Supply Chain Monthly

Shippers and carriers love drop-and-hook freight for its speed and simplicity. In fact, the majority of U.S. Fortune 500 shipments are sent through preloaded drop trailers. The challenge with drop has been one of scale. Traditional drop services are limited to specific lanes and regions, and when demand surges, they can’t flex up to accommodate the additional volume.

In 2017, Convoy Go became the first drop-and-hook service that let carriers of all sizes, including owner-operators, haul power-only loads. This unique, modern approach to drop offered shippers flexible, nationwide capacity with the reliability and quality they’d come to expect from asset-based carriers.

 

Thank you Ari Bixhorn, Senior Director of Shipper Product at Convoy for sharing this CSCMP Hot Topics.

Supply chains are an essential service to our daily lives, the backbone of the global economy, and a true source of differentiation and innovation for enterprises.

When they run smoothly, customers get the products and services they need at the right price, place and time. But pressure to deliver better customer experiences and continuously optimize operations and costs — coupled with unpredictable disruptions to demand, supply and logistics — have exposed the vulnerabilities and fragility of supply chains.

 

Thank you IBM supply chain solutions for writing this CSCMP Hot Topics.

Paperwork is still the center of all things logistics. And of all the paperwork, the most important piece is the bill of lading (BOL). Why? The BOL is the legal document that includes all of the details about the shipment and the goods being carried and it serves as a receipt, meaning the carrier won’t be paid for the delivery without it. The BOL performs three key functions:

• Proof or evidence of contract of carriage.
• Proof to receipt of goods.
• Document of title.

 

Thank you Cara McFarlane, Solution Marketing Manager at Hyland for sharing this CSCMP Hot Topics.

Interested in becoming SCPro™ Certified? SCPro™ Certification is a three-tiered program that assesses progressive knowledge and skills across integrated supply chain activities. This process validates an individual’s ability to strategically assess business challenges and effectively implement supply chain improvements through the analysis of real-world case studies and developing a comprehensive project plan to achieve results such as a positive ROI. Learn more to earn more today!

"CSCMP provides a variety of opportunities for you to learn and stay connected. I loved attending the local round table events because the warmest welcome officials offer. There are no right or wrong questions; someone will always be open to connect and provide insight. If you cannot attend the events due to work hours, the daily news is a phenomenal way to keep you informed. This material can always be shared with your colleagues or used on your next networking event to establish rapport. Another way to keep learning is the webinars or the podcast that bring free education to you during your commute, workout, etc. Not to mention all the resources online for you to learn at your pace."

"I joined CSCMP in 1996 soon after I started TSI Group in 1990. I joined because the association offers for many opportunities for networking, learning and growth. As an executive recruiter who works with a range of clients in the supply chain, transportation and logistics sectors, it’s been invaluable for me to increase my knowledge of our industry. Take advantage of all the association offers and find ways to participate as a speaker, writer, volunteer or attendee. Go to the events and networking opportunities. Read Supply Chain Quarterly to increase your knowledge of what’s happening in our industry. Reach out to fellow members, in your own chapter and outside your region. Find some time to grab lunch, coffee or a phone call with other members to gather insights. It’s vital when you’re early in your career but it’s applicable throughout your career—be like a sponge and never stop learning and CSCMP offers so many ways to increase your knowledge."

iPlan is an international firm of consultants who empower clients by making complex business processes and systems work for them in their environment with their people. They project manage complete ERP, WMS, and similar business system implementation projects for their clients and are experts in business process design and implementation.

C.L. Services utilizes the strengths of their knowledgeable people, proven processes, and state-of-the-art technology to help their customers work smarter, not harder. Their premier suite of transportation and supply chain services allows them to seamlessly deliver products and goods that drive the North American economy.

In this CSCMP Opinion, PwC Principal Glen Goldbach shares how brick-and-mortar stores are being replaced with digital storefronts and doorstep delivery, direct-to-consumer logistics has become a strategic imperative that is driving conversations at the executive level across the retail sector. Retailers faced with the acceleration in ecommerce trends are considering whether to build or buy logistics capabilities needed to compete. In fact, major retailers have reported record year-over-year ecommerce growth in the latest quarter.

Presented by Softeon
Thursday, January 21 │ 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM CST 

 

The era of the “smart warehouse” is here.

Advances in Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and especially newer Warehouse Execution Systems (WES) are breaking the existing distribution center mold, ushering in a new generation of intelligent DCs that will bring significantly improved levels of efficiency and performance.

Warehouse Execution Systems have been around in various forms for a number of years, but they are not yet well understood. WES has also most often been associated with heavily automated systems, and less so for more manual or hybrid DCs.

This webinar will demystify WMS, Warehouse Control Systems (WCS), and WES, focusing on the new capabilities advanced WMS+WES solutions bring to distribution in automated, non-automated, and mixed DC environments, with “always on” processing.

Add in artificial intelligence and machine learning, and we are on a path to greatly improved resource management and product flow—or what we might call “Flow Distribution”—and the realization of the truly smart distribution center.

According to the November 2020 Logistics Manager’s Index Report^® the LMI index is up to 71.6 from September’s reading of 70.5. This marks six consecutive months of increasing readings following April’s all-time low of 51.3. This is highest reading for the overall index since June of 2018. The long-term U-shape of this metric demonstrates how, after an extended period of slow expansion, growth rates roared back in through the Summer and Fall of 2020. As noted above, this growth seems to be primarily driven by increasing inventory levels which have resulted in limited capacity and high prices for both warehousing and transportation. The logistics industry is continuing to grow quickly, a trend that is likely to increase through the end of the year as holiday shopping continues to pick up.

 

Respondents predict that over the next year, the LMI will be at 71.5, up (+5.1) from August’s future prediction of 66.0. This suggests that respondents are anticipating increasing rates of growth in the logistics industry over the next 12 months.