Supply chains around the globe are being tested like never before. Since the onset of the pandemic, I've had the opportunity to gain insights as to what some manufacturers in the process industries are doing to keep complex supply-chain operations running as nimbly and efficiently as possible fa

The food industry has learned a lot this year — more than it bargained for. Specifically, COVID-19 has taught us some important lessons about modernizing quality, safety and vendor management.Our industry has been slowly moving toward modernization, at the direction of the U.S. Food and Drug A

From restrictions to lockdowns, the coronavirus pandemic has forced the vast majority of business and logistics activity to reinvent themselves. In addition, the decision-makers of the business world, especially those involved in international trade, are finding it harder and harder to decide whethe

In recent weeks, Pfizer and Moderna announced that their vaccine candidates were more than 94% effective, with AstraZeneca achieving an efficacy rate of 70%. Once vaccines are approved for distribution, what does this mean for medical supply chains?Medical supply chains the world round have always b

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 3.5 million people in the country work as truck drivers, making up a critically important component of the supply chain. Fleet operators have a duty to keep employees and the public safe by drug-testing drivers. The federal government recognizes this duty,

As retail operations grow increasingly complex, delivery planning becomes a crucial part of the entire logistics supply chain.While many companies have implemented transportation-management systems, daily route planning and scheduling are for the most part done manually. These repetitive processes c

It’s tough enough maintaining a reliable domestic food supply chain during the coronavirus pandemic. Imagine, then, the challenge of managing one that stretches nearly 8,000 miles.Silver Fern Farms is New Zealand’s largest processor and marketer of livestock and red meat. Jointly owned b

Rapidly shifting customer expectations and a highly competitive market have increased demands for faster product delivery through smarter, data-driven manufacturing. But OEMs won’t experience the full benefits of Industry 4.0, including hyper-efficient inventory management, lower warehousing c

As the U.S. begins to distribute millions of the first COVID-19 vaccine doses this week, an immense strain looms ahead for the pharmaceutical industry’s supply chain — one that’s not exactly built for speed and scale. Drug development is a complex process, with many policy bot

Warehousing is operating at record levels as the pandemic has spurred historic gains in e-commerce sales. The e-commerce boom has contributed to 1.25 million workers employed in the warehouse and storage sector as of September 2020. Retail e-commerce sales in the U.S. are predicted to reach more tha

The application of artificial intelligence to the internet of things (IoT) is driving rapid innovation, in industries ranging from healthcare to manufacturing and transportation.Whereas IoT focuses on developing remote sensor systems for the collection of data, the artificial intelligence of things

Major global events of the last five years have sent shockwaves through supply chains, accelerating pre-existing trends toward diversification and introducing an array of new risks. If businesses weren’t already uprooted by rising operational costs in China, or pummeled by tariffs arising from

In a year that will undoubtedly go down as among the most disruptive in history, social distancing isn’t the only form of isolation supply-chain leaders have had to practice. In the face of a global pandemic, they have also had to break away from old ways of thinking and acting to make critica

The world is buzzing with anticipation over the promise of a vaccine against COVID-19. While there’s no clear timeline for distribution just yet, it's time to be thinking seriously about how to get the vaccine across the globe early next year.As this will possibly be the most significant l

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a widespread economic impact on businesses of all sizes. Similarly, the pandemic has wreaked havoc on U.S. state budgets with some experts forecasting that budget shortfalls through 2022 could amount to $434 billion. In fact, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities i

In transportation and supply chain, we’ve seen a great deal of innovation relating to spot-market solutions: digital brokerage, on-demand freight systems, optimized load boards, and the like. And while many of these tools cater to very real challenges that shippers encounter from day to day, f

Lou Conforti sees no reason why a shopping mall can’t contain both traditional brick-and-mortar stores and last-mile fulfillment operations for online purchases.Conforti is chief executive officer and director of Washington Prime Group, Inc., a real estate investment trust that invests in shop

Direct-to-consumer deliveries are the way of the future, and becoming even more important due to COVID-19. However, logistics companies are struggling to meet demand amid a barrage of factors, from ever-changing road conditions to managing temperature-sensitive deliveries of medications. A powerful

Another fall has come, and another iPhone is here.Apple Inc.’s dependable annual release of a new smartphone is indicative of the consumer cycle we see with smartphones: 54% of consumers replace their smart devices every one to two years, and 86% say they upgrade their smartphones the most oft

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused us all to reimagine the way we live our lives, and the roles we play in our greater society.Different demographics, industries, businesses and organizations have consistently stepped up to address the specific challenges they face in their communities to serve the gr