Risk/Resilience
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Fotolia
Pandemic parcel dynamics drive a new shipper hierarchy
In a world where parcel carriers choose which volume they carry, some shippers will win capacity and some will lose. Skill and investment will determine the winners.
By Emma Cosgrove • Jan. 25, 2021 -
Permission granted by BioNTech SE
US nitrile glove factory to triple production by 2022
Raw materials suppliers, manufacturers and distributors are weighing longer contracts and new relationships after a tumultuous year in the personal protective equipment supply chain.
By Emma Cosgrove • Jan. 22, 2021 -
Timberland, Vans parent maps supply chains through tier 4
Poor visibility has plagued apparel supply chains for years, but VF's detailed data collection and mapping signals advancements in traceability.
By A.B. Brown • Jan. 21, 2021 -
BNSF: Network redundancy key to intermodal speed
The railroad's new CEO, Katie Farmer, discussed adding redundancy at a time when other railroads see whittling away at network assets as the more in-vogue option.
By Matt Leonard • Jan. 21, 2021 -
California proposes points system to hold warehouses accountable for truck emissions
Road transport has been at the forefront of Southern California's emissions crackdown, but it's also one of the most challenging areas for supply chains to curb given the involvement of external parties.
By Sarah Fuller • Jan. 20, 2021 -
Wayfair
How Dick's and Wayfair connect consumers with real-time inventory data
The pandemic upped the stakes for data accuracy, as well as the velocity and volume at which it needed to flow.
By Emma Cosgrove • Jan. 19, 2021 -
jotoler. (2016). [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/photos/worker-industry-man-manufacturing-4395772/.
BDO: 50% of manufacturers plan to secure backup suppliers in 2021
Many manufacturers are rethinking their sourcing because of tariffs and high shipping costs, though they're treading cautiously on implementing wholesale changes during the pandemic.
By A.B. Brown • Jan. 14, 2021 -
Retrieved from Loves Furniture & Mattresses on January 11, 2021
Loves Furniture declares bankruptcy following shipping issues, Penske Logistics dispute
Loves leadership says it has "too much inventory and too little cash" to operate its stores.
By Ben Unglesbee • Jan. 13, 2021 -
Deep Dive
Damco is gone. Where do Maersk, freight forwarders and shippers go from here?
Shippers face a choice as they plan freight strategies: the simplicity of a single end-to-end provider or the reduced risk of a diversified carrier network.
By Shefali Kapadia • Jan. 13, 2021 -
Getty Images
Deep DivePackaging, PPE and surgical supplies: How COVID-19 is pushing hospitals to reduce waste
Some waste is inevitable, but supply chain leaders are finding ways to reduce the quantity — reusing and recycling when possible and adjusting procurement and packaging.
By Deborah Abrams Kaplan • Jan. 12, 2021 -
Fotolia
Supply chains struggle to procure nitrile gloves after manufacturer shutdown
MSC Industrial reported an impairment charge for a prepaid glove order that has still not been delivered, in another example of how the pandemic has challenged procurement teams.
By Emma Cosgrove • Jan. 11, 2021 -
Photo by Josh Appel on Unsplash
OpinionTo boost earnings, focus on supplier spend — not job cuts
It's an area often overlooked, even by senior business leaders, when employee costs are a relatively small portion of most big companies' budgets, the author writes.
By Simon Geale • Jan. 05, 2021 -
"Medical disposable masks on wooden background" by Marco Verch Professional Photographer and Speaker is licensed under CC BY 2.0
How the mad dash for PPE pushed supply chains to keep up
When thousands of organizations needed personal protective equipment during the pandemic, it was up to supply chain professionals to make inventory accessible.
By Sarah Fuller • Dec. 23, 2020 -
Permission granted by University of Maryland School of Medicine
Pfizer vaccine deliveries turned around after becoming too cold
Real-time tracking alerted Pfizer to the temperature diversion. The returned doses number about 3,000, a spokesperson said.
By Matt Leonard • UPDATED: Dec. 18, 2020 at 2:47 p.m. -
Tetiana Soares via Getty Images
Parcel 2020: The year of surcharges, volume caps and peak on top of peak
E-commerce shipments started to flood logistics networks as early as May.
By Shefali Kapadia • Dec. 18, 2020 -
Opinion
As supply chains reshore, regional networks will be key to resiliency
Fully onshoring electronics manufacturing can be impossible, so the industry will need to reevaluate how products go from raw materials to consumers' hands, the author writes.
By John Mitchell • Dec. 17, 2020 -
US enforcement covers a third of cotton produced with forced labor from Xinjiang: report
New evidence of forced Uighur labor used to pick cotton in China's Xinjiang province suggests that more cotton exported from that region is exposed to salve labor that previously confirmed.
By Emma Cosgrove • Dec. 17, 2020 -
Courtesy of Novavax, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
ColumnThe newest supplier KPI? Employee vaccination rate.
While it will take some time for the entire population to get vaccinated, incremental and growing business compliance will be a key performance indicator worth tracking.
By Rich Weissman • Dec. 17, 2020 -
Permission granted by University of Maryland School of Medicine
COVID-19 vaccine supply chain has cyberthreats hidden in plain sight
The one thing all supply chain operators and pharmaceutical companies essential to vaccine distribution have in common is cyberthreats.
By Samantha Schwartz • Dec. 16, 2020 -
Courtesy of BJ's Wholesale Club
Peak season fulfillment fuels BOPIS growth at Walmart, Target
In a rare vulnerability for Amazon, research is piling up that customers want omnichannel services for shopping and returns.
By Daphne Howland • Dec. 14, 2020 -
Courtesy of BioNTech
Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine is FDA-authorized. How the supply chain has been preparing for this moment.
Federal officials have been meeting with distribution partners since the summer to participate in table-top vaccine delivery exercises.
By Matt Leonard • Dec. 11, 2020 -
How supply chain sustainability efforts withstood 2020
This year was a key deadline for many emissions-reduction goals, and the pandemic put pre-planned projects to the test.
By Emma Cosgrove • Dec. 11, 2020 -
Permission granted by Mars
Deep DiveBreaking down Mars' maverick move for a more sustainable palm oil supply chain
Reducing its palm oil mills from 1,500 to 50 in three years to meet internal goals is a decisive move that will almost certainly work, but the effect beyond Mars' supply chain is less certain.
By Emma Cosgrove • Dec. 10, 2020 -
Sanofi Pasteur
Transport groups request vaccine priority for supply chain workers
The industry's call echos the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' proposal that essential transportation workers receive the vaccine after healthcare personnel.
By A.B. Brown • Dec. 10, 2020 -
DSW
Vendor ransomware attack disrupts DSW's inventory management
The impact of cyberattacks on retailers and their vendors is even greater during this digital-first period brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
By Emma Cosgrove • Dec. 10, 2020
