Look around you: Everything you touch likely arrived on a truck. Delivery vehicles are replacing storefronts as a ubiquitous presence in suburban America.With the majority of Americans in various states of lockdown since early 2020, e-commerce has experienced a decade of growth in a matter of months

The digital transformation of operational technology (OT) for monitoring and controlling physical processes has introduced new blind spots and magnified others, making industrial control systems (ICS) susceptible to nation-state attacks.We’ve already seen terrorist attacks that prioritize brea

Key among the developments dominating headlines in 2021 is the global supply chain crisis, causing widespread shortages of fuel, fresh produce, and everything in between.According to research by McKinsey, companies can now expect supply chain disruptions lasting a month or longer to occur at least e

The global impact of the pandemic has yielded a number of important lessons for companies looking to survive the next major disruption. Among them is the need to better implement artificial intelligence in supply chains.Here are some tips on how businesses can achieve that goal.First, build a better

Among the explanations cited for the country’s incredible shrinking labor force this year was the extension of federal unemployment benefits, which supposedly served as a disincentive for going back to work. When that generous assistance ran out in September, the thinking went, the resumes wou

Unprecedented congestion, rising freight costs and limited availability of raw materials and key consumer goods have forced businesses this past year to think both proactively and reactively when it comes to risk management. An effective risk management program should be holistic — focusing on

The emergence of omnichannel retail has intensified the competition between new-age direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands and traditional global enterprises. It’s no more about how long you have been in the industry, but the values your brand stands for and how well you understand your customer&rsqu

The pandemic has driven substantial changes in industries worldwide, including an increasing dependence on the technology of self-service kiosks.Kiosks aren’t new. Canadian businesses have been using them for decades to automate customer transactions, streamline operations, and improve securit

Recently, SupplyChainBrain posted a blog, “Is There a Solution to the Supply Chain Worker Shortage?” The article talks about why there’s a shrinking workforce this year. In theory, many employers felt that people would start looking for a job once the federal unemployment benefits

The recent debate over who is an independent contractor versus a direct employee has been fueled by major players in the gig economy like Uber and Lyft. But it’s promising to have a big impact on commercial truckers as well.Legislation, regulations and ballot initiatives have been cropping up

A significant majority of consumers (79%) are changing their purchase preferences based on sustainability, and they will scrutinize the actions taken by organizations to separate those companies that are truly committed to sustainability from those that are “greenwashing.”The pandemic ha

This year’s higher-than-normal general rate increases for parcel shipping caught many companies by surprise. Shippers weren’t expecting 9% to 10% hikes, which have thrown a wrench into their peak-season plans. Factor in persistent shipping delays due to congested ports and reduced transp

Supply chain managers have long faced challenges when it comes to accounts payable and procure-to-pay (P2P) processes. Despite the shift to digital taking place across all industries, many organizations are still relying on manual, paper-based AP processes to approve and pay invoices. This creates a

In a world marked by pandemic-induced supply chain disruption, manufacturing organizations worldwide are increasingly digitizing to meet the challenge. It’s even the subject of a White House task force; IDC predicts that by the end of 2021, 60% of global manufacturing supply chains will have i

Ransomware is no stranger to corporate networks, as it poses huge risks and even larger recovery efforts that are quite costly. Successful ransomware attacks can result in locked systems, stolen identity and data held hostage, all of which can wreak chaos and disaster to the targeted organizations.W

With Black Friday just around the corner, e-commerce retailers are squarely focused on preparing for the holiday rush, and for good reason.In 2020, e-commerce spending in the U.S. was in overdrive, with the pandemic boosting online sales by $183 billion — the equivalent of an extra holiday sea

I have tough news for freight shippers yearning for relief in their global transportation network: It’s going to get worse before it gets better.That’s the unfortunate truth, especially as we’re in the holiday shipping season, and the gap between freight demand and transportation s

The world’s ocean shipping industry has announced bold targets for cutting vessel emissions within a relatively short period of time. But is it doing enough to reach that goal? Ami Daniel doesn’t think so. He is chief executive and co-founder of Windward, a venture that applies artifici

No part of the supply chain is immune from the turmoil currently plaguing the supply chain industry — especially not freight procurement. Even when things are going well, freight procurement is critical to the success of the supply chain. But during these trying times, its importance can&

In February, President Biden introduced an Executive Order on America’s Supply Chains, which mandated a federal review of U.S. supply chains in the wake of concerns about supply shortages. After the 100-day review, the Biden Administration announced a series of policy recommendations to streng