Mercedes-Benz taps blockchain to track emissions in cobalt supply chain

The blockchain platform aims to trace carbon emissions and help the automaker hold suppliers accountable for ethical supply chain practices. 

By Morgan Forde • Feb. 3, 2020

How Lush ditched manual invoicing for automated accounts payable

Before 2017, the skincare company printed hundreds of thousands of supplier invoices annually. Now 92% of invoices are touchless.

By Deborah Abrams Kaplan • Jan. 30, 2020

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

McCormick plans to drop up to $350M on transition to SAP ERP

The transition to the ERP coincides with the growth of the company and SAP ending support for McCormick's current system

By Matt Leonard • Jan. 30, 2020

'Extreme, unprecedented' trucking market changes hit CH Robinson

C.H. Robinson forecasted in October the market would remain favorable to shippers through the first half of 2020, and so far, the data shows the 3PL's prediction to be true.

By Shefali Kapadia • Jan. 30, 2020

UPS and Waymo partner on self-driving parcel pickup

Waymo's autonomous vans will pick up parcels from UPS stores in the Phoenix metro area and deliver them to nearby UPS sorting facilities.

By Morgan Forde • Jan. 30, 2020

Union Pacific releases new APIs to increase visibility for shippers

The railroad says the connections can also be used for intermodal planning, shipping actions, managing a rail network, validating pre-gate reservations and other functions.

By Matt Leonard • Jan. 30, 2020

Container line group sets track and trace standards

Adoption of common standards is critical to ensure information sharing, especially across large operations that use differing technologies and data exchange methods.

By Shefali Kapadia • Jan. 29, 2020

When forecasts are misaligned

Coordinating plans across operations, procurement, logistics and finance can be a challenge, especially at large businesses. A central forecasting team can help. 

By Deborah Abrams Kaplan • Jan. 28, 2020

What's the right forecasting method? It depends on your data.

Time-series forecasting is a method that goes back decades, but as new computational power provides new options, what's the best way to go?

By Matt Leonard • Jan. 28, 2020

World Economic Forum launches self-service blockchain platform for supply chain traceability

Architects of the WEF initiative aim to allay privacy and data ownership concerns with a neutral platform, thereby speeding adoption across industries.

By Emma Cosgrove • Jan. 28, 2020

AI is reshaping transportation. Railroads can get on board or miss out

Can freight rail deploy technologies that boost safety performance and productivity while growing market share? Ian Jefferies, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads, grapples with the question.

By Ian Jefferies • Jan. 28, 2020

Supply chains can't rely on blockchain standards set by banking, insurance

A Gartner report finds supply chain applications of blockchain need information on physical products and transportation assets across multiple tiers of operation.

By Matt Leonard • Jan. 27, 2020

Avoid the headaches of hiring … with automated HS code classification

Finding people to manage item classification is hard. Finding an automated solution is easy.

Jan. 27, 2020

Waymo expands autonomous truck tests to Texas, New Mexico

In comments filed last year with the federal government, Waymo said it has "increasingly turned our attention to moving goods.​" 

By Matt Leonard • Jan. 24, 2020

CH Robinson launches supply chain innovation lab

Solutions will aim to reduce lead times and empty miles and increase freight visibility for shippers, while integrating into their own ERP systems.

By Morgan Forde • Jan. 24, 2020

Supplier negotiation could become more science than art: survey

A survey of 500 senior procurement decision managers found that 66% of them believe digital skills will overtake people skills in supplier negotiations in the coming years. 

By Morgan Forde • Jan. 23, 2020

How to leverage digitization and reduce freight volatility

The end goal should not be just surviving a potential market downturn — it should envision a broader path toward long-term growth and resilience.

By Ahmad El-Dardiry • Jan. 23, 2020

Fighting warehouse worker fatigue with wearables

Wearables have emerged as a solution to monitor fatigue as it's happening, and to predict when it will happen in the future.

By Jen A. Miller • Jan. 21, 2020

How wearables compare: Head-mounted, wrist worn or gloves?

Managers who use wearables in their operations say it helps employees do their jobs faster and with fewer errors, but benefits can depend significantly on the hardware.

By Matt Leonard • Jan. 21, 2020

3 retail supply chain fails of 2019 and how to avoid them in 2020

Supply chains struggled with technology integrations in 2019. Experts believe the ability to bounce back from a crisis will be essential for modern managers. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Jan. 21, 2020

4 e-commerce trends to watch in 2020

When competing with Amazon or Alibaba, it’s important to use trends as inspiration for innovation, writes Bernard Schreiner, co-founder of Paazl.

By Bernard Schreiner • Jan. 16, 2020

Belk harnesses AI to manage inventory

As the department store used analytics to square orders with demand, margins improved, Vice President Tim Carney said at the NRF's Big Show.

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 16, 2020

3D printing use for MRO will double: report

Respondents in a survey by Essentium, a 3D printing platform, named reduced lead times as a key benefit of the technology. 

By Shefali Kapadia • Jan. 16, 2020

The importance of S&OP in 2020

Trends in personalization and fast shipping will require planning that goes beyond supply and demand. 

By Craig Guillot • Jan. 14, 2020

Amazon, FedEx, UPS join CBP e-commerce data pilot

The pilot will test whether shippers providing cargo information to the agency upfront will streamline screening processes as e-commerce parcel volumes approach 1.8 million per day.

By Morgan Forde • Jan. 14, 2020