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Somali pirates are back: How will this affect your supply chain?
Ryan Diller Distribution & WarehousingAt the turn of the decade, Somali pirate attacks on shipping vessels were an international epidemic, with 237 attacks occurring in 2011 alone. Such attacks rapidly dropped off, though, and following the release of 2013's Oscar-nominated "Captain Phillips," the sensation all but disappeared from media coverage.
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Defining the role of warehouse supervisor
Ken Ackerman Distribution & WarehousingMost people want to do a good job every day, and warehouse workers are no exception. However, management must first define exactly what a "good job" is. Should management fail to provide a standard, the worker will do it on his own, and the self-defined "good job" might not be as productive as it should be.
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EU looks at Ecolabel for supermarkets
Andrew Gaved Waste Management & EnvironmentalReaders will know that European supermarkets have made significant progress in recent years in converting their properties to lower-energy systems using lower-carbon refrigerants. Transcritical carbon dioxide systems have rapidly become the technology of choice for supermarket refrigeration managers wanting to reduce the global warming potential of their stores. Now, a European-funded initiative called SuperSmart is hoping to hasten the take-up of greener refrigeration methods by proposing an EU Ecolabel for food retail stores.
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Green meets smart: Eco-friendly packaging solutions
Delany Martinez Distribution & WarehousingFrom a manufacturing standpoint, ordering necessary packaging material seems simple enough. At its core, it's merely multiplying anticipated outgoing packages by the Styrofoam peanuts, bubble wrap, air pillows and other void-fillers needed to keep product safe.
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What is a supply chain? The alternative facts
Dr. William Oliver Hedgepeth Distribution & WarehousingI have taught courses in transportation, logistics and supply chain management for more than 20 years. In that time, I have come to understand that the world of supply chains is full of complexity, accountability, customer demand, uncertainty, mistakes and nature.
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Powered by nature: Alternative energy in factories and beyond
Delany Martinez Distribution & WarehousingOnce considered a static "cost of doing business," the high price of energy in manufacturing is no longer a given. There is now considerable financial negotiation room thanks to renewable and alternative energy sources.
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Spreading the word about clean cold
Andrew Gaved ManufacturingI have written before about the vital role the cooling industry in Europe believes it can play in developing countries where there is not yet an infrastructure for refrigerating food from "farm to plate." Now, the potential for reducing food wastage through refrigeration at various parts of the so-called cold chain has arguably been clear for a while, but it has taken a combination of factors to give the proponents of the technology the necessary momentum to get their ideas more widely accepted.
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Amazon chooses Cincinnati for new worldwide hub
Matt Falcus Distribution & WarehousingOnline retail giant Amazon began flying its own packages last year when it started leasing cargo planes and flying them under the Prime Air brand. Now, the company has announced plans to open its largest worldwide air hub — investing $1.49 billion in a new home for its operations at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport.
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From TPP to NAFTA: International trade in Trump’s America
Katherine Radin Civil & GovernmentWhen I wrote about the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in November of 2015, I concluded by asking where we would be in a year. At the time, the Canadian political landscape had seen the election of Liberal leader Justin Trudeau to replace Conservative leader Stephen Harper as the prime minister of Canada. A year later, the political landscape has changed once again, this time with the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States of America.
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Understanding the costs of warehousing
Ken Ackerman Distribution & WarehousingAll companies with warehouses incur the same elements of cost, but they compile them differently. However, a costing system can be used to compare costs of one warehouse to another, or one company to others.
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