Modern Materials Handling—A survey of key MRO maintenance decision makers shows that users have many ways to manage service programs and spare parts. However, the key to success is an active and proactive approach with clear responsibilities regardless of who in the organization is involved.

ThomasNet—A new study conducted by Zihao Li, Julie L. Swann, and Pinar Keskinocak from the Georgia Institute of Technology has found that some supply chain management techniques could be used to help improve public health. More specifically, they could be used to help reduce the spread of the influenza virus by allowing the flu shot to reach more people.

MHI Blog—When you’ve got a 60-pound box of books, manually moving that from the line to the middle of a fresh pallet isn’t the most fun of jobs. Once they’ve dropped the box onto the pallet, workers are probably pulling a face as they try to straighten up. So you may be considering robotic palletizing to keep them happy (and you out of trouble). But where do you start?

Supply Chain Management Review—Stock-outs don’t seem to be predictable based solely on distribution center data, owing to the low frequency of steep drops in inventory

Logistics Viewpoint—The most successful enterprise-wide transportation management programs don’t stop with the successful rollout of the system. Instead, they go on indefinitely, delivering more business value over time. To sustain and grow transportation management success, companies need to implement a competency center.

Freight Waves—Few narrow-body aircraft like the 737 MAX are fully “maxed out” with cargo because there are limited volumes in many cargo markets that fit and can regularly fill such aircraft, and therefore the effect of the grounding will have less of an effect on cargo than on passengers.

BusinessInsider—Truck drivers are typically paid per mile, rather than per hour. That means they aren't compensated for much of the time they spend on the road. A class-action lawsuit in Arkansas involving nearly 3,000 truck drivers alleged that the practice goes against the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Supply Chain Dive—A food and beverage giant, PepsiCo, is designing containers with reuse in mind, prompting new ways of thinking about packaging, reverse logistics and KPIs.

Supply & Demand Chain Executive—U.K. lawmakers voted to delay the Brexit process, saying that it needed more time to break the deadlock over Britain's departure from the European Union.

SupplyChainBrain—Manufacturers and producers around the globe view the U.S. as a source of demand for the products they manufacture. This view, while appealing from a sales standpoint, requires a thorough understanding of supply-chain logistics and costs associated with making products in one country and importing and selling them in another.