Labor shortages were among the top of supply chain challenges companies faced during the Covid pandemic. In fact, back in January 2022, we had Chris Jones, Executive Vice President, Industry at Descartes on the program to discuss this problem in an episode titled, “The Labor Shortage Problem: Why It’s Bigger Than You Think.” Here we ... Read more

When I started as an industry analyst almost 25 years ago, relatively few companies were shipping via parcel. You can say it was a niche mode for a small segment of the market. Fast forward to today, and with the rise of e-commerce, parcel shipping is now a critical mode of transportation for retailers and ... Read more

If you’re a distributor, you know that fleet performance has a direct impact on your financial performance, your ability to differentiate yourself from the competition, and your ability to deliver an enhanced customer experience. What separates the leaders from the laggards in the industry? What are some signs that a distributor isn’t employing route planning ... Read more

When it comes to Artificial Intelligence, many companies are still in the learning phase — that is, they’re trying to understand the technology landscape and what’s possible, and it’s a bit challenging because everything is evolving very fast. At the moment, all the buzz and hype is about Generative AI, thanks in large part to ... Read more

We’ve got horrible roads where I live, lots of bumps and potholes everywhere. Not surprising, I’ve had to replace the shock absorbers on my car more than one time. What does a shock absorber do? They dampen and absorb all those bumps in the road so that your car can travel as smoothly as possible. ... Read more

Companies across virtually all industries are looking for ways to drive profitable growth. They’re also looking for ways to leverage Artificial Intelligence technology to improve their operations and achieve business benefits, but to do so without having to rip out and replace their existing systems and processes, which would be very expensive and disruptive. In ... Read more

When it comes to freight transportation, certain modes tend to dominate the spotlight. Trucking because it carries the most freight; Ocean because it’s the gateway to global trade; and Parcel because it’s the fastest growing mode thanks to e-commerce. But there’s another way to transport freight that often doesn’t get the spotlight it deserves — ... Read more

For B2B and B2C companies alike, delivery is becoming a competitive differentiator and a key driver of customer experience. How well do you engage with customers about their deliveries? We explored that question recently with members of our Indago supply chain research community — who are all supply chain and logistics executives from manufacturing, retail, ... Read more

The boxer Mike Tyson famously said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Similarly, everyone has a great supply chain plan until exceptions and disruptions occur — and then you have to adjust that plan or come up with a new one. That’s easier said than done, because, historically, there’s been ... Read more

In June 2023, we asked members of our Indago supply chain research community — who are all supply chain and logistics executives from manufacturing, retail, and distribution companies — if they are using control towers in their supply chain operations. 40% of the survey respondents said they have implemented one or more control towers, and ... Read more

Finding available trucking capacity is often a challenge, especially when demand is high. The sad truth, however, is that a lot of capacity gets wasted too. We see this, for example, in the number of empty backhauls that happen every day. There is another form of wasted capacity, however, that many shippers overlook — that ... Read more

If you follow the surface transportation market, you know it’s really a collection of markets, including truckload, less-than-truckload, dry van, and temperature controlled. Each of these segments is impacted by different trends and challenges related to demand, capacity, seasonality, regulations, and other factors. Today we’re putting the spotlight on the temperature-controlled segment of the market. ... Read more

If you’re a transportation executive, you’ve always been tasked with developing a strategy and execution plan. The difference now is that maybe your CEO and CFO are more interested in what you’re doing. Since the transportation market is cyclical, every year is different, and 2023 is no exception. What dominates the transportation management agenda today? ... Read more

For a long time, parcel was the little brother or sister of transportation modes. Then e-commerce came along and now parcel is the fastest growing mode of delivery, and this is creating both challenges and opportunities in the industry. This is particularly true for newspapers. What makes parcel delivery a good business opportunity for them? ... Read more

Like its sibling Supply Chain Visibility, Supply Chain Control Towers continue to garner a lot of interest and discussion in the industry. As new technologies and capabilities are introduced, such as AI and machine learning, are we evolving toward a new type of solution, what some are calling Cognitive Command Centers? What is a Cognitive ... Read more

Delivery has always been part of the order fulfillment process, but it’s only been in recent years that it has emerged from the shadows, from being a cost center and a back-end process to becoming a competitive differentiator and a key driver of customer experience. Everything can go perfect on the front end of the ... Read more

Benjamin Franklin is often credited with the quote, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” It wouldn’t surprise me if he was talking to a transportation professional at the time. A lot has changed over the years, but Franklin’s advice remains as relevant and important as ever for transportation professionals. As we ... Read more

A conversation with Maria Villablanca, Co-Founder & CEO of Future Insights Network, on the “Top of Mind Challenges and Opportunities for Supply Chain and Logistics Executives.” Podcast version (click to play):

We all know that there are a lot of dimensions and moving parts to supply chain management, and one area that I don’t think gets enough attention is channel management — that is, the way companies connect, communicate, and collaborate with their distributors, resellers, and other channel partners. Like in other areas of supply chain ... Read more

I’ve argued over the past few years that we have a trust problem in supply chain management. For example, in a survey we conducted with our Indago supply chain research community in September 2021, more than half of the respondents (56%) either agreed or strongly agreed that [quote] “you can’t be too careful when dealing ... Read more

In September 2022, we surveyed members of our Indago supply chain research community — who are all supply chain and logistics executives from manufacturing, retail, and distribution companies — to get their perspective on the important lessons learned over the past two years that will help them successfully navigate the transportation market in 2023 and ... Read more

Supply chain executives, technology companies, and consultants have been talking about supply chain visibility and execution for many years. What’s changed and different today is the operating environment — which is more dynamic, global, and uncertain than ever — as well as the technology landscape, where applications have evolved into platforms. Where are the biggest ... Read more

If you’re a transportation or logistics professional, you probably already know and follow Mike Regan, Co-Founder and Chief of Relationship Development at TranzAct Technologies, who has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the industry. It’s not every day that we have a CSCMP Distinguished Service Award recipient on the program, which Mike received in ... Read more

Looking back at the past two years, one of the big lessons learned is that companies can no longer afford to stand on the sidelines of digital transformation. This applies to shippers, carriers, freight brokers, and others in the industry. As we move forward in 2023 and beyond, how will technology help facilitate and improve ... Read more