mThink

Business information analysis is at a crossroads. Saddled with an overabundance of data, corporations struggle to distill terabytes of information so that C-level executives and business process managers can make credible and effective decisions. Much of these data are associated with a location. Customer information files often contain a name and address; packages need to [...]

RFID technology will be a critical tool for combating drug counterfeiting and improving public safety. The question for pharmaceutical companies is where to start and how best to deploy RFID technology in complex supply chains. This article examines some of the key considerations and opportunities for RFID solutions in the pharmaceutical supply chain. Symptoms of [...]

A common supply chain misconception equates “liquids” with “process industries.” A huge opportunity for discrete and service industries lies in recognizing the quantity of liquids that flow through these industries and exploiting the operational, financial and strategic benefits that liquid-oriented logistics offers. Since supply chain networks for liquid products are fundamentally different from those for [...]

For some of the nation’s leading retailers and manufacturers looking to find the right third-party logistics and transportation partner to help move their products into the hands of consumers, one consistent name continues to rise to the top – Cardinal Logistics Management Corporation (Cardinal). Headquartered in Concord, N.C., Cardinal is one of the fastest-growing third-party [...]

ASCET: Cardinal Logistics is a relatively small company with some very big clients – KraftMaid Cabinetry, The Home Depot, Best Buy, Office Depot, IKEA and Georgia-Pacific to name a few. How are you working with your clients in terms of warehouse, inventory and transportation management? Are you using RFID, bar coding? Tom Hostetler (TH): We’re [...]

The dramatic rise in freight rates, truck capacity shortages and hours of service pressures means that adversarial, pricebased carrier relationships are no longer effective. Companies that stick with their traditional approaches to transportation management are in for a rude awakening. They will find their freight costs rising and will find it increasingly difficult to meet [...]

Procurement technologies have progressed considerably. In fact, given advances in the scope and sophistication of corporate procurement teams, it would be difficult to find any company whose procurement operations could not derive new value from the use of modern purchasing or sourcing tools. However, if procurement technology has gained significant ground in the last few years, then what should companies expect in the next few? This paper looks at four of the most promising trends in procurement technology.

Whether you are the U.S. Postal Service, a major city, state agency or a public utility, effectively and efficiently managing your heavy vehicles and equipment fleet can drive substantial cost savings and service improvement for your business. Fleet management and fleet operations have generally not been viewed as ripe for innovation by nontransportation businesses – [...]

Nistevo is the leading Collaborative Logistics Network for transportation management, a hosted software service that enables manufacturers, retailers, distributors and logistics service providers to view, plan, execute, settle and analyze their inbound and outbound transportation. Organizations of all industries and sizes participate in the network to collaborate with their supply chain partners and execute more [...]