U.S. Infrastructure Woes Affect Trucking Companies Leading to Higher Shipping Costs
| |

U.S. Infrastructure Woes Affect Trucking Companies Leading to Higher Shipping Costs

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), out of the United States’ 600,000 bridges, one in nine is not in sufficient condition to handle current logistics routes. Recent bridge collapses in Washington state, Wisconsin, and Minnesota have shut down major trade thoroughfares, and the downgrading of some bridges in the state of Pennsylvania has…

What Happened to Derail BMW’s Supply Chain?

What Happened to Derail BMW’s Supply Chain?

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, or BMW, is the world’s largest and most recognizable manufacturer of luxury vehicles, catering to high-end customers in over 50 countries around the globe. BMW is most known for providing high quality vehicles, and catering to customers with excellent, timely parts and service. This has helped the company garner stellar customer…

Studies of Waste in the Food Supply Chain Raises Questions About Packaging
|

Studies of Waste in the Food Supply Chain Raises Questions About Packaging

According to recent studies conducted in the United Kingdom, Australia, and other areas, foods that are wasted the most between the grower and the end consumer are those that are typically sold as non-packaged foods. This raises the question of whether or not food suppliers and retailers might help prevent much of this waste by…

Airbus Ramps Up Production in Response to Air Cargo Demands Spurred by Economic Recovery

Airbus Ramps Up Production in Response to Air Cargo Demands Spurred by Economic Recovery

According to Andreas Hermann, head of freighters for the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the economic recovery is spurring additional need for more passenger and cargo aircraft, which he expects to drive a need for the aircraft manufacturing industry over the next two decades. Though the recovery and growth is slow, it is there. Airbus is a…

Companies Turn to Transportation as Last Frontier for Cost Savings
| |

Companies Turn to Transportation as Last Frontier for Cost Savings

Profit margins are shrinking, and companies are running out of ways to cut costs to make up the difference. There’s little to be done about the costs of raw materials and goods, and production costs have been slashed as much as possible through automation systems. Inventories can’t be cut much more, as most companies are…

Wal-Mart Giving Mixed Signals as They Cut Back on Supplier Orders While Inventories Pile Up

Wal-Mart Giving Mixed Signals as They Cut Back on Supplier Orders While Inventories Pile Up

Is the retail giant losing customer sales? Or maybe they’re just cutting back on general merchandise orders to make room for holiday items? Perhaps they simply lack the staff to get all the inventory out of the back storage room and onto the floors and shelves? Whatever the reason, the fact is Wal-Mart has sent…

How One Internet Retailer Solved Their Logistics Issues

How One Internet Retailer Solved Their Logistics Issues

ASOS.com is an online fashion retailer, offering 60,000 products, including womenswear, menswear, footwear, accessories, jewellery and beauty. They offer both brand names and own label merchandise. The retailer rolls out about 1,500 new product lines per week. They service 6.5 million active customers, with about 23 million new customers visiting their website each month. ASOS deals…

Auto Workers in South Don’t Want the Union, But That Isn’t Stopping UAW
| |

Auto Workers in South Don’t Want the Union, But That Isn’t Stopping UAW

When the Rust Belt in Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and other northern, heavily unionized states began to decline and lose jobs to non-unionized right to work states in the south, such as Tennessee, Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama, many blamed the unions. Even as automakers struggled financially, unions hurt their chances of survival…

CEO of Bentley Motors Speaks Out About Lack of Supply Chain

CEO of Bentley Motors Speaks Out About Lack of Supply Chain

The chief executive officer of luxury automotive manufacturer Bentley Motors, Dr. Wolfgang Schreiber, has spoken publically about the country’s lack of basic supplier infrastructure when it comes to supplying needed parts for automakers. According to Schreiber, the country’s government is doing a good thing by providing £1 for the into low-carbon engines for their automotive makers, but…

Government Shutdown, Pirates, and Acts of Terrorism Complicate Shipping Trade
| |

Government Shutdown, Pirates, and Acts of Terrorism Complicate Shipping Trade

The government shutdown, combined with new acts of terrorism along the Suez canal, and the normal incidents of piracy combine to complicate shipping endeavors worldwide. According to sources at the Port of Savannah, where all eleven Suez shipping services call upon for shipments to the eastern coast of the United States, 6,000 of the approximate…