Warehouse DC

Amid shortages and disruptions, e-commerce orders are on fire at the same time as brick-and-mortar sales are heating up. Retailers are looking to technology and innovative strategies to keep up.

As robotics become more widely deployed and some operations begin to use fleets from multiple vendors, more of the talk is about software-related issues like integration and less on the workings of the robot hardware itself.

In its monthly Manufacturing Report on Business, ISM said that the report’s key metric, the PMI, was 58.7 (a reading of 50 or higher indicates growth), down 2.4% compared to November. This marks the 19th consecutive month of growth, at a slower rate, coupled with December also representing the 19th consecutive month of growth for the overall economy.

The report, entitled “Industrial Occupiers Experiencing Sticker Shock at Lease Expiration,” pointed to how robust demand and new construction delays have reduced the industrial vacancy rate down to 3.6% in the third quarter, whereas annual rent growth increase a record-high 10.4%. And it also highlighted how occupiers inking five-year leases back in 2016, with an average 3% rent increase, are now seeing net increases of 25%, while making decisions on new occupancy.

More than 137.9 million square-feet (MSF) of industrial product was leased, a new 2021 high, according to Data recently issued by Los Angeles-based industrial real estate firm JLL, in its “Q3 Industrial Report.

While doing so provides great rewards, it also introduces varying levels of risk with the potential to harm the business.

Logistics parks often process hundreds of incoming trucks a day – putting major pressure on available docks. To maximize efficiency and throughput, and to create an audit trail for all shipments, forward-thinking logistics companies are turning to a new generation of smart video solutions.

As the current package of economic and supply chain fundamentals—high levels of consumer demand, rapid order fulfillment, inventory replenishing, and clogged delivery networks, among others—remains intact, so does the current outlook for the industrial real estate market, according to data recently issued by Chicago-based industrial real estate firm CBRE.

Capex budgets and headcount are both up amid signs of expansion. But underneath those positives are strains, led by concerns about labor and inventory turns. Applying more technology, say respondents, is the path forward.

A keynote session at the “Groundbreakers 2021: Breaking New Ground” conference hosted by San Francisco-based real estate investment trust company Prologis this week touched upon both the pain points and the opportunities that the Covid-19 pandemic has created for the supply chain. The session featured Prologis CEO Hamid Moghadam and Carol Tomé, CEO of Atlanta-based global transportation and logistics bellwether UPS, two leading industry executives. And they both talked about the impact of the ongoing global supply chain issues on their...

E-commerce fulfillment is changing—fast. Not only are consumer buying patterns evolving, but digital platforms are accelerating online consumption and redefining business models across the globe.

The global pandemic turned supply chains on end. Here are five inventory management strategies organizations can use now to both manage current volatility and optimize for the future.

The reading for the report’s key indicator—the Services PMI (formerly the Non-Manufacturing PMI)—came in at 61.9 (a reading of 50 or higher indicates growth is occurring), up 0.2% compared to August and in close range to July’s all-time high reading, at 64.1. The Services PMI grew for the 16th consecutive month, with services sector growth intact in 138 of the last 140 months.

Learn why there’s no time like the present to undergo a thorough warehouse or distribution facility assessment and to make the changes needed to future-proof your organization.

Locus Robotics, a leading provider of autonomous mobile robots (AMR) for fulfillment warehouses, today announced that it has acquired Waypoint Robotics, a leading provider of autonomous, omnidirectional mobile robots which can move and handle larger payloads.