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When unstoppable weather meets an immovable supply chain
Delany Martinez Distribution & WarehousingAs hurricane seasons go, 2017 is shaping up to be the one of the most devastating years on record. There isn't an in-place industry that hasn't been left in shambles throughout Houston and the west coast of Florida.
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Additive manufacturing: Is the supply chain going 3-D?
Delany Martinez Distribution & WarehousingThe concept of the supply chain has remained largely unchanged throughout business history: a series of services, including manufacturing and logistics, that carry a product from its raw material stage to the hands of the end user. Notably, each link in that chain deals with prefabricated materials, with the bulk of the chain's effort placed on getting them from point A to point B.
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In NAFTA talks, uncertainty reigns for suppliers and manufacturers
Seth Sandronsky ManufacturingThe first round of talks to rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) ended Aug. 20 in Washington, D.C. Round two of negotiations is set for Sept. 1-5 in Mexico City. What is at stake for U.S. supply chains and manufacturers?
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Equality in manufacturing: What’s in the way?
Delany Martinez ManufacturingAfter decades of men and women working alongside one another, it's both surprising and disheartening that there is still a gender war simmering. Women have been vying for equal placement alongside male counterparts since ancient sailors forbade their presence on sailing ships.
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Amazon vs. Walmart shaping up like Mayweather vs. McGregor
Shawn Smajstrla RetailAs Amazon continues to enter and disrupt new markets (e.g., medical records and meal kits), its grip on retail appears ever-tightening. The collective sector faces the lingering question: Can anyone compete with Amazon?
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UK getting smarter about energy storage
Andrew Gaved Facilities & GroundsThere has long been a feeling in the U.K. that better management of electricity consumption will pay benefits both for consumers of all scales and for the security and sustainability of the electricity grid itself.
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New laws loom as driver shortages continue
Delany Martinez Distribution & WarehousingLong-haul trucking has been in the midst of a staffing crisis for some years now, with numbers of available candidates dwindling and driver turnover hovering near a staggering 80 percent across the board. Faced with this issue, some companies have chosen to pursue the route of innovation, with Google/Waymo hard at work both innovating in the driverless concept as well as sparring in court with rival Uber/Otto. Other truck driving companies have chosen to stay the course, but find themselves with a particularly troublesome roadblock looming: electronic logging device mandates.
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A shift back to home: US exports are up
Delany Martinez ManufacturingIn addition to the raw materials that comprise the manufacturing process — plastic, metal, wood, and so on — there's an invisible ingredient that can be found on every assembly line if you know where to look: politics. From the restrictions that artificially drive up scarcity for some components to the freedoms that make others easily available, the decisions of the U.S. government have an outsized impact on manufacturing as a whole. Recent trade metrics highlight a move toward self-reliance, albeit at a pace that some would say rivals a particularly patriotic glacier.
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Blockchain: As Bitcoin flounders, its technology is poised to disrupt
Shawn Smajstrla Science & TechnologySince its infancy almost a decade ago, bitcoin has been both viewed skeptically and heralded as the future of currency. Its path to the latter still seems murky. A report by Internet Retailer noted just three of the top 500 online merchants accept bitcoin — down from five a year ago.
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Amazon Prime Day 2017: The good, the bad and everything in between
Danielle Manley RetailAmazon Prime Day is over, and now it's time to sit back and look at what you purchased — and how much you saved (or earned, depending on how you see it). With everything from Amazon products and services to electronics, toys, clothing and household items on sale, there was something for everyone on July 11.
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