eNewsletter

The Shippers Group, a leading national provider of 3PL warehousing, contract packaging, e-commerce, and transportation services, announced today that Graham Swank has been named Chief Executive Officer by The Shippers Group’s Board of Directors. The CEO position has been vacant since the untimely death of Ken Johnson last October.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/fud-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=666025&issueID=78465 to view the full article online.

Food Manufacturing
Cargill announced this week it expects to spend an estimated $475 million to improve operational efficiencies and increase capacity in its U.S. soy processign operations with the largest projects scheduled for Sidney, Ohio, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Wichita, Kansas, among others.

Visit https://www.foodmanufacturing.com/capital-investment/news/21307749/cargill-investing-475-in-soy-processing-operations to view the full article online.

Supply Chain Management Review
The economic outlook for 2021-2022 looks brighter indeed, according to the latest forecast from financial information provider IHS Markit, with GDP growth for 2021 pegged at 5.7% and 4.1% for 2022. In addition, employment is expected to peak to pre-COVID-19 levels by 2022.

Visit https://www.scmr.com/article/global_supply_chain_managers_should_brace_for_gdp_surge_says_ihs_markit/news to view the full article online.

Grocery Dive
Indoor farming company Infarm joins the growing ranks of companies answering the demand for "locally grown" produce year-round with urban distribution centers housing mini farms of leafy greens delivering direct to metropolitan markets such as Seattle, Vancouver and London. Infarm has 15 such centers already in operation supplying Kroger, Amazon Fresh, and Whole Foods Markets stores among others.

Visit https://www.grocerydive.com/news/kroger-partner-infarm-develops-new-modular-growing-facilities/595795/ to view the full article online.

Freightwaves
Port clearage on the West Coast, increased Asia-Pacific manufacturing, and growing e-commerce use, plus rising diesel fuel and trucking costs have raised the needle on the cost-savings spread between intermodal and trucking. Additionally, precision scheduled railroading initiatives and inland and near-dock facilities will be key drivers positively impacting intermodal revenues, according to analysts with the National Retail Federation and Wells Fargo.

Visit https://www.freightwaves.com/news/intermodal-poised-for-run-according-to-wells-fargo to view the full article online.

Supply Chain Management Review
A recent study, including feedback from more than 1,300 executive from trucking and trucking-related companies, by technology giant IBM found that more than $645 billion in annual revenues will shift from sales to services by 2030, and 64% of truck executives believe that digital transformation and a re-invention of their business model is key to their continued success.

Visit https://www.scmr.com/article/new_ibm_study_addresses_truckings_future_through_a_digital_transformation to view the full article online.

Supply Chain Brain
Retail giant Walmart recently unveiled several new e-commerce strategies, including in-store, back-of-store, and greenfield models tailor-made for an automation approach to same-day deliveries.

Visit https://www.supplychainbrain.com/articles/32709-walmart-embraces-a-local-fulfillment-model-for-grocery to view the full article online.

Food Logistics
Online grocery shopping is expected to account for about 21% of retail shopping by 2025, according to a new benchmark report by Incisiv. With 40% of current online shoppers expected to continue shopping online, dark stores and a hub-spoke model of distribution and fulfillment is expected to address an increasingly digital shopping environment.

Visit https://www.foodlogistics.com/warehousing/micro-fulfillment/article/21295099/envista-dark-stores-and-delighting-the-grocery-customer to view the full article online.

Supply Chain 247
Skyrocketing e-commerce demands have caused companies to rethink their packaging as a necessary element in streamlining fulfillment. DHL Supply Chain Vice President of Packaging Solutions Alicemarie Georffrio discusses the evolution and innovations taking place on the packaging front in a 247 Podcast. Click below to view or stream the discussion online. 

Visit https://www.supplychain247.com/article/tracking_the_evolution_of_packaging/news to view the full article online.

The Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) is making its monthly magazine, 3PL Perspectives, available to all FSA members and suppliers. Please click here for a view of TIA's January issue. 

For more information about any articles appearing in 3PL Perspectives, contact Chris Burroughs at burroughs@tianet.org

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/fud-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=666850&issueID=78465 to view the full article online.

Food Engineering
The food supply chain may not seem as vulnerable to cyberattacks as power grids or transportation systems, but the food and beverage industry's critical control systems may have too many gaps to avoid a "zero day" threat to food safety.

Visit https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/99362-control-system-vulnerabilities-put-food-beverage-at-serious-risk? to view the full article online.

Transport Topics
Ongoing port congestion in Southern California is causing major retailers like Peloton, Foot Locker and Overstock.com to ship some cargo by air and reroute other shipments to more northern ports including Oakland and Seattle. Industry analysts say the backlog will take at least six months to ease amid a flood of in-coming products from Southeast Asia, warehouse capacity shortages, and dearth of longshoremen due to COVID-19.

Visit https://www.ttnews.com/articles/port-officials-retailers-see-congestion-lasting-months#:~:text=But%20long%20delays%20at%20the,how%20products%20get%20to%20customers. to view the full article online.

Progressive Grocer
COVID-19 influenced the U.S. food supply chain as never before, and Consumer Packaged Goods continue to be influenced by shoppers’ expectations and demands. Trends to emerge from 2020 include supply chain innovations, transparency in the age of virtual living, and companies evolving to become agents for societal change.

Visit https://progressivegrocer.com/changed-shopper-habits-will-spur-cpg-demand-after-covid-19 to view the full article online.