LSO mulls expansion into Chicago and Atlanta as parcel volumes rise

The Latest

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  Tracking the shift to 24/7 supply chains

  A port, a shipping line and a trade association are working together to speed West Coast dairy exports.

  Updated Jan. 25, 2022

  Regulation

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  Coronavirus: A lesson in supply chain risk management

  Companies are finding workarounds as COVID-19 cases and heightened e-commerce demand continue to disrupt supply chains.

  Updated Dec. 22, 2021

  Coronavirus

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  Tracking the speed, dwell and cars of Class I railroads

  This dashboard shows the average speed, dwell time and cars online for all of the Class I railroads operating in the United States.

  Updated Jan. 14, 2022

  Regulation

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  Robotics, automation go from fringe to mainstream

  Pretty soon, the technologies are going to be table stakes for supply chain operations, one executive said.

  Operations

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  Neiman Marcus names supply chain chief to oversee $90M investment

  The department store retailer is working to overhaul operations and upgrade its systems and distribution centers.

  Logistics

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  Passing on freight costs helps Lamb Weston's results amid logistics, labor pressures

  The company is placing a strong focus on transportation costs to fight input cost inflation. That means increasing product delivery rates and adjusting them more often to reflect the market.

  Freight

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  How Walmart GoLocal plans to stand out among delivery businesses

  GoLocal acts as a back-end delivery arm rather than a marketplace intermediary, which General Manager Harsit Patel said is a big differentiator.

  Logistics

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  Car parts supplier loads up on inventory as just-in-time delivery loses appeal

  Companies that have what customers want when they want it are the ones coming out on top in this environment, a CarParts.com executive said.

  Operations

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  Semiconductors expected to be in tight supply throughout 2022

  Suppliers are working to ramp up production, but many planned capacity projects are not expected to be operational until 2023 at the earliest.

  Procurement

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  KB Home cuts SKUs as it faces shortages of garage doors, building materials

  The homebuilder is one of many unable to get adequate materials and components for projects — and the issues aren't limited to garage doors.

  Operations

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  Construction material prices soared nearly 20% in 2021: report

  The high cost of materials could damage the industry's recovery in 2022, according to the Associated General Contractors of America.

  Procurement

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  FedEx taps 3 charter vessels to start congestion bypass service

  The ships are loaded with 53-foot containers carrying goods from shippers looking to avoid bottlenecks at San Pedro Bay ports.

  Freight

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  California drought dried up avocado supply in 2021: supplier

  Some companies imported more due to low harvests. But port congestion and shipping delays presented new challenges — including product spoilage.

  Procurement

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  LTL rates to stay high in Q1, fueled by price hikes and capacity constraints

  Cost per LTL shipment surged in 2021 even as weight per shipment dropped. Elevated TL shipping rates aren't slated to ease, either, according to the Cowen/AFS Freight Index.

  Freight

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  Deep Dive

  Grocers are experimenting with delivery fees. Here are 8 key factors to consider.

  Experts said they expect — and encourage — grocers to continue testing strategies for dealing with delivery costs.

  Logistics

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  Starbucks to spend $1.5B on diverse suppliers by 2030

  It's nearly double the amount the coffee chain spent in 2020.

  Procurement

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  SCOTUS upholds stay on OSHA's vaccine mandate

  The onus is back on employers to decide whether they want to institute their own requirements, one attorney said.

  Regulation

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  Deep Dive

  'Insult to injury': Record rail demurrage adds to shipper costs

  Storage fees skyrocketed in 2021 after an import surge snarled transportation networks. The ballooning revenues have shippers and railroads at odds over who's at fault for congestion.

  Regulation

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  San Pedro Bay ports update dwell fee structure to add free time for intermodal goods

  Shippers diverted imports from rails to trucks after a threat of an import container dwell fee was found to favor local cargo. Now, the port is trying to level the playing field.

  Updated Jan. 24, 2022

  Regulation

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  Constellation: Brown glass shortage lowering imported beer inventory levels

  Supply chain and transport challenges are contributing to low inventory levels and higher cost of product sold, according to the third largest U.S. beer producer.

  Updated Jan. 15, 2022

  Procurement

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  Butter prices skyrocket 40% on labor, supply woes: USDA

  Decreased cow herds, a driver and worker shortage, and higher packaging costs have led to a huge price hike for the dairy product.

  Coronavirus

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  Kroger levels up grocery delivery with Nuro's new autonomous vehicles

  The grocer will make deliveries in Houston using the tech company's third-generation model, which has twice as much cargo room, plus modular storage and new safety features.

  Logistics

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  Simply Good Foods increases prices to cover rising ingredients costs

  The seller of Atkins and Quest Nutrition products has faced inflation "from the high single digits to the low double digits for our total business," its CFO said.

  Operations

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  Deep Dive

  CPGs grapple with a murky 2022 outlook as inflation, supply chain weigh on operations

  Uncertainty is making it hard for CEOs to determine whether they should raise prices or take other actions.

  Operations

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  Zim offers incentives for container pickup at Port of Los Angeles

  It's another example of an ocean shipping company paying truckers to pick up laden cargo.

  Freight

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