Supply Chain
- Lovesac reshores key manufacturing processThe direct-to-consumer furniture retailer plans to start domestic production of core inserts for its primary product line.
- How Home Depot sped up its supply chain — and what comes nextThe home improvement retailer has built an expansive network of distribution centers for faster deliveries. It's now looking to maximize the potential of those assets.
- Ford, SK On dissolving BlueOval SK battery joint ventureThe automaker’s planned investment in the joint venture was the largest-ever manufacturing commitment in company history, Ford said in 2021.
- Victoria’s Secret faces merchandise glut from ocean freight shiftThe retailer is shifting to maritime shipping instead of air freight to fight tariffs, which is increasing inventory levels.
- Postal Service to launch bid process for last-mile facility accessLogistics firms and retailers that make successful bids will be able to access the agency's delivery units for same-day or next-day delivery next year.
Packaging
- Warehouse Labor: A Delicate Balancing ActFour years after COVID-19, labor disruption continues. To be fair, labor shortages and dislocation predate the pandemic and have more to do with the tectonic shift in supply chain operations from traditional business-to-business fulfilment to direct-to-consumer e-commerce.
- Driving Efficiency and Sustainability in PackagingAs supply chains continue to evolve, packaging will remain a critical and often overlooked component of supply chains.
- Linerless Labels: A Triple Win of Benefits in Warehousing and ManufacturingThe concept is simple: using self-adhesive shipping labels that don’t come with a liner backing.
- A Packsize Customer Story: Staples — Expertise Meets TechnologyStaples, a global leader in office supplies and solutions, sought to address the growing challenges of packaging inefficiency and sustainability across its distribution centers. As the volume and variety of customer orders increased, Staples recognized that traditional packaging methods resulted in excess waste, higher shipping costs, and operational bottlenecks.
- Six Mistakes That Could Haunt Your Operations This Peak SeasonThe retailers and logistics providers that dominate this peak season won't be the ones with the biggest budgets or the most warehouses.
Material Handling
- KION Group and Li-Cycle form battery recycling partnership focused on circular economyKION Group signs agreement with Li-Cycle, a leader in lithium-ion battery resource recovery. Recycling will initially be carried out beginning later this year in a new Li-Cycle plant in the Magdeburg, Germany area with expansion into other countries, including France.
- ProMat 2023 insights: Integrated robotics direction seems well-matched to the timesLabor availability issues remain a core driver for warehouse automation and robotics, but ProMat exhibitors were also talking up analytics, algorithms, and digital twin modeling as a means of containing costs in inflationary times.
- ProMat 2023 attendance sets new mark at nearly 51,000 registrantsProMat returns as biggest supply chain event in its history, with an overall registration count of 50,924 and 1,051 exhibitors.
- Gap Inc. expands its e-fulfillment networkA new 800,000-square-foot DC in Texas optimizes fulfillment processes and the network.
- MHI announces winners of 2023 MHI Innovation and StartUp awardsLast night, during Industry Night at ProMat 2023, MHI announced the winners of the 2023 MHI Innovation and Startup Awards.
Transportation & Distribution
- Starting your supply chain orchestration journeyMany companies are trapped in a constant firefighting mode, reacting to disruptions instead of proactively managing them. This creates inefficiencies, strains teams and hinders growth.
- Fueling the Future: Digital Tools Transforming Oil & Gas LogisticsEastern Propane and Oil serve more than 100,000 residential and commercial customers across five states, operating 165 delivery trucks from 14 district locations. As customer expectations grew and delivery complexity increased, Eastern faced the challenge of optimizing performance across its expanding network while maintaining the reliability and service quality that define its brand.
- How to Make Smarter Shipping Decisions for an Unpredictable Peak SeasonExpedited shipping isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Retailers first need to examine what’s being shipped, how much it’s worth, and what customers expect.
- How Castellini Transformed Cold-Chain Operations With a Dynamic WMSThird-party logistics providers with their own warehouses must accommodate a wide range of very specific customer fulfillment needs.
- South Africa to Prosecute Maersk, CMA Units Over Price-Fixing AllegationsThe companies allegedly fixed the general rate increase charged to customers for shipping cargo between South Africa and Asia, and between South Africa and the western part of Africa.