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Since the beginning of time, cities have come and gone based upon their proximity to a major transportation artery. In fact, nothing is quite so important to a region's economy [...]

In a chain of supply, collaboration in forecasting and exchange of information can forestall problems, while independent actions of members of a supply chain can decrease its effectiveness.

Third-party logistics vendors have added new technologies and services that offer improved value to clients. Two of these improvements, warehouse management systems and inventory management, enable clients to outsource a larger portion of their supply chain. The success of these systems relies on communication and integrated relationships between the client and the third party vendor., There are numerous questions to answer before making this decision. Here's how to evaluate the issues. Inventory control has been a staple of the third party logistics industry for years. [...]

Most transportation companies view freight payment as a difficult process. However, improved freight payment systems is making the process simpler to perform. There are now also more companies offering services that promise to improve companies' freight payment systems. More businesses are utilizing the services offered by these companies., Freight payment might seem like a necessary evil, but many organizations are converting the tedious task into a necessary commodity. Whether done internally or externally, freight payment. and the headaches [...]

A three-year study by A.T. Kearney Inc of 1,700 West European, North American and Japanese companies revealed that only 10% of those companies were able to completely satisfy their customers. Further information gained from the study included the conclusion that no country had the monopoly on excellence in logistics management. Companies usually progress through several stages to reach logistics excellence. These include a short-term reactive stage and a time of cost control and measurement. Management decisions in companies that reach the final stage focus on customer satisfaction. Details of successful logistics programs are given., Improving the quality of service that the logistics process provides increases customer satisfaction and supports customer loyalty. Thus, an effective logistics process--the management of the flow of materials from the [...]

Logistics plays an important role in customer service, on which carrier survival depends. Speakers at the Council of Logistics Management's 1993 meeting in Washington, DC, spoke to this point and also talked about ways to simplify logistical operations. Barclay Consulting Assoc Pres Malcolm J. Margolis talked of the balance between providing good service and controlling the cost of that service, and he recommended activity-based costing, which follows an activity to completion. Other trends that were discussed include central asset management, simplification of the carrier base, less-than-truckload pricing strategies and strategic partnerships., Only the best in class will thrive in the Service intensive, customer-oriented marketplace of the near term. And only those who relate customer service to profitability will survive into the [...]

Core carriers providing consolidation and delivery appointments improve LTL services for this Atlanta-based home supply center. Reliable next-day service from its core carriers enables the western division of Atlanta-based Home [...]

To say that supply chains have undergone a major transformation in recent years is almost an understatement. As companies have raced into emerging markets in countries such as China and […]

For the past five years, Expansion Management magazine and Logistics Today have combined to produce an annual ranking of the most logistics-friendly cities in the U.S. This study looks at [...]

GTE Supply embarked on a campaign to reduce its transporation costs by consolidating its freight handling processes. GTE Supply is the logistics arm of the $27 billion firm GTE, the largest US local telephone firm. GTE Supply's transporation costs reached $84 million in 1993, prompting its management to form a task force to address the problem of streamlining. Aiming for daily savings of $40,000, GTE implemented a pilot crossdocking project to reduce cycle time, number of shipments and damage claims. GTE realized savings of $1.1 million in 1994., When the transportation group at GTE Supply got wind that its vendors were jerking the group around, it decided to make some changes. The GTE national logistics center in Westfield, [...]

Many companies in the transportation services industry are turning to third parties for logistical needs. Observers point out that contract logistics providers could control around 10%, or about $474 billion, of the entire logistics market by the year 2000. These observers point out, however, that some contract logistics companies are not able to perform the necessary services such as independent audit and cost accounting. Careful study must be made in order to determine those processes that can be outsourced and those that should be done in-house., Remember President Reagan's phrase, 'Trust but verify'? That's not a bad thought for buyers to keep in mind when outsourcing any significant portion of logistics activities to a third party. [...]

Companies may be able to find ways to save money through a reexamination of logistics strategies. Basic to this is an understanding of both customers and the competition. Customer service should be defined for a specific company. However, because companies' needs change, flexibility is also crucial. A logistics network may include direct or centralized distribution, regional centers or local distribution, depending on customer needs. Some companies use in-house warehousing, but others have turned to third party services. Cost savings can also be found in improved inventory management., Companies of all sizes are examining their distribution pipelines to look for ways to control costs without damaging customer service or expectations. These companies compete in today's global market place [...]

Chief executive www.inttra.com In today's world, it's not the strongest or biggest companies that win. Instead, it is the most adaptable companies, equipped with the best technology, that will thrive. [...]

Jeane J. Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies www.cfr.org The biggest challenge to the efficient and reliable flow of worldwide commerce is the conventional wisdom that security within the [...]

Executive director www.tlcouncil.org Not too long ago, every big company had a 'traffic department' where trained and experienced people worked daily with carrier selection, scheduling, routing, bills of lading, tariffs, [...]

At first glance, the advertising inserts that appear in the weekend editions of newspapers don't look like much. The flimsy, four-color pages typically show off the wares and special sales [...]

* Roadway Express announced the first phase in a comprehensive re-engineering effort to speed up its freight network. The first phase reduces service standards on more than 20,000 lanes, the [...]

Transportation costs typically constitute more than half of the total logistics spent in today's business environment. This share has been on a steady increase, as smaller, more frequent and more [...]

We're raising the speed limit every day on the long road from raw material to the end consumer. What makes this even more remarkable is that we are doing it [...]

LOGISTICS FUNCTIONS MAY BE STRONGLY ROOTED IN OUR BUSINESSES, BUT THE FUTURE DEFINITELY WON'T LOOK LIKE THE PAST. This year's annual conference of the Council of Logistics Management was, once [...]

As Bob Dylan, now a grandfather, wrote nearly 40 years ago 'the times, they are a changin'...' Indeed, the life and times of financial professionals involved with cross-functional planning and [...]

Exel masters business model changes to maximize worldwide opportunities Leaders at supply-chain and Logistics powerhouse Exel plc say careful discipline and inventiveness have keyed their success. In 1992 the company [...]

Taking freight transportation to the next level of efficiency Continuous productivity improvements will be absolutely essential just to keep up with growing freight volumes, if the forecast prepared for the [...]

California-based Ingram Micro Inc.'s unit, Ingram Micro North America, has hired 3,000 temporary employees nationwide as retailers to distributors anticipate brisk holiday sales season. Memphis, Tennessee-based FedEx has made plans to move 223.3 million shipments throughout its entire system during the holidays. Insights on ABF Freight System Inc.'s operations are also given.

Six years ago, the rail equipment cooperative TTX Co. began tracking the flow of international containers in the United States. When it updated its research in February, it found a [...]

Efforts to squeeze costs out of the packaged goods supply chain over the past two years have been only partially successful, according to a new report from the Grocery Manufacturers [...]

Liz Estremo, eastern U.S. manager for Singapore Airlines Cargo, was thrilled most of the summer. Her team was selling belly space on SQ 21, the new daily 18.5-hour Newark-to-Singapore service, [...]

'State of Logistics,' a report cosponsored by the Council of Logistics Management, states that the U.S. shipping companies spent $ 936 billions on logistics and transportation in 2003. It represents 2.9% increase from 2002, however the total logistics costs declined to 8.5% of gross domestic product.

After all the effort put into improving supply-chain visibility, learning the status of a shipment is child's play, right? Not in the retail industry. Retailers are being blindsided by inadequate [...]

It doesn't matter how the goal is accomplished; clients of third-party logistics providers (3PLs) demand transparent supply chains. Information equals inventory and manufacturing companies want inventory pulled through the supply […]

Creating a secure transportation infrastructure is a huge project, encompassing a wide variety of issues and security methods. Some ways to resolve these problems were addressed at a Council of [...]

Problems faced by ENRON are now being faced by the transportation industry. Methods by which the transportation industry can solve these problems are discussed

Plans to restructure the cargo release process for imports and exports hauled by truck, plane, train and ship could lead to disorder at the border and disrupt supply chains throughout [...]

The U.S. transportation system faces increasing congestion with the growth of trade doubling or trippling over the next 20 years. Alternatives to coastal shipping and inland marine barges are proposed by the CoastWise Coalition and by Waterways Work.

Nistevo is managed on the notion that truck transporters would be moving small quantities of product more often, a system called 'collaborative logistics.' It is involved in handling cargo belonging to competitors but does not disturb relationships nor sacrifice privacy.

Transportation buyers are becoming more active participants in the supply chain due to changes in strategy. Just-in-time manufacturing has led to a reduction in inventory, which saves costs in storage and damage but has increased the risk of delay. To avoid interruptions in the chain, buyers can use information technology to form integrated partnerships with their carriers so that materials and product can be tracked through the process., Cost-conscious executives are salivating over the prospect of supply chain management. Who can blame them? With its emphasis on streamlining supply operations from suppliers' suppliers to customers' customers, supply chain [...]

Transportation managers at business organizations must strive to be in step with the objectives set out by senior management, otherwise they stand the risk of losing importance in the overall scheme of their companies. Among the areas transportation managers should focus on are how best to assign and devote resources effectively to achieve the goals of management. Doing so is the only way to ensure that they remain a strategic part of their organizations., REPORTING LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORTATION PERFORMANCE TO TOP MANAGEMENT In today's rapidly changing business environment, industrial, transportation, and logistics managers and staff must be attuned to top management's goals. If not [...]

American President Lines (APL) Inc. has incorporated its three logistics units under one executive. APL's core business include shipping, intermodal transportation, freight consolidation, inventory management and logistics consulting. Rick Barbaria was recently appointed to head APL's three logistics groups, namely, American Consolidation Services, American President Business Logistics Services and Value-Added Service Corp. Under Barbaria, these three units are seeking new methods of cooperating to solve logistics problems., Three units brought under one executive. Idea is to cooperate on logistics problems 'without re-inventing the wheel.' American President Lines does a lot of different things -- ocean shipping, domestic [...]

Caterpillar Inc. has strengthened its logistics by linking the company's transportation and marketing department. The move was perceived as an important step in fostering a better sense of control of customer service between the factory and the dealer. Caterpillar's efforts at improving its logistics field comes at a time when the company's share of the Latin American market improved by 4% to 5% a year., Latin America unit recognizes that logistics must involve sales, marketing with transportation. Caterpillar Americas Co. has closed a link in its supply chain by teaming its transportation department with its [...]

Some 66 years ago, collaboration filled the news. Nazi Germany's invasion of Norway on April 6, 1940, had been greatly helped by 'fifth column' Norwegian collaborators under the direction of [...]

Targeted pricing based on distances and special services is coming is moving to Canada. Courier company Purolator announced a 3.5 percent rate hike for domestic Canada service but says the [...]