Stat of the Week: Page 2
Each week, Supply Chain Dive takes a look at a report, survey or indicator for a glimpse of present and future trends. Look out for these articles in your inbox by subscribing to Supply Chain Dive: Operations.
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George Frey via Getty Images
Supply chains stick with lean methods despite inventory woes
Growing demand and flat inventory growth led the inventory-to-sales ratio to drop to 1.23 in March, the lowest ever recorded.
By Matt Leonard • June 1, 2021 -
Bill Pugliano via Getty Images
Manufacturers focus on cycle times, delivered costs
Order cycle time was the most common target with 19% of respondents highlighting it as their top priority in a BDO survey.
By Matt Leonard • May 25, 2021 -
Stephen Brashear via Getty Images
Pandemic drives interest in automation, robot orders tick up
Industrial robot orders in North America grew 20% YoY, according to A3, as automation technology advances and manufacturing faces labor shortages.
By Matt Leonard • May 18, 2021 -
Drew Angerer via Getty Images
Manufacturing, competing with distribution, struggles to attract labor
A recent survey found that manufacturers are having trouble filling 46% of open positions due to a mismatch in skills.
By Matt Leonard • May 11, 2021 -
Emma Cosgrove
Supply chains play inventory catch-up against a growing backlog of orders
Clorox grew inventory 50% and 3M's grew 6% in a race to meet elevated demand.
By Matt Leonard • May 4, 2021 -
Bruce Bennett via Getty Images
Amazon insources logistics with a growing network of delivery stations
Once the expansion is completed, "there won't be an ounce of soil in America that Amazon can't reach with its own fleet," one analyst said.
By Matt Leonard • April 27, 2021 -
Cardboard prices reach record high amid e-commerce demand
Box producers are running on lean inventories, as online buying booms and creates greater demand for packaging materials.
By Matt Leonard • April 6, 2021 -
Courtesy of Boston Dynamics
Boston Dynamics stretches into warehouse game with material-handling robot
The bot, named Stretch, automates the truck unloading process at an expected rate of 800 cases per hour.
By Matt Leonard • March 30, 2021 -
Getty Images
Inventory levels tumble, threatening retailers' spring and summer sales
Retail inventories fell nearly 6% YoY in January, as port congestion made it difficult for imports to make it to their final desinations.
By Matt Leonard • March 23, 2021 -
CPGs report higher supply chain costs with no signs of dropping this year
A majority of CPG companies expect manufacturing, warehousing, transportation and raw materials costs to continue at 2020 levels.
By Matt Leonard • March 16, 2021 -
'Right thing to do,' financial benefits drive supply chain investments in sustainability: Gartner
Waste reduction and water-efficiency improvements were the sustainability goals perceived as most likely to have a financial benefit.
By Matt Leonard • March 2, 2021 -
Maersk
Supply chains divided on plans to increase safety stock, stick with lean methods
The desire to build buffer stock varies by industry and even SKU, with many companies developing inventory health metrics to decide which items need, and don't need, safety stock.
By Matt Leonard • Feb. 16, 2021 -
6 River Systems
E-commerce warehouse productivity could improve up to 20% with greater automation: Prologis
Researchers estimate that the adoption of automation could reduce the demand for industrial real estate as existing facilities become more productive.
By Matt Leonard • Feb. 9, 2021 -
The image by Zulu84 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Warehouse hiring data shows how supply chains flexed up for peak
Employment in the sector was up nearly 9% YoY in December to reach more than 1.29 million workers.
By Matt Leonard • Feb. 2, 2021 -
Getty Images
Pick speed improves when augmented reality replaces paper: study
The research suggests that some of the main benefits of the technology could be in training new workers and getting them up to speed more quickly.
By Matt Leonard • Jan. 26, 2021 -
Dollar Photo Club
How supply chains adjusted demand forecasts during the pandemic
Demand planners started to bring in data from Google Trends and Amazon marketplaces to better understand unpredictable consumer buying habits.
By Matt Leonard • Jan. 19, 2021 -
How DHL optimized packaging at warehouses to cut shipping costs
Determining the ideal mix of carton sizes uses information on items ordered, dimensions, carriers, destinations and shipping costs — all data that retailers and fulfillment centers collect frequently.
By Matt Leonard • Jan. 12, 2021 -
Pixabay
Cardboard prices stayed flat as demand surged, but that might not last
The cardboard box industry saw more demand over the course of the pandemic as consumers increasingly turned to e-commerce.
By Matt Leonard • Jan. 5, 2021 -
Sanofi Pasteur
Pharma cold chain spend heats up, with a trend toward temperature-tracking sensors
The coronavirus vaccine rollout is expected to positively impact the cold chain logistics market, as companies invest in cold storage, freezer farms, monitoring technology and packaging.
By Matt Leonard • Dec. 22, 2020 -
Pandemic pushed manufacturers to greater analytics adoption: survey
Forecasting is one specific analytic area of interest for manufacturers who have seen demand swing dramatically throughout the pandemic.
By Matt Leonard • Dec. 15, 2020 -
Getty Images
CBRE: Holiday sales expected to generate $70.5B in returns
The capacity constraints 3PLs are facing during peak season have been widely reported, but expanded networks are expected to benefit retailers when it comes time to process returns through warehouse networks.
By Matt Leonard • Dec. 8, 2020 -
Fotolia
Eli Lilly adopts automation to process COVID-19 tests in line with pharma industry trend toward robotics
A manual lab-based operation at Eli Lilly was accustomed to 50 samples daily. By mid-March, that number had reached 15,000.
By Matt Leonard • Dec. 1, 2020 -
BarkBox
Bark adds distribution center for BarkBox fulfillment capacity
Fulfilling BarkBox subscription boxes requires a facility that can handle packing multiple SKUs into one box before sealing and stacking them on pallets.
By Matt Leonard • Nov. 24, 2020 -
Raley's
IDC: Pharmaceutical industry ups inventory levels as OTIF rates fall
Before the pandemic, the on time and in full rate from suppliers was generally above 80%. Now, pharmaceutical companies are looking for ways to avoid shortages.
By Matt Leonard • Nov. 17, 2020 -
The image by Zulu84 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Inventory roller coaster expected to trend upward after August lows
Retail inventories have been on a wild ride through the course of the pandemic. They bulged when retailers shut their doors, fell when sales were higher than expected, and early signs show they're successfully rebuilding.
By Matt Leonard • Nov. 10, 2020
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