As with many decisions, a balanced, well-thought-out approach lies precariously between two dangerous, yet common extremes. Especially when expanding to international customers and suppliers, managers... View More
In 1989, Robert C. Camp published a breakthrough book entitled Benchmarking The Search for Industry Best Practices that Lead to Superior Performance. That started a revolution from boardroom to shop floor... View More
Prior to 1999, every aspect of back-end support operations for the direct marketing industry was tailored to meet the needs of the typical cataloger. In the 1970s and 1980s, direct marketing was limited... View More
If youre an optimist, a box is half full. If youre a pessimist, its half empty. If youre a shipping manager, its not yet ready for shipping. Whatever you ship, whether its industrial valves, electronics... View More
There are two misconceptions in the consumer goods supply chain: First, a barcode scanner and a barcode verifier do the same thing. Second, verifying barcodes is a complicated ordeal. From packaging... View More
Imagine sending out over 80 million items a year a significant percentage of which is returned by the recipient. Sound like a nightmare for returns processing? Absolutely. But Bookspan, which does just... View More
As technology changes the face of fulfillment and distribution, two very important trends have emerged: the need for increased speed in the packaging process and the call for more flexible packaging solutions.... View More
Inbound vendor compliance � and the related savings on shipping � has become a hot cost-saving opportunity. If your company receives and pays for products from outside vendors, you can�t afford to overlook... View More
Overnight service continues to be one of the fastest growing sectors of the shipping industry. Years of effective advertising have convinced the shipping public that faster is better � for a price. Used... View More
Deregulation has had very positive effects on the cost of transporting and distributing the nation�s freight and parcel express traffic. However, shippers must learn about the pitfalls in transportation... View More
By Bert Moore Prognostication is always fun. When you�re right, no one remembers. When you�re wrong, no one forgets. So, rather than climb out on this limb all by myself, I�ve invited some industry experts... View More
If you were planning to reengineer your distribution center, what would be the most important aspects of the project to consider? Would it be cost, return on investment, downtime for the company and its... View More
Just-in-time logistics, steady product flow management and the never-ending drive for maximum efficiency have intensified the attention given to loading dock design. A multitude of fluctuating variables... View More
The Internet is usually given credit � good and bad � for every new development in manufacturing and distribution. But while processing data through the Internet has an impact on the success of many a... View More
Tracking, one of man�s oldest and most valued skills, has long been essential to survival. While most of us no longer track game for our next meal, tracking in business is essential � and not just of products.... View More
Have you ever seen or handled a million dollar box? I have. It was small and lightweight. I could easily hold it in one hand. A friend who works for the Department of Transportation (DOT) assured me that... View More
A new customer service representative (CSR) raised an interesting issue. Her department was responsible for the shipping of replacement parts for the company�s industrial equipment. The problem was that... View More
Electronic manifesting eliminates hours of manual data processing, keyboard entry errors and the bundles of paperwork associated therein (we all know that, right?), but what began this modern day exercise... View More
It is often difficult for managers in production areas like mail or shipping to keep their employees motivated. There are several factors that lead to this including relatively low pay, working in what... View More
When Forrester Research Group asked corporate managers what this year�s greatest fulfillment challenge would be, the answer was global distribution. Lowering fulfillment costs came in a close second. The... View More
