Operations Management: Page 3


  • Mattel launches its PlayBack program.
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    Courtesy of Mattel
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    Mattel warns of price increases amid tariff pressure

    The toy manufacturer is accelerating a pullback from China, which already accounts for less than 20% of its U.S. imports, a distinct advantage over rivals.

    By Kaarin Moore • May 12, 2025
  • Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appears before the House Financial Services Committee on May 7, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
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    Pete Marovich via Getty Images
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    US, China agree to reduce tariff rates for 90 days

    By Wednesday, the two countries will charge 10% baseline duties during the period and remove certain retaliatory levies that pushed rates over 100%.

    By May 12, 2025
  • FedEx worker sort through a pile of boxes at the FedEx sort facility at the Oakland International Airport December 18, 2006 in Oakland, California. Explore the Trendline
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Retail Supply Chains

    Retailers are making operational investments and adjustments to maintain supply chain resilience. Here’s how.

    By Supply Chain Dive staff
  • Warehouse image
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    Permission granted by Storage Solutions
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    Sponsored by Storage Solutions

    10 ways to optimize your brownfield facility

    Learn how to boost efficiency and scalability with 10 tips for optimizing brownfield facilities.

    By Renn Martin • May 12, 2025
  • Children play in a Little Tikes turtle sandbox.
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    Permission granted by MGA Entertainment
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    Cold play: Toy industry faces ‘devastating’ impact from tariffs

    Around 96% of American toy companies are small- and medium-sized businesses. Nearly half of them could shutter due to U.S. tariff policies.

    By Kaarin Moore • May 9, 2025
  • Lana Provost, a UPS package handler, loads packages into a truck at the UPS Centennial Ground Hub on December 6, 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky.
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    Jon Cherry/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    UPS confirms building closures, shift cuts in 4 states

    The reductions are part of the carrier’s plan to trim its network footprint in the face of shrinking volume from Amazon.

    By May 9, 2025
  • Rocky Brands shoe boxes inside of an outlet store
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    Retrieved from Rocky Outdoor Gear Store on May 08, 2025
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    Rocky Brands’ sourcing shift buoyed by inventory buffer

    The footwear manufacturer is also opting to pause or delay shipments in a bid to mitigate the impact of tariffs.

    By May 8, 2025
  • President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on May 8, 2025.
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    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
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    US, UK agree on framework for tariff, market access deal

    Although not yet legally binding, the proposed agreement outlines the potential makeup of the Trump administration’s first trade pact since unveiling its reciprocal tariff plan in April.

    By Updated May 9, 2025
  • Inside of a Walmart distribution center
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    Courtesy of Walmart
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    Walmart touts savings from continued automation efforts

    The retailer predicts it will slash costs by more than 30% at its high-tech facilities by year's end, one executive said. 

    By May 8, 2025
  • U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary (L), National Institutes of Health Director Jayanta Bhattacharya (2nd-L), Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (2nd-R) and Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley (R), signs an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House on May 05, 2025 in Washington, DC
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    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
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    Trump orders FDA to help speed building of new drug factories

    Pharma companies are looking to avoid potential tariffs by boosting U.S. manufacturing capacity, but such efforts take time.

    By Jonathan Gardner • May 7, 2025
  • Lineage Logistics' Savannah Fresh-Port Wentworth facility near the Port of Savannah.
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    Courtesy of Lineage Logistics
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    Lineage to buy, build Tyson cold-storage warehouses in $1B plan

    The warehousing giant plans to purchase four facilities and build two more for Tyson, which will occupy the new locations as an anchor tenant.

    By May 7, 2025
  • An illuminated Mattress Firm storefront at night.
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    Courtesy of Mattress Firm
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    Mattress Firm taps AI platform to improve inventory flow

    Using Invent.ai technology, the retailer will aim to upgrade demand forecasting and distribution center replenishment.

    By May 6, 2025
  • Rivian Normal Illinois manufacturing plant
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    Provided by Rivian 

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    Rivian investing $120M in Illinois to strengthen domestic supply chain

    The company’s planned supplier park is meant to create an electric vehicle manufacturing ecosystem, officials said.

    By May 6, 2025
  • An IDS Fulfillment warehouse.
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    Courtesy of DHL Supply Chain
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    DHL Supply Chain buys IDS Fulfillment, ups SMB shipper base

    The deal adds four warehouses and more than 50 customers to the 3PL's network.

    By May 6, 2025
  • A phone displaying the Temu logo is seen in front of a computer screen.
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    Ben Montgomery via Getty Images
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    Temu pursues ‘local fulfillment’ to dodge tariffs

    The fast-fashion giant also said it will walk back previously announced plans to increase prices. 

    By Laurel Deppen • May 5, 2025
  • Packages of Colgate toothpaste are displayed on a shelf at a drug store February 3, 2004 in Chicago, Illinois.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Colgate-Palmolive faces $200M in tariff costs

    The consumer product manufacturer said it expects to pay more for raw materials and finished goods it sources from abroad despite its recent supply chain shifts.

    By May 5, 2025
  • A rendering of a blue and white building with a parking lot in front of it.
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    Courtesy of Kimberly-Clark
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    Kimberly-Clark to invest over $2B in US operations

    The Huggies diaper maker will use the funds to build an Ohio factory and a South Carolina distribution center, as well as install automation upgrades across its supply chain.

    By May 2, 2025
  • Hershey CEO Michele Buck and others open a new chocolate processing plant.
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    Courtesy of Hershey
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    Hershey opens chocolate plant as part of $1B supply chain upgrade

    The facility, which took nearly three years to complete, will process the ingredient for brands such as Reese’s and Kit Kat.

    By Christopher Doering • May 2, 2025
  • a photo illustration of an iPhone displaying the Shein logo in front of a Temu logo.
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    Ben Montgomery via Getty Images
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    Shein, Temu announce price increases due to tariff impact

    The fast fashion companies didn’t specify the extent of the cost increases, but posted identical notices on their websites.

    By Laurel Deppen • May 2, 2025
  • A massive lit-up sign with the tilted blue "Hasbro" logo and cartoon images looms over a dark room.
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    "Hasbro booth" by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
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    Facing tariffs, Hasbro shifting some SKU origins away from China

    The toy and game company aims to source less than 40% of its volume from the country by 2026.

    By May 1, 2025
  • President Donald Trump waves before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on April 29, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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    Win McNamee via Getty Images
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    ‘We’re headed in the wrong direction’: Tariffs drive up prices, hurt output: PMI

    Manufacturers pulled back on production last month as the Trump administration's volatile trade policy caused consumer confusion and a drop in demand, per the Institute for Supply Management.

    By May 1, 2025
  • A row of 3M's Command Brand in red packaging on a store aisle.
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    Sara Samora/Supply Chain Dive
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    3M expects up to $850M tariff hit

    The company is leaning on its 90 days of inventory to soften the blow, hoping to cut the impact cost in half.

    By May 1, 2025
  • A Saks store in Chicago.
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    Kaarin Moore/Supply Chain Dive
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    Saks Global to close fulfillment center, cut 450 jobs

    The luxury department store joins Kohl’s in being particularly vulnerable to tariffs’ impact on consumer spending, according to Moody’s Ratings analysts.

    By Daphne Howland • May 1, 2025
  • A ground crew unloads parcels from a plane at a UPS facility.
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    Jon Cherry via Getty Images
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    How UPS customers are navigating Trump’s tariffs

    Major shippers are frontloading inventory and considering price hikes, while smaller businesses are prioritizing sourcing diversification, UPS CEO Carol Tomé said.

    By May 1, 2025
  • Brain Artificial Intelligence Chip
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    BlackJack3D via Getty Images
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    Tracking tariffs: The latest frontier in AI

    Several technology vendors are rolling out new tools to help retailers and manufacturers track the impact of tariffs on their supply costs and improve decision-making. 

    By Nathan Owens • April 30, 2025
  • The ruins of a destroyed Dollar Tree warehouse sits on a grass lawn.
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    Retrieved from TexToxic via X on December 19, 2024
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    Dollar Tree to replace Oklahoma distribution center destroyed by tornado

    The Marietta facility is expected to open in 2027 as the retailer attempts to alleviate lingering capacity constraints.

    By April 30, 2025