logistics

Like seemingly everything else in Washington, Republicans and Democrats are light years apart in negotiations over a new five-year federal highway spending bill, and seem likely to kick the problem into 2021. That inaction—on what was once considered a so-called “must-pass” piece of legislation—is frustrating to leading trucking executives and others who rely on a modern American infrastructure network of interstate highways, bridges, ports and airports.

Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently caught up with Frank McGuigan, CEO of Dallas-based Transplace, a non asset-based third-party logistics services provider. McGuigan offered up his observations on various topics, including the company's aproach to M&A, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on logistics, inventory management, and the upcoming Transplace Shipper Symposium, among others.

Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently caught up with Jerry Hempstead, principal of Orlando-based Hempstead Consulting. The pair discussed a wide range of parcel-related topics, including: the impact of COVID-19 on rates and pricing; peak surhcharges; the e-commerce supply chain; and the current status of the United States Postal Service, among others.

The growth rate of e-commerce and direct-to-consumer delivery of chilled and/or frozen products was judged to be rapidly expanding before the advent of COVID-19. But now that the pandemic has hit full force the trend is explosive.

With an eye on improving same-day and next-day fulfillment options for customers, Mooresville, N.C.-based home improvement retailer Lowes Companies Inc. said this week laid out its plans for its supply chain transformation efforts focused on improving home delivery and to support increased demand from both do it yourself (DIY) and pro customers.

Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Blue Yonder (formerly JDA), a provider of AI-driven and end-to-end supply chain management services said that Santa Barbara, Calif.-based HERBL Solutions, California’s largest cannabis distributor and supply chain services provider, is at work on developing an “end-to-end supply chain fulfillment backbone, with Blue Yonder’s Luminate Platform acting as its base foundation.

A report recently issued by Chicago-based project44, a technology services provider offering standardized, secure Web service API (application programming interfaces) integrations enabling 3PLs and shippers to connect with carriers in real time, examines various ways in which global businesses are handling increasing urgency and pressure to bring customers what it called a superior delivery experience, coupled with augmenting environmental sustainability and efforts related to data security.

While things are strange, confusing, uncertain, difficult, challenging, or whatever you want to call it, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic remains top of mind, when it comes to assessing how things are going, as they relate to moving freight and supply chain and logistics operations.

May shipments—at 1,002,314—dropped 7.4% on an annual basis. And on a year-to-date basis, shipments through the first five months of 2020—at 4,840,335—were off 2.9% compared to the same period a year ago. Containerized shipments in May—at 2,043,403—were off 19.7% annually, and on a year-to-date basis, they were off 8.3% annually, to 10,762,310.

Ryder officials said that this new offering integrates data from multiple transportation and warehouse management systems into a single, synergistic platform, to create a better, faster, and smarter process. And they added it allows all parties to more easily see potential problems and inefficiencies while enabling them to then take real-time action to course correct in advance of delays and problems arising.

CAGTC has developed 15 “Follow That Freight” brochures, which began in 2005, with each one featuring a unique consumer product, which CAGTC said explains the significance of freight and goods movement infrastructure, adding it was created as an educational resource for elected officials and the general public to demonstrate how goods move through the supply chain to reach store shelves on a global basis.

Logistics Management’s Jeff Berman recently caught up with Jonathan Gold, NRF Vice President, Supply Chain and Customs Policy, about the Port Tracker Report and related retail supply chain developments.

The report’s first quarter National Shipment Index—at 124.3 (2011=110.1) dropped 1.8% compared to the fourth quarter and was up 3.8% annually. First quarter spend—at 188.1 (2011=110.1)—fell 3.7% compared to the fourth quarter, following a 4% sequential decline from the third quarter to the fourth quarter of 2019, and it was down 2.5% annually.

At a time when coronavirus, or COVID-19, continues to wreak havoc on the economy, e-commerce retailers, in particular, have faced many challenges, as evidenced by this week’s release of United States March retail sales by the Department of Commerce.

Demand for United States-based industrial cold storage space is on the rise, due to coronavirus, or COVID-19 as it creates “massive disruption in the food industry,” according to research issued this week by Los Angeles-based industrial real estate firm CBRE.