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Walmart expands ship-from-store to 2,500 locations to handle e-commerce volume bump

The company accelerated omnichannel investments in Q1, but may need more fulfillment center capacity to keep up with online order volume.

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COVID-19 may put industrial distribution back in the game

Manufacturers may look to their industrial distribution network as an opportunity to satisfy more customers and rebuild their market share.

Coronavirus adds to complications heading into hurricane season

Analysts anticipate risk to manufacturing and expect reduced trucking hours at ports to have a knock-on effect on cargo movement. 

UPDATED: May 21, 2020 at 11:35 a.m.

FedEx, Microsoft partner on 'near-real-time' parcel tracking

The multi-year collaboration will power FedEx logistics solutions with Microsoft's Azure cloud service and ERP platform, Dynamics 365.

DHL pilots e-cargo bikes in Miami to reduce congestion, pollution

Miami partnered with DHL and Reef Technologies to pilot the bikes for last-mile deliveries, a move that's expected to reduce carbon emissions by 101,000 kg annually.

Daimler temporarily suspends production in Alabama over supplier issues

The Mexican automotive supplier base has been a big question mark when it comes to the sector's ability to restart operations in the coming days.

JD.com delivery costs reach 'all-time low' with pandemic volume growth

For several U.S. firms, including Amazon, a flood of volume driven by stay-at-home orders and social distancing hasn't led to the economies of scale JD executives described.

Uber Freight teams up with Oracle as enterprise partnerships for digital brokers grow

Uber Freight's growing list of TMS integrations shows some recognition that brokerage is not a function where shippers have traditionally demonstrated much loyalty.

64% of manufacturers say reshoring is likely following pandemic: survey

Among industries, manufacturing reported the most interest in nearshoring, with 28% saying they were "extremely likely" to bring more sourcing back to North America following the pandemic.

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Patent Pending: FedEx envisions automated picking process

Supply chain innovators apply to patent what they see as important tools for the future. Sometimes they're brilliant. Sometimes they're funny.

Cass: April volume hits 'recessionary levels,' capacity cuts remain open question

The shippers left on the market are benefiting from lower spot rates, but capacity cuts will be one indicator that market pricing could swing back in favor of carriers.

FMCSA issues final rule on HOS

The changes promise flexibility and speed but miss the mark on allowing a break to stop the clock on the 14-hour driving window, experts said.

UPDATED: May 15, 2020 at 9:41 a.m.

RPA projects fail because of complexity and misunderstanding

Automation will play a starring role in how businesses deal with the effects of the pandemic. But automation for automation's sake means sinking resources into failed projects.

DHL: Online orders pushed parcel volume to peak season levels in April

Domestic parcel volume has increased by 36% and cross-border numbers increased by 28% compared to daily averages seen in February.

Cargill expands work against child labor in cocoa supply chains as pandemic worries advocates

Advocates warn the coronavirus pandemic may exacerbate child labor practices because schools are closed and monitoring groups are less able to circulate in at-risk communities. 

Your business is essential. How do you protect workers during a pandemic?

Cleaning should be much more regular, gloves don't do much to fight coronavirus and other tips from health experts. 

Maersk plans for 140 blank sailings, up to 25% volume drop in second quarter

The idle fleet grew to 9.4% (2.2 million TEUs) in the first quarter, which Maersk said was the "highest record in more than 10 years."

China waives retaliatory tariffs on 79 US import categories

The imports eligible for waivers include semiconductor parts, medical disinfectants, rare earth metals and chemical products.

Deep Dive

COVID-19 changed the stakes for e-commerce. Do fulfillment networks need to change too?

A global pandemic that drove consumers into their homes, cratered demand for discretionary goods and upped screen time has changed the risk calculus for e-commerce fulfillment.

Warehouse capacity contracts as imports arrive amid low demand, closed storefronts

XPO and Flexe said customers are looking for places to store inventory that has nowhere else to go.

Union Pacific cites pandemic, trucking market for end of cold chain service

Executives called refrigerated transportation "a long term growth opportunity" earlier this year, but say the COVID-19 pandemic meant the business could no longer sustain itself.

PwC: Automation is key to supply chain agility post pandemic

Thirty-four percent of financial leaders surveyed plan to leverage automation to improve the speed and accuracy of decision-making within their supply chains.

Uber Freight partnership gives rideshare drivers entry to a challenging open market

As spot rates sag, the broker is teaming with Ryder and CloudTrucks to help CDL holders rejoin the trucking industry.

Target to acquire Deliv tech as the last-mile startup shuts down

The retailer will use Deliv's proprietary batching and routing technology to research and develop faster and cheaper delivery methods.​

Peloton struggles with upstream delays amid pandemic demand surge

The at-home fitness juggernaut acquired one of its major manufacturers in Taiwan in October 2019 in an effort to mitigate supply issues, but the facility will not be fully online until December 2020, executives said.