When you think of transporting your products and/or goods not only within the states but also within continents, what mode of transport should you be looking at? The question might seem like an easy one to answer, but when you are saddled with responsibilities which include the timely and safe delivery of these products and goods, you might want to take a minute or two to answer this question. But when you do finally realise that trucks are by far the best and the most common means of transportation for the delivery of goods of any kind, that is, you would naturally move on the second concern, and what should that be except for the fact that you need a company which caters to the national as well international clientele you have. Any trucking company, no matter how big or small, has on its hands concerns such as the condition of the roads, the weather, and the quality of drivers recruited and such. Also to be taken into consideration in this regard is whether the client company wants internal trucking solutions or domestic services for his/her business. The company that will share your vision should have as its motto the…
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When it comes to the literal high seas and a company which can provide both you and your customers with secured freight transportation options and services, you should be looking at someone who has the required skill, expertise and experience in the required department, but this is to say the least. Choosing a third party logistics company which can deliver the said promises is even more difficult, in some cases, than actually transporting goods by shipment. The concern, when choosing such a company, is that it should be able to provide logistics solutions to your growing and expanding business so that you too can deliver what the customers need within their stipulated deadline. With international trade and commerce on the rise, it is imperative to choose a company that comes with the understanding that all goods come with an expiry date, more so, if the product is a perishable item. The shipping and transportation company you choose should realise that the gestation period of certain products and goods cannot be toyed with and hence a timely delivery is the need of the hour. If you are producer or a manufacturer, would you not be interested in hiring a shipping and…
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The winter of 2013-2014 has resulted in traffic snarls and delays in shipments across the nation. Trucking companies are closing terminals, restricting pickups, and forecasting delivery problems in the areas hardest hit by the freezing storm. Further complicating the issue of the delivery of freight, terminals and highways have closed during the worst of the storms. Tom Connery, executive vice president and chief operating officer of NEMF in Elizabeth, NJ advised, “We decided yesterday to close our Northeastern terminals.” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo closed the New York State Thruway from the Bronx to Albany due to Hercules. The Interstate highway reopened to commercial traffic later, but other roads, including Interstate 84 in New England, were temporarily closed. Networks across the Northeast had shutdowns, restrictions, and delays as the snow, ice, and record cold temperatures and high winds battered the areas. Winter storms in the Northeastern US aren’t unexpected, and areas west of Chicago were not as impacted. While the Northeast is better equipped and prepared to handle major storms (even those as devastating as Super Storm Sandy) than other areas, major storms still cause widespread devastation, loss of revenue, and disruptions to supply chains. Even with the preparations in…
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Logistics is the way your company organizes its transportation, warehousing, inventory, customer service and information processing systems. There are always tradeoffs in business. Do you keep larger inventories of your products, resulting in increased warehousing costs, more waste in outmoded or outdated product on the shelf, and higher management costs? Or do you reduce the inventory to save money but risk insufficient product to fulfill demands? These tradeoffs are different for different businesses, but all businesses have tradeoffs that must be considered. Firms often re-organize their logistics in an attempt to improve their transportation, inventory, and infrastructure. Deciding when, what and how to reorganize is a problem faced by companies worldwide every day. The down side of tradeoffs is that nothing is guaranteed. Your decisions to reduce inventory, increase prices, or maintain the status quo can result in potential benefit and/or harm to your customers and to your business. Considering the pros and cons of tradeoffs to your clients can sometimes help identify the solution during the process. Effective Supply Chain Management results in an opportunity to discover the best tradeoffs for your clients. Processing, planning, implementing and controlling your business ensures efficiency and cost effectiveness. The process or steps…
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Saying that a “supply chain” is getting a product from point A to point B is simplistic, accurate, and a huge understatement. In actuality, a supply chain is very complex and an intricate part of the supply and demand network. No product has only one supply chain. To design a logical supply chain scenario, a business has to look at how the product gets not just to the customer, but how the raw materials for that product get to the business…and how those raw materials get to that business, and so forth. So designing a supply chain is much more complex than a simple “point A to point B” scenario. Let’s look at a ream of paper, for example. The company that sells that ream must ensure the paper gets to the end user. But the same company also has to be sure they receive that ream of paper from their supplier. And their supplier has to be sure the materials to create that ream of paper gets to them. All of these supply chains are linked together. A forest fire in the hills of California can interrupt the supply chains for each of these businesses. Complicating this complex scenario,…
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The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) reported that bids have been received to develop an international industrial and logistics hub around the Suez Canal. The SCA is hoping this hub will increase revenue and attract more ships to the area of 29,000 square miles around the proposed hub. Political turmoil and unrest in recent years in this area have decimated the economy. The head of the Suez Canal Authority, Mohab Memish, is eager to accomplish the hub, stating, “Investors must find service here at an international level because if they do not find it here they will go some place else.’ The expansion project (also called the “Third Set of Locks Project”) will double the capacity of the canal, creating a new traffic lane to allow more and larger ships to use the canal. The project also calls for: Two new locks, one each on the Atlantic and Pacific sides Excavation of new channels for the new locks. Widen and deepen existing channels. Raise the maximum operating level of Gatun Lake. Documents concerning the details of the bid were available until January 23, and the Suez Canal Authority selected 14 Egyptian and international bidders, among the 33 groups who responded. A…
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