Saturday, Jul 05, 2008

Current Issue: June 2008

June 2008
Defense
neither rain nor heat nor sandstorm ...
Mail from home means the world to troops stationed in far-away, often dangerous places. A special unit of the services goes to great lengths to make sure the mail gets through, whatever the obstacles.
| Intermodal
endangered species
endangered species
Economic and regulatory pressures are making it tough for port drayage drivers to earn a living. If they turn in their keys, who will haul the containers?
| Fuel Cell Technology
all charged up
all charged up
Eager to see how its newly developed fuel cell device would fare in trials, East Penn Manufacturing decided to test the unit itself. But round-the-clock DC operations and 4,000-pound loads would make this a rigorous trial.
| Site Selection: Ports
the right site
the right site
Choosing a site for an import warehouse or DC? Here are a few things to keep in mind.
| Sortation
more bang for its buck
more bang for its buck
When it needed to boost DC throughput by more than a third, Dollar Tree didn't expand the facility or hire more staff. It simply made minor adjustments to the center's software and conveyor system.
| The DC Velocity Q&A
a bridge too far gone: interview with Barry LePatner
a bridge too far gone: interview with Barry LePatner
Long before last year's tragic Minneapolis bridge collapse, Barry LePatner was out sounding the alarm about the nation's crumbling infrastructure. The biggest problem, he says, has nothing to do with engineering—and everything to do with politics.
Viewpoints
big picture
big picture
of hope and history
Passion is a word that is often abused in discussions about business leadership.
fastlane
fastlane
we're over a barrel here!
There is a solution to soaring fuel costs that I believe holds enormous potential if we can get our act together: hybrid trucks.
special handling
special handling
it's time to stand up for free trade
Most of you probably believe, as I do, that free trade is very good for the logistics, material handling, and shipping companies that facilitate commerce throughout the world.
labor pool
labor pool
when playground bullies come to work
Workplace bullies are just grownup versions of the playground bully—people who use their social or political power to subject their victims to psychological abuse.
outbound
outbound
a call to action
Though we've known for decades that our infrastructure is a ticking time bomb, the government has yet to do anything about it.

Inbound

rollin' on the river—the Yangtze, that is
With manufacturing and consumer demand moving steadily westward in China, that nation's rivers are fast becoming the mode of choice for transporting raw materials and finished goods...

a whale of an idea
Envira-North Systems has turned to the sea for ideas on how to improve the flow of air in warehouses and DCs...

lights, camera ... material handling!
Those of us who are familiar with the wonderful world of material handling may think it's pretty exciting...

this show goes on the road
It's not unusual for material handling equipment vendors to invite customers to their headquarters to train on their equipment and learn about maintenance and repair...

doctor, lawyer, logistician
There's no shortage of teenagers who aspire to be doctors, lawyers, teachers, and so forth...

still made in the U.S.A.
Conventional wisdom says that "Made in America" can't compete with products manufactured in lower-cost countries...

Newsworthy

report says 3PLs "hung tough" in 2007
A looming recession may have sent freight volumes sliding, but that didn't seem to hurt the U...

NITL welcomes Carlton to top job
The National Industrial Transportation League (NITL) has reached into the ranks of government for its new leader...

Speh receives award of a lifetime
Dr...

Donohue blasts energy, immigration policies in NASSTRAC speech
Tom Donohue has never been known for subtlety...

Teamsters sign on the dotted lines
This has been a busy year indeed for the Teamsters...

ground breakers: who's building a new DC?

short takes

accolades: awards and recognition

newsmakers: people on the fast track

alliances: who's sealed a deal


Coursework

go for the gold
You've developed a world class logistics and supply chain strategy, and you've adopted world class inventory and transportation management practices to support it...

more bang for your buck
"Optimization" may sound like one of those buzzwords favored by consultants, but it's really just about getting the biggest bang for your buck...

keys to the kingdom
You don't have to be St...