Coca-Cola's approach to dedicated operations amid market swings

When volumes tanked, the beverage maker found other ways to keep trucks moving. 

By S.L. Fuller • Sept. 23, 2020

Production planning use case: Keeping promises with increased order fulfillment

Fortune 100 manufacturer boosts fulfillment rate with order allocation planning.

Sept. 23, 2020

Explore the Trendline➔

Inventory Management

Read how retailers and brand manufactures are rethinking inventory management as an effective strategy against tariffs.

By Supply Chain Dive staff

Supply chains struggle to maintain PPE inventory months into pandemic

It is especially difficult to get personal protective equipment in rural parts of the country because of the geographic location, the cost of ordering PPE in small amounts and smaller organizations' inability to meet minimum order quantity.

By Matt Leonard • Sept. 22, 2020

Supply chains must adjust planning, expectations to cope with unreliable demand

Recovering from the pandemic presents another set of challenges, as companies balance production of essential and nonessential items, the author writes. 

By Abe Eshkenazi • Sept. 22, 2020

How the pandemic is changing supply chain education

Professors say students will need skills in supply chain mapping, manufacturing and risk management to meet the needs of a post-pandemic workforce.

By Matt Leonard • Sept. 22, 2020

3 ways to take advantage of this madness in 2021

The pandemic has no doubt created pain and uncertainty, but it has also created an opportunity.

Sept. 22, 2020

Lineage Logistics' $1.6B raise preps the cold chain giant for warehouse tech investment, future M&A

The logistics provider can invest in more properties and automation as cold storage demand is forecast to continue.

By A.B. Brown • Sept. 18, 2020

Patent Pending: Automating goods-to-person picking from warehouse floor to ceiling

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 • Sept. 18, 2020

Why zero-based category management is back in style

The pandemic has driven firms to rethink how much product they're buying and how much they'll need to meet demand.

By Jen A. Miller • Sept. 17, 2020

Walmart uses AI to predict demand

The retailer has adopted a strategy to rapidly develop technology, aiming to get tools into testing within a few weeks.

By Sam Silverstein • Sept. 17, 2020

Kraft Heinz to unite supply chain in 'Ops Center' to save $2B in 5 years

CEO Miguel Patricio's strategy will break down siloes between procurement, production, distribution, marketing and R&D teams as the food manufacturer works to further reduce SKU counts.

By Emma Cosgrove • Sept. 16, 2020

Robotics can help with pick speed and social distancing, but warehouse design is key

Labor-efficient picking can make up for hiring struggles, according to robotics firms. 

By Matt Leonard • Sept. 15, 2020

Chewy's new limited-SKU warehouse is just for volume surges

Chewy is banking on a new kind of fulfillment center, plus automation, to keep lowering fulfillment unit costs. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Sept. 15, 2020

Novavax boosts coronavirus vaccine manufacturing capacity as key trial nears

The Serum Institute of India, a go-to partner for coronavirus vaccine makers, will help Novavax boost capacity to levels matching its larger rivals.

By Jonathan Gardner • Sept. 15, 2020

Walmart, Schneider Electric team up to help suppliers transition to renewable energy

The initiative aims to educate suppliers and help them through conversion — a process Walmart's Senior Director of Sustainability said can be daunting.

By Emma Cosgrove • Sept. 15, 2020

H-E-B jumps into micro-fulfillment

The Texas grocer has tapped Swisslog to build an unspecified number of automated centers to fulfill pickup and delivery orders.

By Sam Silverstein • Sept. 15, 2020

Amazon to hire 100K after 6 months of capacity building

For Amazon's first-ever peak season in a pandemic, the company is focused on safety first, capacity second and shipment speed third, according to CFO Brian Olsavksy.

By Emma Cosgrove • Sept. 14, 2020

Are you ready for this peak season's last-mile operations?

Holidays, sale days, and online shopping fests could be worrisome for retailers and e-commerce sellers.

Sept. 14, 2020

Peloton doubled production capacity, but supply won't catch up until 2021

Executives anticipate Peloton will be in capacity-building mode for the foreseeable future and dismissed any notion that it could overshoot demand with the ongoing manufacturing ramp-up.

By Emma Cosgrove • Sept. 11, 2020

American Eagle stages materials with suppliers to keep inventory lean

For the fall and holiday seasons, the apparel retailer is bringing in a smaller assortment, based on which suppliers require smaller upfront buys to maximize flexibility.

By Emma Cosgrove • Sept. 10, 2020

Pandemic complicates supplier audits, increases modern slavery risk in Asian manufacturing hubs

Verisk Maplecroft's Modern Slavery Index reveals extreme or high risk in manufacturing centers such as Bangladesh, China, Myanmar and India.

By Matt Leonard • Sept. 9, 2020

UPS to hire 100K seasonal workers to handle parcels for peak

UPS' holiday hiring targets match the number from the last two years amid very different circumstances and a much lower degree of certainty.

By Emma Cosgrove • Sept. 9, 2020

Nestlé invests $30M in Closed Loop fund to expand sustainable packaging use

The deal provides the manufacturer with access to food-grade recycled plastics it can use for packaging in products such as Coffee Mate and Stouffer's.

By Jessi Devenyns • Sept. 9, 2020

5 charts show CPG inventory challenges

Stockouts plagued retailers and manufacturers in the early days of the pandemic. Recovery has not been the same across product categories.

By Matt Leonard • Sept. 8, 2020

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. 8, 2020