Logistics Blog

We're looking for passionate and enthusiastic individual to be the Guide to the Logistics / Supply Chain site of About.com!

What sort of information do we want the new Guide to provide?
Well, we're looking for someone to help educate managers and small business owners who want to manage their supply chain more efficiently, and need help choosing technologies and approaches.

What sort of person are we looking for to be the new Guide to Logistics / Supply Chain?
Our ideal candidate:

• Journalist/writer who has published articles/books on supply chain management technologies and principles and is a recognized expert on the subject.
• A professional who works in the supply chain management industry and has experience in more than one technology or approach.

If this sounds like you, and you've got excellent writing skills and the desire to reach and teach a broad audience through your writing, why not go over to our application site to learn more about our hiring program and submit an application?

Here are three inventory reduction strategies that are a result of supplier partnerships. Each strategy requires closer relationships with suppliers in addition to web-enabled information systems to track and monitor product movement and create better forecasts. Issues to consider when considering these strategies include confidentiality and inventory ownership.

Two recently released reports compare the performance of voice-directed picking (VDP) to that of label picking and handleld scanner picking. The results show a significant improvement in accuracy when replacing label picking with VDP, however not to the extent that manufacturers of VDP technology claim. In addition, results show that converting to VDP from handheld scanner picking increased productivity by 17% with a negligible decrease in accuracy.

The use of third-party logistics providers has grown steadily since their inception in the 1980’s and continues to grow. Many large organizations have either partially or fully outsourced their logistics operations; however, smaller organizations have been slow to follow. Below are some advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing your logistics operations to a third-party logistics provider.

The 2007 Global Transportation and Supply Chain Logistics Conference in Dubai, UAE, is being held from October 21-22 2007. Featured presentators include: David Jacoby, President of Boston Logistics Group, Harold G. Clampitt, CEO and Founder of American RFID Solutions and C. Thomas Burke of Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha ("K" Line). From the ISCEA: "The conference's keynote speaker is Luke Ritter, Founder and CEO of Trident Global Partners. He will be speaking on how RFID Biometrics & Encryption technology can create innovation for security, privacy and new benefits to lower costs such as shrinkage, gray marketing and counterfeiting."

Quite often, organizations use price as the determining factor when considering which supplier to select. While price is an important determining factor, other dimensions such as quality, lead time and payment terms must not be overlooked. Here is a comprehensive list of criteria that may be used to make the best decision.

Follow this five-step approach to help your organization generate better forecasts. The benefits of better forecasting include reduced inventory levels and better customer service through higher in-stock rates.

From the Supply Chain Consortium: "The Supply Chain Consortium has the solution with its new Strategic Assessment Dashboard, a tool that is quickly becoming the ultimate index in supply chain benchmarking and best practices. Using an updated user interface, the Dashboard allows Consortium members to compare operations to their entire industry, to specific segments of their industry, or to supply chains in other industries. For instance, an apparel retailer can now see how their distribution tactics compare to the retail industry as a whole, just to their specific clothing niche, or to the entire database across industries."

Agility deals with how responsive supply chains are to changing customer demands. The North American automotive industry is a prime example of how to synchronize the arrival of parts just-in-time basis to meet production requirements. Implement these three initiatives to create an agile supply chain.

Here are three case studies that address issues such as strategic sourcing, e-procurement and best practices for purchasing. Learn strategies that organizations such as AT&T, Microsoft and HP use to reduce their purchasing spend including measuring supplier performance and outsourcing.