As we wrote in our last blog, the weaknesses in the current supply chain have been attributed to several factors, one of which is the ongoing shortage of long haul truck drivers. This is not a new issue. The glory days of Smokey and the Bandit and CB radios are long gone, and driver […]
Unless you have been residing on Mars for the past couple of years, you are well aware that the U.S. supply chain is in a crisis mode. Fifteen years ago, the term supply chain was not a part of many of our vocabularies. Today, the term is being used by every journalist, TV […]
On November 5, the House of Representatives passed the long awaited and long overdue $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. (HR3684). This legislation which was approved by the Senate in August is now on its way to President Biden for signature. It is the largest public works bill since President Eisenhower created the […]
Although many outsourcing firms are becoming increasingly dependent on logistics service providers (LSP) to initiate innovations and logistics solutions, too many are still attempting to commoditize LSP services, concentrating primarily on price. This can be an unproductive, or even dangerous practice. First, let’s understand exactly what commoditization is. Wikipedia provides a succinct definition – […]
Every fall for the past 26 years, Dr. John Langley of Penn Sate has published the annual Third-Party Logistics Study. I have followed this report since the very beginning, and have always found it to be a comprehensive analysis of current relationships between Logistics Service Providers (LSP) and their customers. This year’s analysis, sponsored […]
The past 18 months or so have been trying ones for supply chain managers all over the world. The pandemic has created problems unlike any most of us have ever seen. Although the recently developed vaccines have been a God-send, the virus and its variants are still present and probably will be for the […]
On August 10, much to the delight of farm, business, and labor interests, as well as most of the general population, the Senate passed the long-awaited and painfully negotiated Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. American Trucking Associations president Chris Spear called it a “groundbreaking step toward revitalizing America’s decaying roads and bridges.” The so-called […]
On June 24, the Council of Logistics Management Professionals (CSCMP) released the “32nd Annual State of Logistics” report. This year’s report was entitled, “Change of Plans”, a reflection on the conditions surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic. The SOL report was launched in 1988, by the late Bob Delaney, one of the leading supply chain experts […]
In one of his brushes with re-engineering, the comic strip anti-hero, Dilbert pleaded, “If you let me keep my job, I will do the work of 10 people. Specifically, it will be the 10 people in our strategic planning department. They don’t do anything.” When it comes to strategic planning for logistics outsourcing, it’s […]
In Washington, the discussion about infrastructure improvement continues with no apparent agreement in sight. The major concern of most Americans involves the conditions of our roads and bridges, but President Biden’s $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan provides only $115 billion for those components of our infrastructure, while the $568 billion Republican counterproposal allocates $299 […]