In the 1990s, clients were sold on the business concept of return on investment (ROI). Unfortunately, this left clients feeling they had to pay a significant up-front investment and then wait for a potential... View More

Parcel Shipping & Distribution has been conducting the Annual Best Practice Survey for the past six years. This year, we are pleased that Morgan Stanley, a global financial services firm and a market leader... View More

The customer service department of Mathews Conveyor, a manufacturer of material handling equipment headquartered in Danville, KY, thought it was a given that a company could not attain perfection, only... View More

The great majority of problems that occur in the distribution cycle are directly related to human error, negligent omissions or just plain lack of knowledge and training. Mistakes and accidents in the... View More

OK, so business is picking up, or maybe your business is coming into its busy time of the year. Either way, you realize you dont have enough man power to handle the increased volume. So what to do? Hire... View More

With companies continually streamlining their operations to squeeze out every bit of efficiency and productivity, it is increasingly important to minimize employee idle time as well as regulate overtime.... View More

Ergonomics: The study of the interface (or interaction) between humans and the objects they use and the environments in which they function. The definition of ergonomics is one thing but the benefits... View More

Often, people will make comments about how critical their work is to a company. Well, theyre right! Everyone within a firm is a critical component of keeping and main-taining clients. Shipping and distribution... View More

The Request For Proposal (RFP) is a terrific concept. In theory, a single document allows buyers to interview multiple suppliers, communicate service requirements, select a best value provider, hit departmental... View More

While today�s cost-conscious businesses have reinvented just about everything from the manufacturing plant to the retail store, many have yet to truly analyze the significant cost of moving materials across... View More

Congratulations! You�ve just landed your first big customer! No more selling to just the �mom-and-pop� stores � this is really going to give your product national exposure and take you to the big time.... View More

The last few months have seen some dramatic changes in the shipping industry. Former competitors like the U.S. Postal Service and FedEx are launching joint ventures. UPS is announcing several significant... View More

If you use UPS to service your business, your rates increased on January 6th significantly! UPS press release announcing the new rates contained exactly two sentences pertaining to the actual impact to... View More

In the October issue, we unveiled Part 1 of the annual Parcel Shipping & Distribution Best Practice Survey results. We delved into what impact the economy was having on the relationship between parcel... View More

To kick off my presentation at a recent conference on business continuity, I called for a volunteer from the audience. A man at the back of the room stood and moved into the center aisle. I beckoned for... View More

Discussions of efficiency in the workplace often focus on saving time or at least not wasting it. And thats a fine place to start, but simple algebra shows its not enough. Once you recall the basic axiom... View More

Financial transactions can now be conducted in the blink of an eye. But the technology that has made us so efficient is also raising serious privacy concerns. The media is flooded with stories of businesses... View More

So its been nearly six months since the close of the (drum roll).... second ever holiday online shopping season. How did the parcel industry do? Were we able to overcome the problems of 1999? Will the... View More

Parcel shipping usually has only one objective: Just get it there. If the package is on time, shippers are happy. On a per-pound basis, parcel shipping is the most expensive method of shipping.... View More

Do you put extra stamps on your envelopes with the hope they�ll arrive faster? Would you knowingly spend $25 to send a package that would have arrived a day earlier for only $5? Sometimes, you do get what... View More