Most of us remember August 4th 1997 as a significant date in history when 187,000 UPS workers went on strike. To those in our industry it may have been as significant as the collapse of the dot-com bubble... View More
Not long ago, President of the Association for Postal Commerce Dr. Gene Del Polito was quoted in aMinyanville article as saying, “‘For FedEx and UPS, the costs are lower to deliver in... View More
As the calendar inches closer to a July 31 expiration of the collective bargaining agreement between United Parcel Service (UPS) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), there is a growing... View More
One of the big guys contemplating dropping low yielding deals…..it’s that time again !!!!! I recently attended a presentation given by one of the senior executives of one of the publically... View More
Flipping through channels after a long day of supply chain cost-savings finding, it occurred to me that supply chain managers who participate in group purchasing organizations (GPOs) are kind of like viewers... View More
The simple fact is that in today’s longer global supply chains, product moves over greater distances and across more multinational borders than in the more localized supply chains of the past. This... View More
My article on the misapplication of residential fees by one or more carriers in the parcel industry moved some carrier reps to post comments that UPS does have data on what addresses are strictly commercial,... View More
The scene: a big box store early on Black Friday. A large crowd gathers outside the store waiting for the doors to open. Among them, Shopper A and Shopper B. Both are eager to go inside the store to make... View More
Implementing technology projects can be a somewhat frustrating and unpredictable experience for many companies. There is, however, a straightforward set of best practices to follow to increase your probability... View More
I have a confession to make. When I am not overseeing the operations of International Business Systems (IBS) in Solna, Sweden, I am an avid baseball memorabilia collector. Several months ago, after purchasing... View More
It is common knowledge that parcel carriers hike their rates, modify their fuel indices and announce a general rate increase (GRI) each year. The net result is that parcel shipping costs increase by the... View More
In the first three “Basics” articles we defined the major Supply Chain partners who physically move or store your freight, or facilitate its smooth movement and storage. In this fourth “Players”... View More
There has a bit of what I would call “inflammatory” publicity recently about a lawsuit filed against FedEx for allegedly misapplying their residential surcharge to transactions that were consigned... View More
The good news is our country has averted going over the fiscal cliff; the bad news is your UPS/FedEx rates and surcharges have once again increased significantly. Like clockwork, both major parcel carriers,... View More
For years Parcel Magazine has served the needs of small-parcel shippers. In 2013 we are launching a new series entitled “LTL Insights”. This series will focus on increasing shippers’... View More
The biggest difference between accessorials and the surcharges, special service codes, and other fees that the major carriers charge is that, for the most part, they are assessed and applied post-shipment.... View More
As mentioned in earlier columns, these “Basics” articles are not intended for the experienced, while hopefully those new to the Supply Chain or entering the Logistics world from a different... View More
Benjamin Franklin once said: “The only things certain in life are death and taxes.” It’s safe to say that Ben didn’t ship small parcels. If he did, surely he would have added FedEx... View More
