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Helpful Articles - Logistics

At the heart of every business that delivers a product to its customers, you’ll find its supply chain. Managing your supply chain so that it operates smoothly, efficiently, and cost-effectively is essential to both the health and long-term survival of your organization. When you dive down into the nitty-gritty of supply chain management, it might feel like there are as many models as there are types of businesses. To keep it simple, we like to use the Supply Chain Council’s supply chain operations reference model (SCOR), an industry-standard that breaks down supply chain management into five parts: Plan Source Make Deliver Return In this first...

Does your organization have a solid plan in place to prevent and respond to cyberattacks? If not—or if you haven’t examined your plan in a while—now is the right time to make it a priority. According to both the FBI and Interpol, cyberattacks are on the rise. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the FBI has received between 3,000 and 4,000 cybersecurity complaints per day, three to four times the previous average of around 1,000 daily. Additionally, on the international side, Interpol has reported an “alarming rate of cyberattacks” during the pandemic. The agency also revealed that these attacks have shifted from individuals and...

Although the global COVID-19 pandemic looms large in our current consciousness, it’s hardly the first major event to create significant supply chain disruptions. Consider the 1998 hurricane that affected Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Honduras. The massive storm wiped out 10% of the worldwide banana crop, putting both Chiquita and Dole in a difficult position. Additionally, the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City resulted in increased security and scrutiny around shipments coming into the U.S., delaying the arrival of many manufacturing components from abroad. Among those affected were U.S. auto manufacturer Ford Motor Company, who had to close five of their plants for...

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...

Online shopping is on the rise and, with it, comes the rise in returns. Although the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 holiday shopping season have both contributed to the growth of online sales and returns, these two events merely serve to underscore the increasing overall importance of reverse logistics and its role in the supply chain. In this article, we’ll explore this under-examined and under-appreciated link of the supply chain and highlight its impact across your business as a whole. First, let’s make sure we’re clear on terminology. Reverse logistics, as we’ll discuss in this article, refers to moving goods from their final destination back...