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
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
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
Historically, the majority of the world’s consumer products have been distributed to retail stores in bulk, and the most efficient method for handling this merchandise has predominantly been pallet... View More
For the past 20 years, major international IT surveys have shown that more than 50% of all large scale system projects - such as selecting and converting your business to a new Order Management System... View More
As we discussed in previous articles, there are hundreds of freight forwarders in the USA alone. Some are globally recognized, some are locally strong and others who are small start up local providers.... View More
November 15, 2012 the US Postal Service (USPS) will begin accepting packages containing “small” lithium batteries installed in electronic devices for international air transport, including... View More
It’s hard to believe that it’s almost time to close the books on 2012. Before you do, now is a good time to take a look at your operational costs and efficiencies. With the New Year approaching,... View More
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A recent Fast Company article written by the chief sustainability officer of Blue Yonder, Saskia van Gendt, caught my attention. Van Gendt wrote that while free returns have become a “powerf
Everyone has heard the pitch: upload your invoices and carrier agreements into AI and let it tell you what you're owed. We wanted to test that claim. So we hired an independent AI engineerin
Many e-commerce brands face rising levels of dead stock — the merchandise deemed unsellable or unlikely to sell soon. As executives evaluate e-commerce dead stock reduction options, some initially a
The world’s largest parcel carriers are shrinking physical footprints while expanding algorithmic control. UPS now processes the majority of its volume through automated facilities, and maj
What does an optimal e-commerce network look like? Is it the network with the fewest facilities, the fastest delivery promise, or the lowest transportation cost? In practice, the answe
A freight damage claim often points attention toward the carrier, but the root cause can start much earlier. If pallet loads leave a facility with inconsistent containment, shifting and instab
BROOKFIELD, Wis. – ProShip, a leading and award-winning provider of multi-carrier shipping software, has announced the return of ProS Who Know, an annual virtual event focused on the trends
Facilities handling high-volume parcel sorting and cross-docking operations face unprecedented challenges as cargo theft networks grow more sophisticated and insider threats multiply. Identifying th
