Deep Dive
Industry insights from our journalists
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Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
How Amazon Shipping could shake up the parcel delivery industry
While not yet a heavy hitter against FedEx and UPS, the service could entice small- and medium-sized businesses with its straightforward fees, experts say.
Max Garland • Aug. 30, 2023 -
Courtesy of International Brotherhood of Teamsters
What’s behind the summer of supply chain labor unrest?
From port disruptions to UPS and Yellow's dust-ups with the Teamsters, disputes between unions and employers are a recurring threat to the steady flow of goods.
Max Garland • Aug. 16, 2023 -
Alex Potemkin via Getty Images
Who will pay to decarbonize the supply chain?
Some brands are helping their suppliers reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Others are dumping new requirements on vendors without shouldering any of the costs.
Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 15, 2023 -
Joe Raedle via Getty Images
Why some UPS shippers haven’t diverted volume even as a potential strike looms
As many businesses firm up contingency plans, others are maintaining their current delivery activity with UPS, according to parcel shipping experts.
Max Garland • July 24, 2023 -
Aude Guerrucci/Reuters
UPS’ chances of averting a strike are shrinking. How should shippers prepare for the worst?
Experts say an Aug. 1 strike isn't a certainty, but customers should still solidify alternative carrier options.
Max Garland • July 5, 2023 -
Brandon Bell/Getty Images via Getty Images
Deliveries keep getting faster. Will it last?
Shippers adjusted to pandemic-related disruptions to reach customers faster. But shifting shopper preferences and cost-cutting efforts may slow things down.
Max Garland • June 12, 2023 -
gorodenkoff via Getty Images
AI opens new frontier in supply chain planning
The pandemic showed that forecasting is more important — and difficult — than ever.
Ben Unglesbee • May 23, 2023 -
kupicoo via Getty Images
After last year’s inventory tidal wave, where do retailers go from here?
Bare shelves are still a recent memory, but many are learning to live on leaner inventories after overstocking in 2022.
Ben Unglesbee • May 16, 2023 -
luoman via Getty Images
Apparel suppliers out of vogue as they resist tech investments
Tied to fax machines and Excel spreadsheets, many companies are resistant to change and slow to adapt to new ways of doing business.
Krishna Thakker • May 12, 2023 -
Courtesy of Port of Savannah
4 charts show how cargo diversions are playing out in the US
Shippers have been diverting cargo for years now, but where exactly is it going? A few datasets provide a hint.
Edwin Lopez, Alejandra Salgado and Jasmine Ye Han • May 3, 2023 -
Carlos Osorio/AP
Why delivery robots face a regulatory ‘nightmare’
Laws for sidewalk-roaming bots have taken hold across states. But variances in each bill complicate the industry's expansion plans.
Max Garland • April 26, 2023 -
Spencer Platt/Getty via Getty Images
An unglamorous solution to fashion’s sustainability problem: make less stuff
Industry players are shifting to new strategies amid corporate responsibility pushes and efforts to stop the destruction of unsold goods.
Lauren Schenkman • April 20, 2023 -
Courtesy of FedEx
FedEx and Amazon still haven’t figured out sidewalk delivery robots. Will mass adoption ever come?
Delivery giants' tests of autonomous bots fizzled out. But many industry insiders still believe that the technology can catch on.
Max Garland • April 12, 2023 -
hapabapa via Getty Images
Paper industry struggles to phase out PFAS
Finding alternatives to toxic "forever chemicals" remains an ongoing issue within the packaging sector.
April Reese • April 7, 2023 -
Allison Joyce/Getty Images via Getty Images
3 years later: How COVID-19 exposed the vulnerability of suppliers and workers to the power of big buyers
A tidal wave of order cancellations in early 2020 had dire repercussions for laborers and their families. The consequences are still being felt.
Ben Unglesbee • March 31, 2023 -
Courtesy of Walmart press kit DroneUp announcement
What drone companies need to do to reach lofty delivery goals
Zipline and Alphabet's Wing aim to scale up and reach more customers, but it will take more than their internal capabilities to secure long-term success and adoption.
Max Garland • March 29, 2023 -
Courtesy of PepsiCo
Food companies say they can reduce their emissions this year. Experts are skeptical.
Academics and environmental groups say CPGs’ reliance on regenerative agriculture and carbon credits may not be enough to realistically hit their time-based goals.
Chris Casey • Feb. 6, 2023 -
Permission granted by Vita Coco
Here’s how CPGs are bracing for more volatility in 2023
Supply chain disruptions are prompting companies to revamp operations to weather a period of prolonged uncertainty.
Christopher Doering • Jan. 19, 2023 -
Spencer Platt via Getty Images
Amid strike fears, cargo diversion a key fixture in 2022’s supply chain playbook
The shadow of negotiations clouds U.S. railroads and West Coast ports. Shippers have leaned on less-risky alternatives, despite some drawbacks.
Max Garland • Nov. 16, 2022 -
Courtesy of Medline
Holiday hangovers: Retailers seek to clear out inventory piles as the season ramps up
After declarations about “decisive” actions to clear excess goods earlier this year, levels are still high and markdowns rampant.
Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 8, 2022 -
Thomas Cain via Getty Images
ESG backlash unlikely to derail SEC proposal requiring climate risk disclosures
One expert said the agency has "vastly underestimated" the amount of money needed for businesses to comply.
Jim Tyson • Nov. 3, 2022 -
jasonbennee via Getty Images
How the US plans to transform its lithium supply chain
With just 3.6% of global reserves, access to the critical mineral is vital to the country’s sustainable energy plans.
Deborah Abrams Kaplan • Oct. 27, 2022 -
Jon Cherry/Getty Images via Getty Images
UPS and FedEx rate increases are coming. Here’s how shippers can prepare.
Experts note that shipping rates are negotiable, but how amenable the delivery giants will be to concessions is up for debate.
Max Garland • Oct. 26, 2022 -
Permission granted by Operation BBQ Relief
How the trucking industry is helping feed a million Floridians after Hurricane Ian
Operation BBQ Relief drew volunteer drivers from across the country to deliver much-needed food supplies in the storm’s aftermath.
Colin Campbell • Oct. 12, 2022 -
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images via Getty Images
Louis DeJoy is transforming the Postal Service. Can the agency compete with FedEx and UPS?
The U.S. Postmaster General isn’t afraid of making big changes. But keeping pace with private parcel carriers is a tall order for the beleaguered agency, experts say.
Max Garland • Sept. 28, 2022
