When a supply chain manager recently complained to me about the hiring constraints forced upon his department due to the still slow upturn in the economy, I asked him what level of employee he most needed.... View More

Measurements are important. It has been often said that if you can measure it, you can manage it. Most measures are inward looking but others are dyadic and can measure exchange activities between firms.... View More

Logistics professionals have been hearing the same two words for years: “Cut costs.” But each year these words have a different tone. In 2009 the tone was panicky, which resulted in layoffs... View More

Companies shipping goods to customers have several things to consider, from what carrier and transportation mode to utilize, to the packaging for the shipments. In addition to these essential details,... View More

Have you made a list of New Year’s resolutions? Did you include popular items such as losing weight, spending more time with family and friends, or getting organized? While you’re working to... View More

On January 2, 2011, new USPS Shipping Services prices went into effect for Domestic and International products such as Express Mail, Priority Mail, Parcel Select and Global Express Guaranteed, Express... View More

From an economic perspective, what you are shipping tends to matter less than the language of the agreement you have in place with the carriers that govern it. So never mind how you’re going to fit... View More

You may not realize it. But if you purchased or received a new electronic gadget this past holiday season only to discover that it didn’t work as well as the old one, you learned an important warehousing... View More

Welcome to my first column for PARCEL! While I’ve written a few articles over the last couple of years, this is the first installment of a recurring column. While I hope to cover a variety of topics,... View More

Are we in a boom economy? One might assume so based on the historic rate increases announced by UPS and FedEx for 2011. Unfortunately, the truth is that most shippers are still feeling the economic pinch... View More

In the first column of this monthly series, Those Extra Letters–Just Alphabet Soup, or Chicken Soup for Your Career? in February 2010, George Yarusavage addressed the value of supply chain certifications.... View More

With the recent refusal of UPS and FedEx to engage with third party negotiators, it’s time to take a look at the industry and answer two obvious questions. Where are we headed, and who will ultimately... View More

To quote Jerry Garcia, what a long, strange trip it's been. 2010 has been a challenging year for shippers for a number of reasons. Costs are up. Demand is down. Shipping managers are being asked to do... View More

Please download the PDF in order to see the charts referenced in the article. As always, we will also be publishing this analysis in our January/February issue, so you'll be able to have it in hard copy... View More

The world grows smaller every day, and more and more businesses are finding international markets for their products and goods. For many companies, though, the shipping process represents one of the greatest... View More

Billionaire investor and businessman Warren Buffet once said, “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” Given the spate of recent rate increases by America’s two largest delivery... View More

When some people are in “job search” mode the last thing on their minds is what they’re leaving behind. The natural human inclination is to concentrate on the next job and aiming for... View More

There are times when a well-placed capital letter can change everything. Nowhere is this difference more pronounced than in the case of the term lean. Spell it with a small l, and you’ve got an apt... View More

Over much of the past decade, US-based e-commerce grew at 20 to 30% per year due to increases in broadband access and consumer confidence. However, these growth curves flattened during the economic downturn.... View More

In its simplest form, transportation is getting your shipment from Point A to Point B within a certain amount of time, using a set amount of space. The cost to transport finished goods from the plant through... View More