Coronavirus: Page 2

3 ways to fight stockouts in the pandemic

Historical data isn't worthless, but it won't work alone in times of unpredictable demand. 

By Jen A. Miller • Sept. 08, 2020

Whole Foods to offer pickup from nearly all its stores before October

As e-commerce demand soars during the pandemic, some grocers are automating pickup, adding off-premise lockers and carving out more dedicated space in stores and parking lots.

By Jeff Wells • Sept. 08, 2020

Campbell expects supply constraints through November after pandemic pantry-loading

Campbell's supply chain has ramped up productivity at existing facilities during the pandemic — particularly in soup, which the CEO said would be largely caught up in time for "soup season." But other products are still behind.

By Emma Cosgrove • Sept. 04, 2020

Tyson to pilot 7 medical clinics near meat plants

The program comes as the coronavirus has continued to spread in plants, despite mitigation efforts such as placing barriers between employees, providing protective gear and giving temperature checks. 

By Lillianna Byington • Sept. 04, 2020

ISM: Pricing power is in suppliers' hands

Increasing demand and issues with supply across manufacturing industries have driven up raw material and freight pricing.

By Shefali Kapadia • Sept. 03, 2020

Ball plans new aluminum plant to counter can shortage

Traditionally lean supply chains industry-wide have made ramping up U.S. production challenging for canmakers, some of which are importing cans to keep up. 

By Matt Leonard • Sept. 03, 2020

Trucking capacity tightens, signs of loosening loom

Truckstop.com had 98 times the number of loads per truck, but a DAT analyst said consumers might be ready to slow their spending.

By Jim Stinson • Sept. 03, 2020

Q3 ocean volume on par with 2019, but Transpacific rates jump nearly 50%

Consumers have buoyed ocean volume by moving spending from services to goods during lockdowns.

By Matt Leonard • Aug. 31, 2020

Less stringent cold chain requirements could give Moderna's coronavirus vaccine an edge

A rival shot from Pfizer and BioNTech needs to be stored at colder temperatures and doesn't last as long in a refrigerator, which may limit its use.

By Jonathan Gardner • Aug. 26, 2020

AstraZeneca taps contract manufacturer to scale vaccine production

The agreement is part of AstraZeneca's efforts to aggressively pursue manufacturing and supply partnerships across the globe ahead of the vaccine's potential launch.

By Kristin Jensen • Aug. 26, 2020

Hormel struggles to rebuild inventory after pandemic production pauses

A vertically integrated supply chain, usually a cost-savings driver, meant disruption to production of certain brands within the company was more keenly felt in the supply chain.

By Emma Cosgrove • Aug. 26, 2020

Warehousing, manufacturing employment below pre-pandemic levels as peak nears

Employment in manufacturing dipped 10% year over year in April and 5% in warehousing during the same period.

By Matt Leonard • Aug. 25, 2020

How Sephora flexed its warehouse network to prep for an e-commerce onslaught

The beauty retailer's annual spring promotion led SVP for Supply Chain Mike Racer to elevate throughput as a measure of readiness years before the coronavirus pandemic hit. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Aug. 25, 2020

UPS to raise China-US parcel surcharges 30% starting Aug. 30

China/Hong Kong airfreight rates are nowhere near their peak in May, but they have been slowly gaining altitude since early July with some hint of moderation in August.

By Emma Cosgrove • Aug. 21, 2020

Stocked out: Why cleaning product supply chains struggle to meet demand

The disinfectant and cleaning product supply chain relies on a just-in-time approach, making it difficult to radically move the output meter in a short timeframe.

By Deborah Abrams Kaplan • Aug. 20, 2020

Maersk bullish on remainder of 2020 after increasing rates 4.5% in Q2

The carrier reinstated guidance but with a familiar caveat: The market is still more unpredictable than it was pre-pandemic.

By Matt Leonard • Aug. 20, 2020

Split shipments hit Kohl's profitability in Q2

Store closures locked inventory in locations optimized for pre-pandemic store demand and not e-commerce, which grew 60% year over year in the quarter. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Aug. 20, 2020

Deep Dive

Peak season in a pandemic: What happens to freight rates and capacity?

Metrics and economic factors can help shippers gauge capacity and rates for air, ocean, trucking and rail heading into freight's busy season.

By Matt Leonard • Aug. 20, 2020

UPS' intentional approach to tight capacity will mean higher rates for shippers: UBS

In some cases, carriers are reopening contracts with shippers to raise their rates as B2C volume swells.

By Matt Leonard • Aug. 19, 2020

Reopening draws down inventory, but volatility expected for remainder of year

The total business inventories-to-sales ratio echoes trends seen throughout the pandemic: Apparel retailers are struggling to bring customers in while grocers are having a difficult time staying stocked.

By Matt Leonard • Aug. 18, 2020

Stockouts hold Walmart back as e-commerce booms

CEO Doug McMillon said consumers briefly returned to the stock-up behaviors they displayed early in the pandemic, as COVID-19 cases spiked in pockets of the country.

By Emma Cosgrove • Aug. 18, 2020

FedEx to raise peak surcharges on Ground, Express, SmartPost

Adding hefty surcharges to SmartPost is especially punitive to small businesses who rely on the services' competitive rates, which often come in below USPS priority mail fees, according to Matthew Hertz, co-founder of Second Marathon.

By Emma Cosgrove • Aug. 18, 2020

JD Logistics opens automated warehouse for bulky items, launches 1-hour delivery

Roughly one year after JD Logistics broke even, executives reported record sales volumes have improved efficiency and the service is now turning a profit. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Aug. 17, 2020

Analyst: Target's investments in store-centric fulfillment pay off

Retailers that invested in omnichannel strategies and inventory visibility were in the best position to quickly pivot to curbside pickup, ship from store and other methods to capture sales with stores closed, according to D.A Davidson.

By Shefali Kapadia • Aug. 17, 2020

USPS will raise commercial parcel rates for peak season

The temporary rate hikes will take effect Oct. 18 and be removed Dec. 27. 

By Shefali Kapadia • Aug. 14, 2020