that provides the analyst a greater degree of confidence that the “best” decision—as defined not by a snapshot of data, but over time—will be made.

High-tech companies are making strategic shifts to their supply chain models to enable greater customer-centricity, meet changing consumer demand patterns and capture new growth opportunities. Findings come from the 4th annual global UPS Change in the (Supply) Chain survey, conducted by IDC Manufacturing Insights.

The pressure to find efficiencies and squeeze savings from the supply chain is never ending, but success often seems dependent on convincing corporate to invest in technology’s ‘next big thing.’ So what if someone told you there may be large, potential savings “hiding” in your existing supply chain that could be tapped without big capital outlays?

Supply Chain 24/7 Companies Exhibiting at Supply Chain & Transportation USA 2014.

Norwalk, CT — The “near-shoring” movement that’s been creating buzz in the supply chain world is getting a significant boost from consumers. Many thousands have signed a “Buy American” pledge, thanks to initiatives that include the Million Jobs Project an ABC World News series on Made in America and Wal-Mart’s “Buy American” campaign and commitment to source an additional $50 billion in products from U.S. manufacturers).

Product flow-path optimization, Production footprint analysis, Demand segmentation and inventory right-sizing, and Transportation route optimization. Each of these techniques can deliver the same fast, easy and unexpected benefits. They are fast in that they do not require years to implement.

Finding the right 3PL in today’s global marketplace involves looking beyond the provider’s “vision” statement. And there’s still an element of prognostication involved once a short list of the Top 50 has been whittled down.