Deep Dive: Page 3
Industry insights from our journalists
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Pricing insanity: Material costs escalate, driving contractor desperation
Amid unprecedented supply chain challenges, firms locked into contracts based on last year's prices are feeling the heat.
Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Oct. 28, 2021 -
"Yantian port from above" by Gigel.atat is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
After years of ‘Made in China,’ supply chains consider alternatives
The change in tone from U.S.-based supply chains is not a mass exodus from China. Instead, it's an approach that embraces diversification.
Shefali Kapadia • Oct. 14, 2021 -
The rise of LTL: How e-commerce changed the middle mile
Businesses are shipping smaller quantities of freight more frequently, giving logistics professionals more to manage in increasingly complex networks.
S.L. Fuller • Oct. 6, 2021 -
Aircraft emissions present a roadblock to supply chain sustainability goals
FedEx's Chief Sustainability Officer says true aviation sustainability "is an intractable problem." Will environmentally conscious shippers move away from airfreight?
Max Garland • Sept. 8, 2021 -
Retrieved from Flickr user Guilhem Vellut on November 13, 2020
What 3G's sunset means for tracking, visibility tech
Companies relying on IoT devices for their supply chains have a relatively tight window to upgrade to 4G.
Deborah Abrams Kaplan • Aug. 31, 2021 -
'You can pay or you can wait': How retailers are navigating a shipping crisis
Consumer demand came raging back this year. The supply chain wasn't ready for it, and now retailers, brands and consumers are paying the price.
Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 3, 2021 -
From sapling to pure-play LTL: The story of XPO Logistics under Jacobs
Bradley Jacobs is a relentless numbers man and a serial entrepreneur. And he's one thing neither XPO nor GXO can replace.
Jim Stinson • Aug. 2, 2021 -
Retrieved from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
As PPE demand grew, organizations stepped up to the challenge — and fought fraud along the way
Bad actors emerged during the pandemic, as a supply-demand imbalance in personal protective equipment left openings and vulnerabilities for fraud and counterfeits.
Deborah Abrams Kaplan • July 15, 2021 -
Last year, the Transpacific was a 'nightmare.' It's only gotten worse.
One shipper offered a carrier $6,000 for space. It was told $60,000 wouldn't even be enough.
Matt Leonard • June 24, 2021 -
The misconceptions in the rare earth supply chain
The problem isn't a shortage of raw materials. The problem is getting them out of the ground — and out of China.
Emma Penrod • June 17, 2021 -
More frequent, severe wildfires threaten California's growing logistics network
Fires can clog and cut off freight arteries, creating choke points for inventory traveling via truck and rail.
Deborah Abrams Kaplan • June 1, 2021 -
As storms become more frequent and volatile, some ports plan for the risk — but most do not
The interconnectedness of ports leave assets such as warehouses, trucking networks and railroads vulnerable to disruptions from climate change and rising sea levels.
Matt Leonard • Updated June 8, 2021 -
RFID's e-commerce growth spurt
The need for visibility drove companies to invest in solutions for their complete supply chain while Adidas is using the technology to verify provenance.
Deborah Abrams Kaplan • May 4, 2021 -
How construction is using technology to mitigate supply disruptions
Soaring material costs and supply chain woes threaten the industry's rebound.
Joe Bousquin • April 30, 2021 -
Supply chains do the math on reshoring's pros and cons
COVID-19 exposed risks and spurred conversations about moving manufacturing, but the pandemic is far from the only factor to consider.
Deborah Abrams Kaplan • April 8, 2021 -
4 tools to fight fraud, counterfeits and cyberattacks in the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain
Visibility technologies and real-time data provide one version of the truth in a rapidly-built supply chain.
Deborah Abrams Kaplan • April 7, 2021 -
The omnichannel age is here — and it's expensive
Profit margins are often lower for pickup than delivering from a warehouse, as retailers consider store costs, shipping expenses and channel-specific overhead.
Ben Unglesbee • April 6, 2021 -
Congested West Coast ports bring the heat to TL spot rates
Delayed off the coast of the Golden State are a mix of consumer and industrial needs that are likely to keep capacity tight and truckers busy.
Jim Stinson • March 31, 2021 -
The US has a new trade chief. What supply chains can expect on tariffs and China.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai recognizes China as "simultaneously a rival, a trade partner and an outsized player," in the global trade landscape.
Shefali Kapadia • March 18, 2021 -
A tumultuous year of ocean shipping prompts a rethink of contracts
Negotiations are taking place earlier than usual, with greater interest in two-way commitments and tiered pricing. But a focus on resiliency and capacity comes at a cost to shippers.
Matt Leonard • March 10, 2021 -
Why the automotive supply chain is in a semiconductor jam
A shortage with no quick fix is shutting down production lines around the world, and capacity constraints at tier 3 put automakers' lean operations into question.
Matt Leonard • Feb. 23, 2021 -
What's behind supplier price hikes rippling through the construction supply chain?
The cost trend in 2021 is only going in one direction so far — up.
Joe Bousquin • Feb. 17, 2021 -
Master Sgt. Hecht, Matt. (2020). [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
The PPE supply chain is a case of the 'haves' and the 'have nots'
Gloves and masks are in short supply, and many organizations are blowing through their budgets as they attempt to source in-demand equipment.
Deborah Abrams Kaplan • Feb. 11, 2021 -
Why the empty container math doesn't add up in US exporters' favor
What led to a global imbalance of available shipping containers? And what were the effects on U.S. businesses?
Matt Leonard • Feb. 3, 2021 -
The pandemic put supply chains front and center for retailers — perhaps for the first time
Retail supply chains came under intense strain and went through wild convolutions last year. To weather the next storm, the industry must be agile and take risk seriously.
Ben Unglesbee • Jan. 25, 2021