Material Handling & Logistics
One trillion dollars. That's roughly how much U.S. businesses spend every year on logistics. In fact, the actual amount spent in 2012 was $1.331 trillion, which was an increase of $43 billion from 2011 (a growth rate of 3.4%). To put that number into perspective, $1.3 trillion equals 8.5% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP). While the U.S. economy may still be in a state of torpor, the amount spent on logistics in 2012 was the highest since 2008's $1.344, and the third highest ever.

 

As the recovery-that-doesn't-feel-like-a-recovery continues, it's time to ask if this is the new normal, says transportation analyst Rosalyn Wilson, author of the annual State of Logistics Report on behalf of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), and presented by Penske Logistics. "We are experiencing a new order that is translating into the new way of life for the economy and the logistics and supply chain sectors for the foreseeable future," she adds.

Modern Material Handling
Third party logistics companies have become an important part of today’s supply chain. They have grown as their clients decided to become leaner, conserve capital, and focus on core business strengths and processes.

 

On the other hand, many enterprises view distribution/fulfillment as a strategic tool driving their business models. For them, the supply chain is much more than a transactional process, it is a competitive weapon.

Industry Week
It is not unusual to observe businesses of all kinds taking the view of their supply chain and manufacturing networks as a necessary evil. In most if not all cases, the externally facing functions—marketing and sales—get most of the attention. While finance commands internal respect, the supply chain, which is intricately woven into every aspect of the business, tends to be the utilitarian stepchild—meeting demand and controlling costs.

 

The biggest lever for optimizing business performance is to drive supply chain excellence by aligning it with business strategy. One of the elementary components for a high-performing supply chain is a robust set of planning processes. We see repeatedly in conversations with business partners, a yearning for improved sales and operations planning (S&OP) processes, demand planning programs, supply planning that optimizes factory performance, logistics performance, and the desire for better inventory and working capital management.

Food Processing
Food and beverage manufactures and distributors rely on maintaining cleanliness, environmental control and a tight seal at the dock to survive in an extremely competitive market. These operations often run multiple shifts with tremendously high loading cycles and require equipment that can stand up to the increased concerns of food-borne illnesses, allergens and contamination.

 

And now that the focus on food safety is more about prevention than reaction, supply chain managers are looking carefully at the products they utilize everyday for their loading dock operations. One of the best ways facilities can prevent food related contamination is to use proper dock equipment, which can increase both safety and performance.  And while most contamination takes place inside a facility, the best place to start prevention is outside the facility on the loading dock.

Supply Chain Brain
Leading global supply chains have become dependent on the same small group of sub-tier suppliers - concentrating the risk and increasing the potential for crippling supply chain disruptions, according to Resilinc, which provides solutions for supply chain mapping, visibility and event monitoring.

 

Additionally, because this sub-tier supplier concentration is occurring deeper in their global supply chains, many large organizations are not aware of the risks involved. As a result, they are not adequately prepared to mitigate those risks to ensure global supply resiliency.

Industry Today
Where are the most manufacturing jobs? A number of states have plenty. We all know Texas does. But not as much as Michigan does, according to a recent study.

 

Since December 2009, no state has generated more manufacturing jobs than Michigan has, according to an in-depth analysis by the National Association of Manufacturing, which ranked the Wolverine State No. 1 in its Top 20 States for Manufacturing Job Creation list.

World Trade
A common question for those who are new to cloud technology is just how secure it is. Even those who are familiar with the cloud and were convinced of the safety of entrusting their data to the technology have been revisiting some of those questions in light of recent events.

 

There are a couple of distinctions that need to be made when talking about cloud and data security. One is the difference between public and private cloud.

EBN
Mitigating risks is talked about so often among supply-chain professionals, you'd think the majority of companies would have mature processes in place and be spinning all sorts of financial performance advantages from them.

 

But, as is often the case, water cooler buzz doesn't always translate into real-life practice.

 

Only 41 percent of the 209 companies surveyed are considered to have mature supply-chain risk management processes, according to a recent study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Forum for Supply Chain Innovation, conducted in conjunction with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Supply Management
The majority of manufacturers in the automotive and technology sectors are reliant on the health of just four suppliers, according to a study.

 

An analysis of thousands of supplier sites across 50 countries by Resilinc found companies in these sectors have left themselves open to significant disruption because their supply chains rely heavily on Taiwan Semiconductor, Amkor Technology, ASE and United Microelectronics. 

 

Furthermore, the study found the facilities producing the components were located in areas at risk of natural disasters in Taiwan, China, Japan and the US.

Insurance Journal
Manufacturing in the United States is in a growth phase, according to a survey by Travelers Insurance that found nearly three out of four executives in the manufacturing sector have either expanded their products or services in the past year, or plan to expand them in the coming year.

 

The IndustryEdge survey conducted by Travelers, which surveyed 200 general managers, directors, owners and partners from metals, food, and plastics manufacturers, confirms recent data indicating that 2012 was a record year for manufacturing revenues, and reinforces the positive expectations for 2013, according to the insurer.

Material Handling & Logistics
Not only do shavings, dust and clutter make production areas look dirty and unkempt, but they can also contribute to slip and fall incidents. Those are the leading causes of lost-work injuries, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

 

Problems with walking surfaces cause more than half of all slip and fall injuries, according to the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI).  Incorrect footwear is another significant factor, contributing to about 25% of incidents.

Industry Week
It is not unusual to observe businesses of all kinds taking the view of their supply chain and manufacturing networks as a necessary evil. In most if not all cases, the externally facing functions—marketing and sales—get most of the attention.

 

While finance commands internal respect, the supply chain, which is intricately woven into every aspect of the business, tends to be the utilitarian stepchild—meeting demand and controlling costs.

Supply Chain Brain
Some consumer products are so ubiquitous that we assume they’ve been around forever. But the collapsible cooler, invented by California Innovations Inc., didn’t hit the market until 1990.

 

Since then, of course, the item has become wildly popular. Even with the emergence of imitators, California Innovations – which, despite the name, is headquartered in Toronto, Ont. – remains the biggest seller of insulated, soft-sided products. Its line of around 1,000 SKUs includes the popular Arctic Zone brand, in addition to items made under license for Columbia Sportswear. Customers include just about every major retailer in the U.S., including Walmart, Target, Costco, Kmart and Walgreen’s.