After months of contract negotiations between United Parcel Service and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the union’s chief negotiator announced that the union had reached a tentative agreement.The UPS contract update offered a starting wage of $13 an hour, with no extra raises for c

The profit margin for luxury goods is usually far higher than that for lower-priced items. So why not give back some of that money to a good cause – specifically, the education of young girls?In 2016, Stacey Boyd was visiting refugee camps in Kenya and Rwanda with Malala Yousafzai, the Pakista

Chief executive officers typically take a back seat when it comes to supply-chain management, but by forging a greater synergy with supply-chain managers, they can take their organizations on a journey toward prolonged success.We now live in the age of the digital supply chain, which makes it easier

For supply-chain partners, blockchain technology promises an immutable record of provenance, as products pass from hand to hand. And which industry stands to benefit more from that capability than luxury goods?Jewelry and other big-ticket items are distinguished not just by price, but by uniqueness.

The growing acceptance of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes raises potential issues for workplaces, especially in roles such as commercial driving, heavy equipment operation and other safety-sensitive jobs that require a high degree of cognitive response.There are eight U.S. states, so

If your CEO or CIO were to ask you how you are helping your organization use data to your advantage, what would you say?Would you have an answer when it comes to categories of spend like transportation or indirect goods? Questions such as these are likely to send you running to research new tools to

If anything is important in the world of supply chain and logistics, it’s data. Give someone access to your data, and you give them a key to the kingdom, in a sense. As you add trading partners, data privacy and security become paramount.Enter blockchain, a technology that proponents say

The healthcare industry is going through unprecedented change. The supply chain has been a powerful force, and at times a leader, in driving this transformation. During the past decade, the focus on automating supply-chain processes has allowed the industry to significantly reduce waste and save bil

An industry to which consumers might not give much thought truly powers our economy.With the increase in online shopping, the trucking industry is feeling strained to the tune of 60,000 truck drivers. As a result, industries that rely on drivers with CDLs (commercial driver’s licenses) are fee

Often overlooked or underestimated, well-managed product inventory can be a marketplace differentiator — especially when product is manufactured in one country and sold in another.An efficient, seamless supply chain can maximize the coordination between production and sales. The most

The conventional notion about online shoppers is that they want it now, and they want it for free. But a new study refutes that assumption, at least partially.Capgemini recently surveyed nearly 3,000 consumers and 500 supply-chain executives of large consumer-products and retail companies, with a fo

The Class 8 heavy-duty truck and fleet industry prolonged its dialogue throughout 2018 regarding the prospects of electrification of vehicles, and how they stack up against diesel counterparts. While electrification has the potential to grow into a reality down the road, many in the industry remain

Manufacturing companies are hoping to continue their revenue growth in 2019 by focusing on three key areas.Deloitte has released the results of its annual manufacturing industry outlook report, which finds that the optimism from 2017 and 2018 will continue this year.With promises of tax reform, decr

At the core of every discussion about corporate social responsibility lies the question: Does compliance pay?One could further ask whether the question is even relevant. Shouldn’t responsible behavior be practiced because it’s the right thing to do? When it comes to critical issues like

The continuing pursuit of value-based healthcare is at the crux of many of the trends that will impact the healthcare supply chain in 2019.Look a little deeper and you’ll see that those trends are also driven by the need for technology investments and process change. The goal is to capture mor

Neither technology nor traditional compliance measures will prevent the mistreatment of factory workers in the global supply chain.So said Greg Distelhorst, assistant professor at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources.“I don’t believe techn

As we usher in 2019, China and a few Asian countries with large ethnic Chinese populations begin their festive season to celebrate the traditional Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year.The “Year of the Pig” begins on February 5, 2019, a

The modern-day warehouse is serving as a laboratory for the introduction of innovative supply-chain technologies. But the implications for human workers remain uncertain.Automation is transforming virtually every aspect of warehouse and distribution center operations. And not a moment too soon: the

Problems dealing with data can lead to expensive reconciliations and negative impact on customer fulfillment. Blockchain technology can bring consistency, privacy and security to transactions that are booming due to e-commerce sales. Retail e-commerce sales in the Asia-Pacific are growing

The age of self-driving cars and trucks is nearly upon us. What about self-driving supply chains?In recent decades, technology has insinuated itself into every aspect of supply-chain management. Up to now, however, the presence of a human to make key decisions on production and distribution has been