Editor's note: This article originally appeared in LM's sister publication, Supply Chain Management Review. DHL Supply Chain, is preparing for an anticipated surge in demand in the fourth quarter of 2020 by hiring additional workers and leveraging its investments in technology and infrastructure to support shippers. The third party logistics provider today announced that it will hire 7,000 associates through the end of 2020 to meet demand fueled both by the peak holiday shopping season and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “’Peak season’ for contract logistics providers typically takes place in the late summer months and is driven principally…
For many industry thought leaders, analysts and educators, the impact made by the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to realign the current third-party logistics (3PL) marketplace. But when it does, shippers may expect far greater reliance on innovative technologies requiring substantial capital investment. “Given the massive coronavirus windfall for omni-channel and e-commerce companies, some might think that 3PLs have a tremendous opportunity,” says Michael Gravier, associate professor of marketing and supply chain management at Bryant University. “Even before this disruption, the world was a volatile place with tariffs and raw material costs fluctuating as quickly in response to Twitter blasts. And…
Fetch Robotics, a leader in cloud robotics and on-demand automation, today announced the immediate availability of Workflow Builder, the company’s new drag-and-drop development toolkit that allows shippers to implement flexible automation in existing manufacturing, distribution and fulfillment facilities without the time, expense, and inflexibility of fixed automation or traditional autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). Based on Blockly, the language used to teach non-programmers to code, Workflow Builder provides a visual and intuitive tool that shippers can use to deploy flexible automation in days, iterate to perfect workflows, change workflows as needs evolve, and later integrate into WMSs (warehouse management systems), WESs…
In today’s global marketplace of food logistics, it’s vital to recognize that refrigeration, food safety, and food waste are intimately linked. Perishable food, including fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meats and fish products, needs to be kept in a chilled or frozen state along the entire supply chain. When the safety risk is unknown or not reported, the food may be consumed and cause foodborne illnesses, which have a significant societal cost. According to the scientific and technical information department of The International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) in Paris, it’s estimated that foodborne illnesses cost more than $50 billion annually in…
A new generation of transport providers may be making some forms of temperature control system irrelevant, says the upstart drone company, Flytrex. Along with the drone services firm, Causey Aviation Unmanned, it has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to begin food deliveries by drone in Holly Springs, North Carolina. Flytrex will soon begin its on-demand, unmanned food delivery via commercial drones for local residents, says Yariv Bash, CEO and Co-Founder of Flytrex. “Given the expediency of drones for food delivery, Flytrex requires no additional technology to preserve perishable cargo,” he adds. “Once up and running, flight time…
A recent series of surveys conducted by a prominent industry think tank indicates that the current state of global logistics is characterized by extreme urgency and the pressure to deliver above and beyond—regardless of mode. Transport Intelligence (Ti) a consultancy based in Bath, England, recently produced a collection of primary research reflecting the latest thinking in the market along with the views of senior shipper executives within its “Logistics Briefing” network concentrated in the EU. According to the Ti collection titled “Logistics Surveys 2017,” completed last December, there’s scant doubt that the global express industry has already undergone significant transformation,…
In a new “manufacturing outlook” report focusing on the automotive and industrial sectors, AlixPartners observes that many of the labor-cost advantages associated with near-shoring may be lost if companies fail to spend more on automation in the future. The consultancy notes that automation capabilities have improved dramatically, and implementation expenses have come down. As a consequence this kind of technology can help manufacturers augment—or entirely replace— functions previously performed entirely by humans. “To exploit those technologies, manufacturers will likely have to make capital-intensive investments,” says Foster Finley, a managing director at AlixPartners in New York. “But they should understand, too,…
In a new “manufacturing outlook” report focusing on the automotive and industrial sectors, AlixPartners observes that many of the labor-cost advantages associated with near-shoring may be lost if companies fail to spend more on automation in the future. The consultancy notes that automation capabilities have improved dramatically, and implementation expenses have come down. As a consequence this kind of technology can help manufacturers augment—or entirely replace— functions previously performed entirely by humans. “To exploit those technologies, manufacturers will likely have to make capital-intensive investments,” says Foster Finley, a managing director at AlixPartners in New York. “But they should understand, too,…
In a new “manufacturing outlook” report focusing on the automotive and industrial sectors, AlixPartners observes that many of the labor-cost advantages associated with near-shoring may be lost if companies fail to spend more on automation in the near future. The consultancy notes that automation capabilities have improved dramatically, and implementation expenses have come down. As a consequence this kind of technology can help manufacturers augment - or entirely replace - functions previously performed entirely by humans. “To exploit those technologies, manufacturers will likely have to make capital-intensive investments,” says Foster Finley, a managing director at AlixPartners in New York. “But…
Management consultants at McKinsey & Company, maintain that the parcel market in the U.S. is set to double by 2025, with Same-day delivery and instant delivery to accounting for one-fifth of the demand. Furthermore, a new study reveals that one in two customers is willing to pay extra for faster delivery. These are the research findings contained in “Parcel delivery. The Future of Last Mile.” The analyses surveyed over 4,700 consumers in the U.S., Germany, and China. As the trend toward buying goods online increases, so too does the desire to receive the ordered products as soon as possible. The…
Management consultants at McKinsey & Company, maintain that the parcel market in the U.S. is set to double by 2025, with Same-day delivery and instant delivery to accounting for one-fifth of the demand. Furthermore, a new study reveals that one in two customers is willing to pay extra for faster delivery. These are the research findings contained in “Parcel delivery. The Future of Last Mile.” The analyses surveyed over 4,700 consumers in the U.S., Germany, and China. As the trend toward buying goods online increases, so too does the desire to receive the ordered products as soon as possible. The…
A recently-published report from DHL reveals 26 key trends that could impact the logistics industry in the next five to ten years. The new 2016 Logistics Trend Radar, the third in the pioneering series, introduces brand new trends, tracks the evolution of trends spotted in earlier editions and ones that have faded or become mainstream since the series started in 2013. “Predicting trends is notoriously challenging,” says Markus Kückelhaus, Vice President Innovation and Trend Research, DHL.“It is difficult to know ahead of time which trends will have long-term effect on businesses and which ones are simply parts of a short-lived…
