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Coronavirus outbreak leads to supply shortages for Apple

Foxconn, one of Apple's largest suppliers, has not provided details on its plans to restart production.

Opinion

A break from trade uncertainty is a good time to future-proof your supply chain

Beijing and Washington have agreed to play nice for a while and the USMCA is almost complete, but firms shouldn’t sit back and relax, writes Lou Longo, an international consulting practice leader at Plante Moran.

Coronavirus-related component delays will hold up production for Trimble within weeks

Trimble keeps about two weeks of inventory on hand. A three-week freight delay out of China or continued factory slowdowns would affect sales in the near term.

Kraft Heinz turnaround starts with new talent

A massive SKU-reduction effort continues, but CEO Miguel Patricio said people have been his number one priority in his first six months as CEO.

Gucci shuffles inventory to minimize coronavirus impact

It's not the only retailer figuring out what the coronavirus outbreak will mean for its China-based retail operation as companies choose to close storefronts as a precaution.

Searches for suppliers outside China double as coronavirus spreads

Dun & Bradstreet said 92% of the companies with tier one suppliers in the impacted region are based in the U.S.

A regional approach helps supply chains weather trade disruption: BCG

Supply chain managers might consider a regional approach that places manufacturing capabilities closer to customers to manage the current level of global trade disruption.

Column

Buyers or CPOs: Who is responsible for job satisfaction?

The employees who look at their roles as critical, shepherding a global supply base to support their business operation, have the highest job satisfaction. 

Under Armour forecasts up to $60M revenue hit from coronavirus disruptions

CEO Patrik Frisk expects "significant material impact both financially and operationally" on the company's full-year results, but putting hard numbers on the disruption is tough without a clear picture of scale or duration. 

Modell's works with vendors, landlords to avoid bankruptcy

Mitchell Modell said the retailer has hired restructuring advisers and is turning to vendors and landlords to see it through a rough patch.

Machine learning is nearly ubiquitous in accounting operations, ERPs

The technology is mainly used to set up touch-free processes for repetitive functions such as accounts payable and receivable.

Nestlé beverage delivery arm reaches carbon neutrality

A combination of fleet conversion, route optimization, replacement of truck trips with rail, redesigned racks, renewable energy and carbon offset projects helped ReadyRefresh achieve neutrality.

Rent the Runway taps former Amazon exec as Chief Supply Chain Officer

Brian Donato comes to Rent the Runway from an indoor farming startup and before that, he worked at Amazon for seven years in operational roles related to returns and fulfillment. 

Maersk's new CFO brings M&A experience to shipping giant

Patrick Jany joins the shipping giant from Clariant, a company that highlights its work to create a sustainable supply chain, and where mergers and acquisitions fell under his purview.

XPO cuts brokerage headcount nearly 20%, credits automation

Revenue for XPO's brokerage division was down 14% year-over-year for 2019, but the company is finding cost savings by automating the process.

Canadian National shuts down eastern network as pipeline protests persist

The railroad told customers Thursday it had begun to shut down its eastern network, threatening freight movement in Canada and the U.S. Midwest. 

UPDATED: Feb. 14, 2020 at 10:38 a.m.

Flexible plastic makes up 28% of global packaging: report

PET bottles and flexible plastic are lightweight, easily customizable and cheap to manufacture, the association wrote in its "2019 Global Packaging Trends" report.

Tyson sees double-digit inventory accuracy improvement from computer vision

The new inventory tracking system reads SKU information and weight for chicken packed in trays, replacing what Tyson described as communication by hand gestures followed by manual inventory entry.

The quickly disappearing corrugated box: How packaging is changing

Manufacturers set their sights on packaging as a means to reduce waste, improve sustainability and lower shipping costs.

NRF: Coronavirus could cause 13% import drop at US ports

Before the outbreak, the National Retail Federation predicted February imports would be 1.54 million TEUs. The forecast has slid to 1.41 million.

Inaccurate maps cost logistics companies $6B: survey

Even small problems can result in major losses for logistics companies, especially as e-commerce puts more delivery trucks on city streets.

87% of US businesses in China expect coronavirus to impact revenue

Companies ranging from Apple suppliers to Nissan have announced plans to temporarily pause production as a result of the virus outbreak.

FedEx to transfer some Express parcels to Ground for last mile

The aim is to improve parcel density and cost particularity for residential deliveries, FedEx said. 

Opinion

Supply chain managers can leverage Lunar New Year experience in coronavirus disruption

This is a time when agility in the supply chain, specifically having multiple suppliers in varying geographies, will be extraordinarily valuable, writes Nate Evans, co-founder and CXO at Fictiv.

Column

Patent Pending: Zebra's plan for managing large RFID populations

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