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Why You Should be Spending More on Your Pallets
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Why You Should be Spending More on Your Pallets

Sometimes, finding a way to operate more efficiently forces a company to examine processes that haven’t changed for decades. Take the pallet. This simple, but crucial, item ensures stable loads and are essential to moving goods throughout the supply chain. They’re typically made of wood and are inexpensive—maybe about $15 per pallet. This may not seem cost prohibitive, but with up to 2 billion pallets in use in the U.S. alone, businesses must examine ways to reduce this cost without cutting corners.

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On Manufacturing Pessimism
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On Manufacturing Pessimism

“Given current economic trends, it’s understandable that manufacturers’ optimism is declining. Yet, increased demand offers some promising news. To keep up, business leaders should diversify their material suppliers and challenge logistics providers to find ways to tighten delivery times. And, to address employee shortages, companies must revisit their talent strategies and implement comprehensive recruitment and […]

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What’s the Most Valuable Logistics Brand?
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What’s the Most Valuable Logistics Brand?

The answer is UPS, according to the 2022 Brand Finance Logistics 25 report. With a brand value of $38.5 billion, UPS has held on to the top spot as the most valuable logistics brand in the world. Since last year’s report, the company’s brand value has increased by 28%.

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Get Ready for the Hype
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Get Ready for the Hype

Industry buzz usually surrounds the release of a new Gartner Hype Cycle, and the 2022 Hype Cycle for Supply Chain Strategy is no different. The annual findings detail important changes in which strategies, technology, and workflows are making an impact. Along the continuum are these categories: Innovation Trigger Peak of Inflated Expectations Trough of Disillusionment […]

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Uncle Sam’s Infrastructure Spending, Explained
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Uncle Sam’s Infrastructure Spending, Explained

With several key federal bills that bring dollars to logistics and transportation infrastructure passing recently, it can be hard to keep track of which funds are going where—and what it all means for supply chain and manufacturing professionals. Commercial real estate firm Savills breaks it down: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Signed into law by […]

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Against All Odds, Trade Going Strong
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Against All Odds, Trade Going Strong

“Resilient” seems to be the key word to describe global trade today. Despite myriad challenges—the aftermath of the pandemic, inflation, the war in Ukraine, a rocky stock market—global trade is persisting at strong levels, according to the latest DHL Trade Growth Atlas, published by DHL and the NYU Stern School of Business. The report maps […]

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Keeping the Supply Chain Running in Ukraine
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Keeping the Supply Chain Running in Ukraine

Since 2020, the business landscape has been full of crises for 3PLs operating in Europe. First a worldwide pandemic, now a war between Russia and Ukraine. Keeping a supply chain operating efficiently is challenging in the best of times, but how can companies best respond during game changing disruptions? Yuriy Ostapyak, a Ukrainian-born U.S. citizen and COO for Logistics Plus joined the Inbound Logistics podcast to discuss his company’s response to these challenges.

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VERTICAL FOCUS: Agriculture/Bulk Agriculture Commodities
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VERTICAL FOCUS: Agriculture/Bulk Agriculture Commodities

AG Outlook: Mixed Both clear skies and stormy weather are in the forecast for the agricultural sector. That’s the mixed-bag conclusion from a September 2022 panel discussion at the Ag Outlook Forum in Kansas City, Missouri. The panel of experts—including Kip Tom, former ambassador to the U.N. Food & Agriculture Organization, and Daniel Whitley, administrator […]

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Tackling Trucking Turnover
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Tackling Trucking Turnover

Conventional wisdom says that the trucking industry suffers from a driver shortage; however, the real issue might not be a lack of drivers willing to take the job, but rather those who stick with it. Low pay, long hours, compliance concerns, out-of-pocket expenses, and parking scarcity can combine to lead established drivers to say enough is enough and look for new job opportunities.

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