Montgomery Ward closed its doors, Chrysler announced plant closings and the layoff of 20% of its work force, UPS profits soar nine percent, JC Penney idles thousands and closes stores, CNN cuts workforce,... View More

E-commerce appears to be all about ease of doing business and the ability to receive products quickly at your home. However, as one parcel company�s television commercial graphically depicts, you do not... View More

When EDI (paperless transactions) hit the marketplace, Daniel J. Biby wrote a book entitled E-D-I or D-I-E. At that time no one could have known how right he would be. Nor could anyone have known just... View More

In the last 18 months, there�s been lots of talk about breakthroughs in RFID technology such as thin, consumable �smart labels,� and their potential impact on parcel and distribution markets. While smart... View More

On February 7th, United Parcel Service�s (UPS) new rates went into effect. The December 29, 1999 news release announced that the rate increase is �modest.� Whether or not that is true depends on which... View More

The growth of the parcel consolidation sector can be seen in one simple statistic: over half of the companies listed in our survey entered the parcel consolidation business in 1997 or later. Clearly, the... View More

The nation�s leading package and freight delivery service companies are in the nascent stages of reinventing themselves as home delivery specialists, and we are not just talking package delivery. ... View More

Not too long ago supply chain network modeling was done on Excel spreadsheets using latitude, longitude and rough data. These crude models, called �centers of gravity� or �centroids,� estimated the middle... View More

Not too long ago supply chain network modeling was done on Excel spreadsheets using latitude, longitude and rough data. These crude models, called �centers of gravity� or �centroids,� estimated the middle... View More

�Globalization is synonymous with increased risk and complexity. In light of today�s highly dynamic and time-sensitive business environment, there is less margin for error.� �... View More

Are you looking for an alternative carrier to the big four � UPS, FedEx, DHL and the U.S. Postal Service? If you�re fortunate enough to have a regional carrier covering your geography, then you may be... View More

Critical changes at UPS, FedEx and DHL yield both good and bad news for shippers. The bad news is that rates continue to rise. 2005 tariffs for each of these carriers have risen an average of 2.9%. In... View More

Question: The trade journals report about the new rate increases being published by parcel express carriers, but they never tell us about rule changes. Are parcel express shippers bound by rule changes... View More

Question: How do I, as a shipper, make a �third party� liable for the payment of freight charges under the following scenario? Answer: A buyer sends me a purchase order for shipping to his customer... View More

I can�t remember any development in carrier pricing that has been more volatile than the dastardly Delivery Area Surcharge. To say I have been inundated with calls and e-mails about the subject would not... View More

Successful WMS implementation is possible, providing you do your homework and learn from others how to avoid the many potential hazards that can sink your ship. The cry from management to reduce... View More

Editor�s Note: Dan Mullen is the president of AIM, the global trade association for automatic identification and mobility technologies. AIM members are providers and users of systems that capture,... View More

Recently, I was in the office of a customer who had just provided all employees with an Internet-based, desktop program to facilitate outbound shipping. As I waited for my meeting, I overheard an administrative... View More

Having a son serving in the military today can put any parent on edge. What my wife and I soon realized was that sending care packages took a lot of work to package and prepare and that the cost could... View More

�Close the door and have a seat, Jon,� the boss said. Jon felt his face grow hot and was surprised that his shirt was soaking wet with sweat. This was a new job, a great company and an exciting time. However,... View More