One of the best ways for a manufacturer to assess and reduce risk in its supply chain is to have in place strong legal terms with its suppliers.Yet due to the speed of modern technology and growing complexity of supply chains, the reality of the manufacturing landscape is that legal terms aren&rsquo

Today’s industrial workers are able to see and do things that would have been impossible just a decade ago. Augmented reality (AR), an innovative digital technology, is both enhancing what people can see and how they can use that added information to accomplish specific tasks. And it couldn&rs

On February 4, Hyundai, one of the world’s largest automakers, announced it was suspending production at seven of its Korean plants. A major disruption in its supply of Chinese-made parts, resulting from the coronavirus outbreak that began in Wuhan several weeks earlier, had made continued pro

Russia recently announced that its serialization legislation for pharmaceutical products will go into effect on July 1, 2020, eight months later than the original Jan. 1 deadline. Changes for other product groups, including perfumes, cameras, tires, and light industry products, were also a

The coronavirus is not to be taken lightly. As of mid-February, the number of cases worldwide had risen to more than 64,000 globally, 63,000 of which were in China, with the death toll at almost 1,400 and climbing.The human tragedy of a spreading disease that’s potentially fatal is, of course,

There’s no shortage of enthusiasm — or predictions — about the potential use of artificial intelligence (AI).Grand View Research estimates the global AI market will grow at a compound annual rate of 57% between 2017 and 2025, reaching $36 billion. Forrester predicts that 2020

Field service has evolved enormously in recent years, and both technology and customer expectations will continue to advance just as quickly.Twenty years ago, field service might have been centered on break-fix repair, but the direction now is toward long-term, contractual arrangements that are more

In the retail space, packaging is often the first interaction that customers have with the product. It’s effective not just in attracting the customer’s interest, but also in offering a tangible way to connect with the product and understand its many aspects.Additionally, packaging is a

Although we recently got some relief from the closely watched trade wars, tariffs on U.S. imports are still in place. The conflict started nearly two years ago, when President Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese solar panels and washing machines. It escalated over time and, with the U.S. plac

Today’s supply chains are challenged by product-line proliferation, shrinking product lifecycles, increased complexity, and massive amounts of data. To add to that list, customers are becoming more demanding and unpredictable; internet-fueled trends are changing on a dime, and promotions and s

Motor-carrier costs rose 7.7% in 2019, according to the latest annual report by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI).Costs in the trucking industry far surpassed the increases felt by many other industries. By comparison, inflation in the U.S. was 2.49% for the same period. Shipping

Food supply chains are long, complicated processes that get edibles from farms to the dinner table. Many individuals, companies and countries are involved in ensuring that a wide variety of food is available worldwide. With so many links in the chain, however, a lot of inventory and communications e

XPO CEO Brad Jacobs speaks with 200 industry leaders at BGSA Supply Chain 2020Every January since 2007, CEOs have gathered at the annual BGSA Supply Chain Conference to discuss the state of logistics, transportation and supply-chain technology. This event provides unique insight into the state

Companies that transport goods are increasingly realizing the need to upgrade the trucks in their fleets on a more frequent basis. In the process, they shed units that cost more to operate and produce harmful emissions.Without question, newer, eco-efficient trucks deliver significant savings in fuel

Smart electronic devices in the form of wearables are delivering intriguing possibilities for logistics companies.Wearables are hands-free devices connected to the internet which automatically deliver information to the wearer. MHI predicts that 70% of warehouse facilities will adopt some form of we

Last week, we learned that Amazon’s fourth-quarter results smashed analysts’ expectations. Revenue climbed 21% year on year, profits rebounded, Prime is paying off, and market cap surged to over $1 trillion. Exciting developments for those of us who predicted the success of the Amazon op

It’s been 20 years since passage of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. Yet public awareness of human trafficking in global supply chains remains shockingly deficient.According to a national survey by SAP Ariba and SAP Fieldglass, 60% of consumers would stop using a

Healthcare supply chains tend to be high-margin, regulated businesses with strict quality requirements, such as the need for cold-chain storage and transportation. Yet they’re often ripe for improvements across the board.Inefficiencies often crop up due to the outsourcing of capability to logi

Even though organizations are increasing their safety-compliance programs, preventable workplace incidents continue to occur.According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 5,000 fatal work injuries are reported in the U.S. each year. Overall, according to the National Safety Council, an

The rise of the gig economy has created a yawning chasm between two types of commercial drivers.On one hand, there’s the traditional pool of big-rig, longhaul drivers with full credentials, performing what most consider to be a full-time job. On the other, there’s a growing army of part-