Inventory-to-Sales Ratio

One key topic was the ongoing freight recession, which has now persisted for more than two years, with inventories still high, over-the-road capacity leaving the market, and demand levels remaining below expectations.

When looking at inventory-to-sales ratios, Prather stressed that they are typically viewed at a “high level,” for things like total business, manufacturing, retailers, or wholesale trade. But he cautioned that is not enough, because one needs to take a deeper look at individual sector indices, especially when it comes to the less-than-truckload (LTL) sector.

It is fair to say that the topic of inventory management has always had a permanent seat at the table, so to speak, when it comes to mapping out logistics and supply chain planning and operations processes. That theme became especially heightened, as we all well know, during the height of the pandemic nearly four years ago.

The story of the economy since the onset of the pandemic has been the resilience of consumers and how consumption has powered the economy. That was the word from Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based National Retail Federation (NRF) on a media conference call hosted by the Port of Los Angeles this week.

Survey findings point to a near even split between those with high and low inventory levels.

The possibility of the economy entering a recession, at this point, appears to not be a matter of if it occurs, but when will it occur. That was a key theme in a session this week at the SMC3 JumpStart 2023 conference held in Atlanta.

One byproduct of an improving economy is the the current state of United States inventory levels. Remember, it was not all that long ago that the “inventory glut” was a real drag on transportation productivity in more ways than one, whether it was decreased production, slower and longer transit times, and other related inefficiencies, too. And let’s not forget that when higher inventory levels are intact, the less amount of freight there is on the roads, rails, planes, and...

Following two straight months of record-breaking imports at United States-based retail container ports in July and August, things slowed down a tad in September, with ample inventory levels in place for the holiday shopping season, according to the most recent edition of the Port Tracker report issued today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.

For more than a while now, the subject of inventories, specifically those among the high, bloated, or elevated type have been a major theme within supply chain and freight transportation circles.

The theme for the 2015 holiday season in terms of holiday season import cargo volumes could well be “holding steady,” according to the most recent edition of the Global Port Tracker report from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.