The supply chain continues to amaze as its permutations are constantly innovated and improved. What happens to useful products after they are manufactured, consolidated, warehoused, shipped, retailed,... View More
FedEx’s recent acquisition of TNT is a great example of the old adage, “never say never.” Back in the 1990s, FedEx pulled out of the European market with over $1 billion in losses. However,... View More
As Parcel Volumes Grow, Is It Time to Reevaluate Your Regional Delivery Strategy? By Christoph Stehmann According to eMarketer, US retail ecommerce sales will total approximately $350 billion in 2015.... View More
In this installment of PARCEL Counsel we will consider one of three relatively recent changes to the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) which I believe to be very detrimental to a shipper’s... View More
Is operational excellence an elusive dream? I think not but it is a definite commitment of time and talent every day. Below are 10 steps that will help you achieve this goal. 1. Communicate As in every... View More
Containing annual shipping cost increases has traditionally been the responsibility of Shipping, Transportation, and Logistics professionals. In 2015 and beyond, packaging and carton procurement professionals,... View More
One of the most fascinating thing about sales is learning something every single day about how to improve. First and foremost, people love to buy, enjoy good showmanship and hate to be sold a bill of goods.... View More
“I ordered a new remote speaker for my iPhone and the shipping was free.” Unless the merchant has buried the shipping cost into the cost of goods or is taking a less margin on the sale, shipping... View More
Expectations have been set that FedEx and UPS will raise Ground rates on an annual basis. This year, however, rate increases have a stronger punch especially when considering additional changes, which... View More
A few decades ago, retailers relied solely on opening physical stores to sell their merchandise and launch their brands. To compete, retailers and marketplaces like Amazon and eBay countered this trend... View More
One of the most challenging areas for managers is presenting their case to executives to get their projects approved. Over my many years in supply chain I have seen many good and valuable projects not... View More
In the previous installment of PARCEL Counsel we took a first look at the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). In this issue we will look at a few of the Act’s nuances. Generally speaking, the purpose... View More
Parcel folks seeking wisdom could learn a lot from an unexpected source — the cockpit! Much like supply chain management today, the 1930s were a time of transition for air transportation from its... View More
Transportation has five key modes to move materials: Air, Rail, Road, Water and Pipeline. Pipeline has become increasingly more visible as the Keystone Project from Canada to Texas has become controversial.... View More
Retail sales remained resilient in 2014 with an overall projected growth of 4.0% despite inclement weather, labor issues that plagued the West Coast ports and early inventory build-ups. FedEx cited the... View More
Returns have a long history of being a pain point for retailers. In 2013, returned goods cost US retailers more than $267 billion in lost revenue, according to an industry report by The Retail Equation.... View More
In this column we typically look at laws and legal issues unique to transportation. In this installment of PARCEL Counsel, we will examine a law applicable to virtually any type of business organization... View More
Order picking in most facilities is where all the action is and it is usually where the greatest opportunity is found. Does your order picking process have room for improvement? Usually the answer is yes.... View More
Most of us have seen the footage of the UPS or FedEx guy tossing a package over a fence or onto someone’s porch. In fact, if you search “driver throws package” on YouTube, you’ll... View More
The PARCEL Forum in Dallas was excellent, and it is impossible to exaggerate the impact of meeting old and new contacts. I have been thinking about the “origins” of parcels and packages before... View More
