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

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

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

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

Automation upgrades warehouse execution systems to essential status

The technology creates a digital twin, providing inventory management traditionally found in a WMS while adding the ability to control automated infrastructure.

By Matt Leonard • Nov. 3, 2020

Supply chain visibility is 'awfully low,' but improving it can aid operations goals

A recent survey found that 40% of supply chain leaders plan to increase their investment in real-time visibility, which one expert said could help with omnichannel and forecasting.

By Matt Leonard • Oct. 27, 2020

Retailers face operational, logistical hurdles in pandemic-driven switch to ship from store

Retailers scrambled to change their fulfillment operations as open stores figured out ways to get their inventory to online shoppers.

By Matt Leonard • Oct. 20, 2020

Supply chain pros embrace AI for forecasting, inventory despite limitations during pandemic

Rigid systems that don’t respond to rapid market shifts and a lack of reliable data frustrated respondents in a survey from Secondmind.

By Matt Leonard • Oct. 13, 2020

Warehouse employment is at an all-time high

The labor-intensive processes of picking, packing and shipping require supply chains to hire more workers as e-commerce sales reach record levels.

By Matt Leonard • Oct. 6, 2020

Were supply chains too lean during the pandemic? A survey shows an industry divided.

Lean supply chain principals lower costs, but leave a company with less flexibility to respond to demand shocks. 

By Matt Leonard • Sept. 29, 2020

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

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

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

In-store pick and pack starts with inventory visibility

Nearly three-quarters of retailers consider it a challenge to implement an in-store accept, pick and pack process for online orders, according to a survey of retailers by Forrester.

By Matt Leonard • Sept. 1, 2020

Warehousing, manufacturing employment below pre-pandemic levels as peak nears

Employment in manufacturing dipped 10% year over year in April and 5% in warehousing during the same period.

By Matt Leonard • Aug. 25, 2020

Reopening draws down inventory, but volatility expected for remainder of year

The total business inventories-to-sales ratio echoes trends seen throughout the pandemic: Apparel retailers are struggling to bring customers in while grocers are having a difficult time staying stocked.

By Matt Leonard • Aug. 18, 2020

Diageo falls short on packaging weight reduction goal

More than 85% of the alcoholic beverage company's packaging is glass — a material that presents a dilemma because it's highly recyclable yet heavier than plastic.

By Matt Leonard • Aug. 11, 2020

The pandemic has complicated the WMS procurement process

Vendors and warehouse managers typically use multi-day conferences and whiteboarding to buy and implement warehouse management systems. The pandemic has turned that process upside down.

By Matt Leonard • July 28, 2020

MIT, CSCMP: 35% of companies lack supply chain sustainability goals

Social issues — child labor or slavery, worker welfare, etc. — received "far more" focus in companies' sustainability goals than environmental issues.

By Matt Leonard • July 20, 2020

Robots, automation seen as solutions to social distancing hurdles in supply chain

The biggest benefit of automation during the pandemic has been the ability for companies to increase social distancing measures within their facilities, according to respondents to a survey from Honeywell and KRC Research. 

By Matt Leonard • July 14, 2020

Intel's automated inventory planning: How it swapped 'rule-of-thumb' for algorithms

The company generated millions in inventory cost savings from SKUs using the automated model and increased gross profits $1.3 billion from 2014 to 2017.

By Matt Leonard • July 7, 2020

Consumer demand: The big supply chain question mark

Statistical models work best when making predictions in a consistent environment. The coronavirus pandemic is a sharp turn off the consistent course of demand for many products. 

By Matt Leonard • June 30, 2020

Sales plummeted 14% in April leaving companies with bulging inventories

The inventory-to-sales ratio paints a clear picture of the pandemic and the economic turmoil it has created across retail and manufacturing, leaving product to languish in stockrooms, destined for markdowns or donations.

By Matt Leonard • June 23, 2020

More automation means more reusable packaging: survey

Highly automated fulfillment environments rely on standardized, reusable packaging, but it's not a one-size-fits-all solution. 

By Matt Leonard • June 16, 2020

Inventory management a top skill for 58% of supply chain pros: survey

Effective inventory management "is at the core of supply chain and that is making sure that you've got the right product at the right price with the right consumer at the right place," said ASCM CEO Abe Eshkenazi.

By Matt Leonard • June 9, 2020