Guest Commentary: Making the Case for Routing and Scheduling Software

March 19, 2013, 5:32 am

≫ Next: Guest Commentary: The Simplicity of Black Box Integration

$

0

0

For shippers and distributors that operate private fleets, routing and scheduling technology can significantly improve operational cost control and asset productivity. Routing and scheduling solutions offer the promise of route ‘optimization’ — an automated way to build that ideal mix of orders, stop sequencing and scheduling together with the shortest, most cost-efficient driving route to [...]

The post Guest Commentary: Making the Case for Routing and Scheduling Software appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints: A Blog for Logistics, Supply Chain, and 3PL Executives.

---

Guest Commentary: The Simplicity of Black Box Integration

March 21, 2013, 4:26 am

≫ Next: Guest Commentary: Transportation Management Wasn’t Always This Easy

≪ Previous: Guest Commentary: Making the Case for Routing and Scheduling Software

$

0

0

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” — Leonardo da Vinci I wonder if Leonardo da Vinci was envisioning the flexibility and capabilities that are inherent in black box technology when he made this comment. Just think about it, an input goes into the black box millions of times a day and yields the same output, time [...]

The post Guest Commentary: The Simplicity of Black Box Integration appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints: A Blog for Logistics, Supply Chain, and 3PL Executives.

Guest Commentary: Transportation Management Wasn’t Always This Easy

April 2, 2013, 4:52 am

≫ Next: Guest Commentary: Keystone Foods Improves Supply Chain Visibility with SaaS TMS

≪ Previous: Guest Commentary: The Simplicity of Black Box Integration

$

0

0

Today’s logistics departments have a lot of options for systems that help them plan and execute the shipments that drive their businesses. It wasn’t always this easy though. A brief look in the rearview mirror will help us appreciate how we got here and the direction we’re heading. Every time I plug my $20, 16GB [...]

The post Guest Commentary: Transportation Management Wasn’t Always This Easy appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints: A Blog for Logistics, Supply Chain, and 3PL Executives.

Guest Commentary: Keystone Foods Improves Supply Chain Visibility with SaaS TMS

April 4, 2013, 6:36 am

≫ Next: Next Generation Transportation Management Solutions

≪ Previous: Guest Commentary: Transportation Management Wasn’t Always This Easy

$

0

0

Keystone Foods is a multi-national, multi-protein processor for the world’s leading brands, providing fresh and frozen protein products to customers worldwide. Keystone processes poultry, beef, fish and pork and is dedicated to food safety as well as quality. The company runs 50 facilities that serve about 6,400 restaurants around the world. The Keystone Food Logistics [...]

The post Guest Commentary: Keystone Foods Improves Supply Chain Visibility with SaaS TMS appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints: A Blog for Logistics, Supply Chain, and 3PL Executives.

Next Generation Transportation Management Solutions

April 15, 2013, 6:38 am

≫ Next: This Week in Logistics News (April 15-19, 2013)

≪ Previous: Guest Commentary: Keystone Foods Improves Supply Chain Visibility with SaaS TMS

$

0

0

I believe that the next generation of transportation management solutions will leverage GPS and telematics technologies in much more robust ways than we are seeing today. For example, I was recently briefed by Esri, which provides Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and a platform/toolkit called ArcGIS that allows users to combine geographic data, including real-time and [...]

The post Next Generation Transportation Management Solutions appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints: A Blog for Logistics, Supply Chain, and 3PL Executives.

This Week in Logistics News (April 15-19, 2013)

April 19, 2013, 8:22 am

≫ Next: Guest Commentary: 7 Building Blocks to Prepare for Implementing a Global TMS

≪ Previous: Next Generation Transportation Management Solutions

$

0

0

As I write this, the greater Boston area (including where I live) is in lockdown as the police hunt for the second suspect of the Boston Marathon bombings (the first suspect was killed overnight). I’m amazed by how quickly the investigation has progressed, and how organized the response by law enforcement has been. We’ll learn [...]

The post This Week in Logistics News (April 15-19, 2013) appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints: A Blog for Logistics, Supply Chain, and 3PL Executives.

Guest Commentary: 7 Building Blocks to Prepare for Implementing a Global TMS

April 25, 2013, 5:02 am

≫ Next: Walmart’s New Solution for Outbound Routing and Load Building

≪ Previous: This Week in Logistics News (April 15-19, 2013)

$

0

0

Your supply chain is global, yet you lack global visibility, process, and expertise to effectively manage it. This challenge is not uncommon among shippers around the world. With projected increases in global trade volumes, the pull of developing economy growth engines, and rising middle class consumer spending, the need for global TMS technology and expertise [...]

The post Guest Commentary: 7 Building Blocks to Prepare for Implementing a Global TMS appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints: A Blog for Logistics, Supply Chain, and 3PL Executives.

Walmart’s New Solution for Outbound Routing and Load Building

April 29, 2013, 4:16 am

≫ Next: Guest Commentary: Can You Blueprint a Logistics Services Operation?

≪ Previous: Guest Commentary: 7 Building Blocks to Prepare for Implementing a Global TMS

$

0

0

Any time Walmart speaks about what it is doing in logistics, I’ll listen. In March, Steve Simpson, Senior Manager of Transportation Technology at Walmart, participated in a webinar on how Walmart is optimizing outbound loads through its implementation of ORTEC‘s routing and load-building solutions (ORTEC is a Logistics Viewpoints sponsor). A couple of caveats need [...]

The post Walmart’s New Solution for Outbound Routing and Load Building appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints: A Blog for Logistics, Supply Chain, and 3PL Executives.

---

Guest Commentary: Can You Blueprint a Logistics Services Operation?

May 2, 2013, 4:41 am

≫ Next: Guest Commentary: Network Analysis – The Lynchpin of Successful Transportation Bid Preparation

≪ Previous: Walmart’s New Solution for Outbound Routing and Load Building

$

0

0

The time was the mid-nineties, and as many aspiring leaders do, I decided to earn an MBA. One class in particular, Service Marketing, left an impression on me. Back then, it was a new and revolutionary course, hot off the presses. It tackled the concept that service marketing is different from product marketing for many [...]

The post Guest Commentary: Can You Blueprint a Logistics Services Operation? appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints: A Blog for Logistics, Supply Chain, and 3PL Executives.

Guest Commentary: Network Analysis – The Lynchpin of Successful Transportation Bid Preparation

May 7, 2013, 3:00 am

≫ Next: Guest Commentary: Algorithms, Optimization and Constraints

≪ Previous: Guest Commentary: Can You Blueprint a Logistics Services Operation?

$

0

0

In my experience working with shippers to create and execute bids, I have yet to present a transportation network and spend to a shipper and have them say, “That’s exactly what I thought it was.” The shipper is always surprised by their spend, carriers used, spikes and valleys in volumes, and by the shifting origin-destination [...]

The post Guest Commentary: Network Analysis – The Lynchpin of Successful Transportation Bid Preparation appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints: A Blog for Logistics, Supply Chain, and 3PL Executives.

Guest Commentary: Algorithms, Optimization and Constraints

May 9, 2013, 7:36 am

≫ Next: Guest Commentary: Logistics Management Challenges for SMBs

≪ Previous: Guest Commentary: Network Analysis – The Lynchpin of Successful Transportation Bid Preparation

$

0

0

I think it’s time we stopped using the word “optimization” in our transportation management conversations. I believe this because when we talk about optimization, we usually apply the term toward solving rating and routing problems. For example, “We have many separate orders going out on the same day, to many different locations. Let’s run it [...]

The post Guest Commentary: Algorithms, Optimization and Constraints appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints: A Blog for Logistics, Supply Chain, and 3PL Executives.

Guest Commentary: Logistics Management Challenges for SMBs

May 16, 2013, 4:44 am

≫ Next: 4 Questions Before Investing in a Transportation Management Solution

≪ Previous: Guest Commentary: Algorithms, Optimization and Constraints

$

0

0

With Memorial Day only a few weeks away, and summer fast approaching, many companies will begin finalizing plans for enhancements or changes to their supply chain to better prepare for the holiday season. The current supply chain challenges aren’t limited to large enterprise organizations – small and midsize businesses (SMBs) are also feeling the pressure [...]

The post Guest Commentary: Logistics Management Challenges for SMBs appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints: A Blog for Logistics, Supply Chain, and 3PL Executives.

4 Questions Before Investing in a Transportation Management Solution

May 22, 2013, 6:35 am

≫ Next: Guest Commentary: Global Logistics and the Transportation Management Center: The Next Phase in Network Agility

≪ Previous: Guest Commentary: Logistics Management Challenges for SMBs

$

0

0

Managing transportation —  the ebb and flow of rates, capacity, fuel and regulations — is an ongoing challenge for many companies, especially those still using spreadsheets and fax machines to plan and execute shipments. At some point, usually when costs are out of control or service levels are heading south, companies finally make the decision [...]

The post 4 Questions Before Investing in a Transportation Management Solution appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints: A Blog for Logistics, Supply Chain, and 3PL Executives.

Guest Commentary: Global Logistics and the Transportation Management Center: The Next Phase in Network Agility

May 30, 2013, 4:26 am

≫ Next: This Week in Logistics News (June 3-7, 2013)

≪ Previous: 4 Questions Before Investing in a Transportation Management Solution

$

0

0

In my previous guest commentary on the evolution of transportation management, Driving Value from a Transportation Management Center: Think Global, Act Local,  I discussed how transportation best practices were evolving from more rigid, centralized control towers to more flexible and collaborative Transportation Management Centers (TMC). The TMC merges technology, organization and processes to establish a [...]

The post Guest Commentary: Global Logistics and the Transportation Management Center: The Next Phase in Network Agility appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints: A Blog for Logistics, Supply Chain, and 3PL Executives.

This Week in Logistics News (June 3-7, 2013)

June 7, 2013, 8:15 am

≫ Next: Ace Hardware Leverages TMS for Freight Procurement

≪ Previous: Guest Commentary: Global Logistics and the Transportation Management Center: The Next Phase in Network Agility

$

0

0

Welcome to June. We’re quickly approaching the midpoint of the year, which means it’s time to start planning for 2014 — at least that’s what I heard at my sister’s surprise birthday party last weekend, where some of her co-workers in finance were talking about getting started with 2014 budgets. Just like political campaigns, the [...]

The post This Week in Logistics News (June 3-7, 2013) appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints: A Blog for Logistics, Supply Chain, and 3PL Executives.

---

Ace Hardware Leverages TMS for Freight Procurement

June 10, 2013, 4:33 am

≫ Next: Takeaways from Shipper-Carrier Roundtable at Momentum 2013

≪ Previous: This Week in Logistics News (June 3-7, 2013)

$

0

0

Eight years ago, Ace Hardware began working with LeanLogistics (a Logistics Viewpoints sponsor) to help with inbound freight moves. Scott McLean, Director of Transportation, and Carey Skoglund, National Logistics Manager, explained to me their journey to more fully leverage LeanLogistics to improve the transportation procurement program. Ace Hardware is a cooperative that serves 4,000 independently [...]

The post Ace Hardware Leverages TMS for Freight Procurement appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints: A Blog for Logistics, Supply Chain, and 3PL Executives.

Takeaways from Shipper-Carrier Roundtable at Momentum 2013

June 12, 2013, 4:28 am

≫ Next: This Week in Logistics News (June 10-14, 2013)

≪ Previous: Ace Hardware Leverages TMS for Freight Procurement

$

0

0

What happens when you bring together a large group of shippers and carriers and put them in a conference room? At the Manhattan Associates Momentum 2013 conference last month, the answer was a great conversation about transportation trends, challenges, and opportunities. I had the privilege of moderating this year’s Shipper-Carrier Roundtable, which included the following [...]

The post Takeaways from Shipper-Carrier Roundtable at Momentum 2013 appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints: A Blog for Logistics, Supply Chain, and 3PL Executives.

This Week in Logistics News (June 10-14, 2013)

June 14, 2013, 8:45 am

≫ Next: Guest Commentary: 5 Problem Signs in Service and Distribution Fleets

≪ Previous: Takeaways from Shipper-Carrier Roundtable at Momentum 2013

$

0

0

I’m short on time this morning, so let’s go straight to the news. Transplace Updates, Enhances TMS Freight Allocation Module 2.0 Infor Delivers Automotive Innovation Throughout The Value Chain Wal-Mart buys a ‘predictive analytics’ firm (Internet Retailer) Google finalizing $1.3 billion deal for mapping company Waze (Reuters) Con-way Freight Announces 2013 General Rate Increase Freight [...]

The post This Week in Logistics News (June 10-14, 2013) appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints: A Blog for Logistics, Supply Chain, and 3PL Executives.

Guest Commentary: 5 Problem Signs in Service and Distribution Fleets

June 18, 2013, 5:55 am

≫ Next: This Week in Logistics News (June 17-21, 2013)

≪ Previous: This Week in Logistics News (June 10-14, 2013)

$

0

0

A fleet operation is inefficient whenever vehicle capacity goes unused, when vehicles put on more miles than necessary to accomplish the work at hand and when drivers sit at the wheel instead of serving customer needs because of inefficient scheduling. Here are five warning signs of fleet inefficiency that can also point to cost savings [...]

The post Guest Commentary: 5 Problem Signs in Service and Distribution Fleets appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints: A Blog for Logistics, Supply Chain, and 3PL Executives.

This Week in Logistics News (June 17-21, 2013)

June 21, 2013, 8:48 am

≫ Next: Transportation Simulation: Who Needs It?

≪ Previous: Guest Commentary: 5 Problem Signs in Service and Distribution Fleets

$

0

0

Summer is finally here, so let’s go right to the news…and then maybe the pool. C.H. Robinson Continues European Expansion with Istanbul Office MercuryGate International Inc. Announces Expanded European Presence Through Partnership JDA Software Announces Integrated Product Roadmap FedEx Corp. Reports Fourth Quarter Earnings Oracle Doubles Dividend; Cloud SaaS Revenues Up 50%, Engineered Systems Up [...]

The post This Week in Logistics News (June 17-21, 2013) appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints: A Blog for Logistics, Supply Chain, and 3PL Executives.