We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
Home » dog days, and the heat is on
big picture

dog days, and the heat is on

August 1, 2004
Peter Bradley
No Comments

While most of the working world sees the dog days of summer as a time to kick back and relax, these same days mark the launch of the busiest season for distribution professionals.

The dog days—named for the reappearance of the Dog Star, Sirius, in the early morning sky—represent the warmest part of the year in the northern Hemiäphere. And appropriately, for shippers, especially those serving the retail marketplace, it's also the time when the shipping cycle really heats up.

It's interesting to note how businesses upstream in the supply chain from retail outlets are perpetually out of sync with the calendar. For companies sourcing offshore, for instance, the Christmas shopping season starts shortly after the last of the tinsel and ornaments have been packed away for another year. Transportation gets booked for late summer and during the opening days of the school year to ensure holiday goods move through the supply chain in a timely manner. The back-to-school clothes now on the store shelves—well, they were likely on the move even before summer camp opened.

Many retailers make 25 to 40 percent of their annual sales during the Christmas shopping season, according to the National Retail Federation. So planning for the timely delivery of goods into the stores is a crucial year-long process. (And this year, tightening capacity in the trucking industry may mean shippers who don't have their transportation in order by now will be muttering "humbug" before long.)

Despite their best efforts, distribution and logistics pros have yet to force the distribution calendar more in line with the real calendar. Try as they might to slice an hour here or a day there out of cycle times, finished-goods inventories have yet to show much improvement. In a study released earlier this year, Ohio State University researchers found that between 1979 and 2001, only four of 14 industries showed marked improvement in turnover of finished goods (inventory turns actually declined in another four). The cause is a matter of speculation—is it suppliers' tendency to add inventory to meet retailers' performance requirements? the proliferation of SKUs? outsourcing's tendency to create additional layers in the supply chain? Whatever the reason, the result is that Christmas in the DC still comes when Sirius pokes its snout around the summer sun. So let me say a timely Merry Christmas.

Material Handling Transportation Supply Chain Services Global Logistics Business Management & Finance
  • Related Articles

    For DCs, the (hiring) heat is on

    The heat is on—for cold storage equipment

    For UPS, e-commerce has become the tail that wags the big dog

Peterbradley
Peter Bradley is an award-winning career journalist with more than three decades of experience in both newspapers and national business magazines. His credentials include seven years as the transportation and supply chain editor at Purchasing Magazine and six years as the chief editor of Logistics Management.

Recent Articles by Peter Bradley

From temp to management: interview with Diane Garforth

Watching over intermodal's interests: interview with Joni Casey

Building resilience into the supply chain: interview with Yossi Sheffi

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Cold chain giant Lineage Logistics buys its own rail operator

  • Biden names dozens of senior leaders to DOT, including FMCSA and FRA

  • Outlook 2021: What’s in store for logistics supply chain?

  • Cushman & Wakefield Brokers Sale of 170 Acres plus Lease for 1MSF Build-to-Suit for Home Improvement Retailer in Commerce City, CO.

  • Thriving in the long haul: interview with Colin Yankee

Now Playing on DCV-TV

Sick agv demo thumbnail

Optimize Load Handling Tasks with Industrial Mobile Robots

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
Intelligent sensors detect the presence of goods, check for empty shelves, or the correct alignment on the mobile platform towards the freight. The solutions range from simple detection sensors, thorough measuring devices, and 2D LiDAR sensors.

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Proven Benefits: A Compendium of Slotting Optimization Success Snapshots

  • Bridging Information Gaps in Dock and Yard Operations

  • How Intelligent Sensor Solutions Turn Data Into Action

  • Order picking Solutions: Understanding Your Options

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2021. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing