May 1, 2024
ALAN is short for the American Logistics Aid Network, is a nonprofit organization focused on disaster relief. They connect nonprofits with donated logistic services to aid in humanitarian efforts during disasters, formed shortly after Hurricane Katrina, and celebrating their 20th anniversary soon.
October 2, 2018
Do you remember the good ‘ol days of LBA? Yeah, you know, Life Before Amazon? Times were so much simpler back then. Before Amazon was disrupting markets, when a shipping order was received from a client, the 3PL had a few days to process it in the warehouse. Then carrier transit time took another 4 – 5 days… maybe a week. The customer was happy if the order arrived within 10 days. But now with Amazon and their ubiquitous Prime service, customers (B2B and B2C) expect 2-day turnaround or less… […]
June 6, 2018
I’ve got updates on the brain. Not only have I been working to push out the largest update to our product in the past two years, but I’ve been bombarded with updates from all angles. Windows, my phone, televisions, wrist watches, the FBI wants me to update my router, video games I play, websites I browse, my thermostat. My thermostat needed an update. I’m just waiting for my electric toothbrush to ask for my wifi password so that it can update as well. I wonder what these updates are really […]
February 7, 2018
Are you in the process of evaluating a new warehouse management system? At a high-level, warehousing is the business of moving inventory AND data. To be successful, you have to be good at receiving, storing and shipping physical products as well as managing the information related to that inventory. Evaluating and selecting a new warehouse management system (WMS) can be an overwhelming process. Where do you find solution providers? What information do you need? How do you compare systems? What features are important? What other non-product factors are important when […]
December 21, 2017
I’m sure we all heard about the latest news out of Atlanta this past weekend. There was a power outage that lasted close to 12 hours that shut down airport operations and forced an evacuation to clear out the congestion. Travelers were left stranded with no power, no food, and no information from anyone. So you might be thinking, “Why was there no backup power and why did everyone working at the airport seem so unprepared to handle this situation?” The situation occurred because a Georgia Power Substation had a […]
December 15, 2017
The 2018 Third-Party Logistics Study was recently published. This year marks the 22nd year of publication. The paper discusses the findings from an annual survey of 3PL/4PL Providers, Shippers (not currently using 3PL/4PL services) and Shippers (currently using 3PL/4PL). The study is conducted by C. John Langley Jr. Ph.D and Infosys Consulting. Sponsors include Penske Logistics, Korn Ferry, Infosys and Penn State Smeal College of Business. The survey is 60 pages and covers various areas of the 3PL market including automation/digitization trends, new technologies such as blockchain, increased importance of […]