If there were ever a year that underscored the importance of supply chain logistics, 2020 has been it. First, the pandemic's stay-at-home orders drove online ordering to new heights, with demand for final-mile delivery rising right along with it. Then, as consumers reacted to the global event by purchasing en masse essential supplies like toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and disinfecting wipes, many manufacturers scrambled to deliver. Add to that the sharp decrease in passenger flights, which led to an air cargo capacity crunch. Stir in increasing consumer preference for online holiday shopping, and you've got a year that delivered a significant number of logistical challenges. [...]

To anyone outside the industry, logistics professionals often appear to be speaking a language all their own. Amidst all the industry jargon, abbreviations, acronyms, and shortcuts, you'll also find a few words that are in a category of their own. These words hint at the future of logistics and, often get thrown around in conversations where visionaries discuss what might be possible in the next five, ten, or even fifteen years. And while some may know exactly what these terms mean, you might see other people pull out their phones and surreptitiously Google the definition so they can join in the conversation. We're talking about [...]

PPE and toilet paper shortages, air freight capacity crunches, blank sailings, last-mile delivery overloads, and supplier struggles (just to name a few!)—2020 was a year full of challenges within supply chain management. Many companies who relied on a single supplier (especially one in China) struggled, as did those who didn't have the technology or the systems to give them up-to-the-minute insights across their supply chain. As many professionals look back over the year's events, a few key questions emerge: What have we learned from all of this? How can we apply it to our supply chains to make them more resilient to unexpected events in [...]