Topic: Special Reports

After two years of sluggish sales, ADC suppliers saw their sales increase as a growing number of companies turn to ADC to accommodate the demands of e-commerce and omni-channel.

The steady growth in square footage among the top third-party logistics (3PL) warehouses belies a fundamental transformation as the market adapts to e-commerce pressures.

The collapse of Hanjin in 2016 fueled speculation that new players might be emboldened to enter the “top tier” and begin competing for market share. With this, logistics mangers putting container shipping to work are facing the biggest shift in their carrier base in 20 years—and now must adapt their procurement and contract strategy.

The global freight forwarding market has grown by 2.7% in real terms since this time last year, but owing to a continuation of excess capacity issues and lower average oil prices, rates continue to fall in both air and sea freight. Forwarders now need to ramp up the value-add visibility services in an effort to boost revenues and keep shippers smiling.

Understanding the challenges of Motor Freight and managing for the future

The trend set over the past few years for mergers and acquisitions has hardly subsided, and a fresh injection of equity investment is transforming the marketplace. At the same time, shippers may expect to see 3PLs continue to purchase high-tech “solutions” and hire young professionals for implementation.

While the continued growth of air cargo demand is consistent with an improvement in world trade, analysts now contend that the pressure is on the market to improve its value proposition by accelerating process modernization and enhancing customer service.

Are your operators moving goods excessively before putaway and walking a lot to do their work at fixed stations? Do workers wait around for goods that they need to put away? If you answered yes, then maybe it's time to make the case for mobile workstations.

While warehouse and distribution centers (DCs) have historically been located where land is cheap and transportation networks are excellent, today’s criteria needs to include a skilled workforce ready to manage an increasingly digital operation.

The advent of new carrier alliances and “big ship readiness” will determine which of the top ports gain share and supply chain advantages. Meanwhile, logistics managers must hedge their bets to mitigate risk and avoid reliance on a handful of key gateways.

How does your earning power match up with your logistics and supply chain peers? Find out by downloading the full 2017 Salary Survey from Logistics Management

A new breed of leadership is creating a long-term vision to earn strategic relationships with shippers. Solid day-to-day execution and aggressive investment in technology set the direction for trucking’s new guard.

While air cargo load factors for most of 2016 remained historically low thereby keeping yields under pressure, industry analysts forecast a “soft turnaround” in the final quarter. However, regulatory obstacles and trade barriers must be addressed before logistics managers see any significant long-term rate improvement. 2016 Quarterly Cargo Demand Cycle Report, Cargo freight update 2016

While speculation and uncertainty abounds, freight transportation and logistics industry leaders contend that it’s important for all involved to keep a cool head and begin planning for the new phase after the U.K. leaves the EU.

The recent Global Cold Chain Alliance report shows that temperature-controlled warehouse space has experienced steady growth since 2014. Emerging markets, including those with undeveloped transport infrastructure, played a key role in this trend in spite of lingering challenges. Cold Storage Transportation News, Trends in cold supply chain tranportation

The market for conventional solutions continues to rise, even as innovative variations help the industry chart a new course. Top Supply Chain Software Providers 2016, Logistics Software Survey, Top 20 TMS 2016.

With the advent of Cloud-based instant quotation and booking systems, some shippers may begin to question the utility of traditional freight forwarders. Indeed, there is potential to see an industry-wide decoupling between these “data-unified” freight forwarders and the less profitable “data-fragmented” players.

Following last year’s merger and acquisition frenzy, the speed of technology implementation by the new “mega 3PLs” will need to keep pace with the evolving challenges of omni-channel fulfillment. Those providers that meet shipper needs will remain dominant.

I can't remember a concept that has held more promise for supply chain management than the Internet of Things (IoT).

What do the Top 50 Trucking companies have in common? Seasoned management teams backed up by solid operations—and they’re not afraid to spend on staff and technology to stay on top.