Ahold Delhaize embraces wearable lifting tech for distribution center workers

When wearing the "exosuit" an item that weighs 22 pounds feels like it's 14 pounds.

By Sam Silverstein • July 6, 2021

Walgreens plans 9 more micro-fulfillment centers for prescription delivery

The facilities will use automation to save pharmacists time and help Walgreens speed its prescription fulfillment process, according to executives.

By Edwin Lopez • July 6, 2021

Explore the Trendline➔

Retail Supply Chains

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

By Supply Chain Dive staff

Ford limits production at multiple factories through July due to semiconductor shortages

Despite signs that the supply of semiconductors is beginning to normalize, it could still take until 2022 to work through backlog amid ongoing high demand.

By Matt Leonard • July 6, 2021

Critical goods industries face existential ransomware decisions

For certain industries, the choice is between paying millions to settle a criminal extortion or allowing a catastrophic supply chain disruption.

By David Jones • July 2, 2021

Zebra to buy Fetch Robotics as interest in warehouse automation grows

The companies worked together in the past on integrations that would synchronize human-robot processes for replenishment workflows.

By Matt Leonard • July 2, 2021

Driving operational efficiency is top CPO priority for 2021

The need for agility over the past 18 months forced a shift in priorities for many CPOs, according to Deloitte's 2021 Global Chief Procurement Officer Survey.

By Jen A. Miller • July 1, 2021

HB Fuller leans on 'strong supplier relationships' to navigate shortages, tight freight market

Strategizing for a "ship stuck in the Suez is exactly what they're set up to do," an executive said of its supply chain team.

By Matt Leonard • July 1, 2021

Garment factories in Bangladesh stay open despite new lockdown

The lockdown in Bangladesh, extended for seven more days, now ends on July 14 as death tolls from COVID-19 hit record highs.

By Edwin Lopez • Updated July 8, 2021

Mondelēz's Triscuit is the latest brand to embrace traceability

The snacking giant said the transparency pilot, allowing consumers to follow white-winter wheat from fields in Michigan to the bakery, is the first of its kind for the company.

By Christopher Doering • June 30, 2021

Winnebago grapples with a 'year's worth of demand' in backlog

The motorhome maker is dealing with record-setting backlogs in towage and motorhome segments amid high demand.

By Matt Leonard • June 29, 2021

Is micro-fulfillment tech living up to the hype?

MFC vendors say all systems are go, but industry observers say grocers are having trouble making the economics of scaled-down automation work.

By Jeff Wells , Sam Silverstein • June 29, 2021

Gallo to add production, distribution capacity with new $423M facility in South Carolina

With the Port of Charleston nearby, the winemaker also gains a new hub for its import and export business.

By Lauren Manning • June 25, 2021

FedEx to add 16 automated facilities ahead of peak season

Technology enables FedEx to adjust to volume fluctuations, but the logistics provider may struggle to hire enough package handlers.

By Matt Leonard • June 25, 2021

Levi's COO wants to transform the brand's supply chain

The company's focus on product quality, sustainability and loyalty will require transparency and close collaboration with suppliers.

By Kaarin Moore • June 23, 2021

US needs 330M square feet of warehouse space to keep up with e-commerce: CBRE

Retailers looking to build or rent new real estate face potential sticker shock.

By Matt Leonard • June 23, 2021

Ahold Delhaize will insource 85% of distribution by 2022 in supply chain overhaul

The chain says it's on track to control its entire U.S. grocery supply chain by its 2023 deadline.

By Jeff Wells • June 23, 2021

The inventory-to-sales ratio reveals a divide between retail and automotive

Retailers are building up inventory as demand balloons, while auto dealers struggle with a global parts shortage.

By Matt Leonard • June 22, 2021

Supply chains that don't prioritize DEI risk losing out

Organizations that don’t "walk the talk" will lag competitors in business performance, employment value proposition and meeting their defined purpose, write ASCM's Abe Eshkenazi and Gartner's Dana Stiffler. 

By Abe Eshkenazi and Dana Stiffler • June 22, 2021

La-Z-Boy tries to whittle down backlog, up to 9-month lead times

Backlogs are eight times higher than they were before the pandemic, CEO Melinda Whittington said on an earnings call.

By A.B. Brown • June 22, 2021

Kroger opens 2 cross-dock facilities to boost reach of automated fulfillment centers

The grocer will use warehouses, which require 60% of the capital and labor of stores, to meet the rising demand for delivery.

By Edwin Lopez • June 21, 2021

Patent Pending: Walmart's idea for just-in-time, FourKites' plan for predictive visibility

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

By Matt Leonard • June 18, 2021

Increased containerboard output not enough to keep prices down

Corrugated and solid box prices shot up during the first half of 2021, despite remaining flat or even falling throughout much of 2020.

By A.B. Brown • June 17, 2021

EPA aims to reduce food waste in supply chains to tackle GHG emissions

By reducing food waste in production and supply lines, the agency is exploring the prioritization of food recovery over waste diversion.

By Maria Rachal • June 17, 2021

Cluster analysis can help determine where to store inventory, reduce split shipments

A recent paper looked at using a clustering algorithm with product categories to decrease the number of warehouses needed to fill each order.

By Matt Leonard • June 15, 2021

It's time to use a wealth of available data to push sustainability forward

The data from digitization efforts can be used to find opportunities to accelerate progress on key sustainability targets.

By Lisa Wee • June 15, 2021