April 2018 | Digital Issue

164 Pages·2017·41.01 MB·English

by  Inbound Logistics

SPECIAL
SUPPLEMENT
ALASKA
NORTH TO THE FUTURE
a company  THEMAGAZINEFORDEMAND-DRIVENLOGISTICS•APRIL2018
DC ROBOTS
ALSO IN THIS EDITION:
Top 100 Logistics IT Providers &
Market Research
Special Report: 3PLs & Technology
The Best Logistics Sites on the Web
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BITE SIZED SUPPLY CHAIN/LOGISTICS INFORMATION
“Put people first and results will follow.”
— The best leadership advice Michele van Krieken, global
supply chain manager, The Chemours Company,
ever received.
(See Reader Profile, p. 20)
82%
Defining the shipping-
related requirements
By April 2019 the products or service
must meet is the only
of logistics IT
task ranked both most
The U.S. manufacturing providers say
important and most
sector will regain all visibility is the
the output lost since frustrating by procurement biggest obstacle
June 2009. professionals. their customers face.
—Manufacturers Alliance —Inbound Logistics
for Productivity and —Thomas/Strategyn study of market research study
Innovation report B2B buying behavior (See Logistics IT
(See Trends, p. 26) Perspectives, p. 70)
(See Purchasing, p. 104)
“The fact that we can’t have an 18-year-old drive a truck
across state lines but we can have 18 year olds overseas [in the
military] operating multi-million-dollar equipment is a

policy that must change.”
—Chris Spear, president, American Trucking Associations, at the
Technology & Maintenance Council’s annual meeting
April 2018 • Inbound Logistics 1
ALASKA: NORTH TO 
THE FUTURE
page 47
April 2018 • Vol. 38 • No. 4
INSIGHT INPRACTICE
8 CHECKING IN MichelevanKrieken:
20 READERPROFILE
The last grimy mile.
FindingaFormulaforSupplyChainClarity
10 GOOD QUESTION
What’s the most fun or interesting Michele van Krieken, global supply chain manager
part of your job? with The Chemours Company, accepted a once-in-a-
lifetime opportunity to travel the globe.
12 DIALOG
The ongoing conversation.
IglooPacksaWayCoolerVisibilitySolution
111 CASEBOOK
14 10 TIPS
Competing with e-commerce giants. A 3PL’s cold call leads to a cool technology solution that streamlines
processes and minimizes service disruptions.
18 LEADERSHIP
Doug Mueller of Breakthrough Fuel
discusses his leadership style.
INDEPTH
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Supply Chain Strategy and A mix of experienced logistics service providers, resilient
E-Commerce Success…35 infrastructure, flexible transportation options, and a seasoned
Software-as-a-Service or workforce combine to make Alaska a land of promise for companies
Outsourced Managed
doing business with the state.
Services?...36
38 IT MATTERS RobotsintheSupply
64
Global trade networks bring
Chain:ThePerfect
certainty to uncertain times.
Employee?
40 3PL LINE
Simplifying supply chain Robotics systems help
complexities. distribution facilities gain
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Keeping order changes in check. cut costs, and handle the
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2 Inbound Logistics • April 2018
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CASTING A LIGHT
ON PROCUREMENT
page 104
April 2018 • Vol. 38 • No. 4
INFOCUS
Top 100 Logistics IT Providers & Market Research Survey
70
Inbound Logistics surveys the supply chain technology market to
1 INFO SNACKS
evaluate the latest trends and uncover the most innovative providers in
16 VERTICAL FOCUS: their respective fields.
AEROSPACE
23 NOTED 96 SPONSORED 3PLs & Technology
26 TRENDS Still struggling to get your logistics
The top service delivery trends technology up to speed? You’re
for 2018; FedEx reserves 20 Tesla not alone. See why companies are
semi electric trucks; new pact will
increasingly outsourcing IT to their
help support development of a
new transportation link for cargo third-party logistics providers.
to move along the Mississippi
River; driver pay climbs as rising 104 Casting a Light on Procurement
demand for freight transportation
As closer supply chain ties are forged
services increases competition for
increasingly scarce drivers. with vendors, logistics managers must increasingly collaborate with
procurement. To provide insight, a new study illuminates today’s
30 GLOBAL
procurement process, and the many challenges purchasing managers face.
Lufthansa Cargo expands its
range of digital services; industry
consortium successfully tests 121 ANNUAL WEB GUIDE Web_Cite City
blockchain solution; the Internet
Bookmark these leading transportation, logistics, and technology sites
of Things will play a pivotal role
for easy supply chain solutions.
in enabling the transport and
logistics sector to reduce its carbon
footprint; UPS London switches on
INFO
smart grid to super-charge electric
delivery fleet.
160 LAST MILE: VENDING 114 WHITEPAPER DIGEST 157 SUPPLY CHAIN
MACHINES HIT THE SLOT SOLUTIONS
116 IN BRIEF
158 RESOURCE CENTER
156 CALENDAR
Inbound Logistics (ISSN 0888-8493, USPS 703990) is mailed monthly to approximately 60,000 business professionals who buy, specify, or recommend logistics technology, transportation, and related
services, by Thomas Publishing Company LLC, 5 Penn Plaza, NY, NY 10001. José E. Andrade, co-chairman; Carl T. Holst-Knudsen, co-chairman. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing
offices. All rights reserved. The publisher accepts no responsibility for the validity of claims of any products or services described. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any electronic means, or stored in any information retrieval system, without permission from the publisher. POSTMASTER SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: Inbound Logistics, 5 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10001
4 Inbound Logistics • April 2018
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ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY 
SUPPLY CHAIN PARTNERSHIP
bit.ly/HealthySCpartnership
QUICKBYTES ONLINE COMMENTARY
LOGISTICS & SUPPLY Boost Productivity, Efficiency, and Security
CHAIN NEWS
In Your Warehouse
For up-to-the-minute information, bit.ly/Boost_productivity
bookmark the IL news page. Today, software underpins many warehouse functions, giving leaders a
Enjoy opinions, commentary, and
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and fully searchable. You can
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SEE INBOUNDLOGISTICS.COM
for companies by name.
bit.ly/IL_WCC
LOGISTICS IT RESOURCES
Find a Logistics IT Company Logistics IT RFP
Keep up to date with
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bit.ly/ILMagPodcastPage
The Logistics IT Decision Support Tool Describe your technology challenge, and
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allows you to select the information select specific companies to receive your
@ILMagazine technology characteristics that match your RFP. Logistics experts will look at your
l inkedin.com/company/ needs, then generates a list of companies unique IT challenges and needs, and give
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youtube.com/user/InboundLogistics and information to meet your request.
6 Inbound Logistics • April 2018
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CHECKINGIN
Vol. 38, No. 4 April 2018
THEMAGAZINEFORDEMAND-DRIVENLOGISTICS
www.inboundlogistics.com
STAFF
by Keith Biondo | Publisher
PUBLISHER Keith G. Biondo
[email protected]
EDITOR Felecia J. Stratton
[email protected]
MANAGING EDITOR Lauren Muskett
[email protected]
SENIOR ASSOCIATE Katrina C. Arabe
EDITOR [email protected]
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Sandra Beckwith • Merrill Douglas
Karen M. Kroll • Jason McDowell • Jason Scheer
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jeof Vita
[email protected]
The Last Grimy Mile MULTIMEDIA CONTENT Evelyn Klotz
DESIGNER [email protected]
DIGITAL DESIGN Amy Palmisano
MANAGER [email protected]
At the end of March, in between nor’easters in New York City, I went out PUBLICATION MANAGER Sonia Casiano
[email protected]
for a lunchtime stroll. I wanted to check out the 14 new gleaming sky- CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Carolyn Smolin
scrapers of the Hudson Yards development–a “self contained, e-commerce PUBLISHING ASSISTANT Kathy Narvaez
friendly city within a city”–where thousands of young urban professionals won’t ever
SALES OFFICES
have to leave their apartments to enjoy every modern convenience. E-commerce
PUBLISHER: Keith Biondo
will serve most of their consumption needs. 212-629-1560 • FAX: [phone]
During most of my walk I looked up. But while heading east on 33rd Street, I [email protected]
looked down and saw a stack of shipments piled two feet high and four feet long on WEST/MIDWEST/SOUTHWEST: Harold L. Leddy
847-446-8764 • FAX: [phone]
the grimy sidewalk, many with that familiar smiling logo. I didn’t see anyone mak- [email protected]
ing deliveries, so I wondered who would leave a stack of 40 packages unattended on Marshall Leddy
612-234-7436 • FAX: [phone]
the sidewalk, especially in midtown Manhattan. I also wondered what was in those
[email protected]
boxes–iPhones? Food? Prescriptions? SOUTHEAST: Gordon H. Harper
About 12 feet away, past a pile of garbage bags and some grayish melting snow, I 404-229-9691 • FAX: [phone]
[email protected]
saw a smaller stack of packages in the street and on the sidewalk. An ununiformed
MIDWEST/ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Joseph Biondo
worker (I assumed that’s what he was) unloaded more boxes from a beat-up, dirty, 516-578-8924
unmarked white van, while his helper sat on the van bed. He scanned boxes with [email protected]
his cell phone and casually added them to the pile in the gutter. Gravity was his NORTHEAST: Rachael Sprinz
212-629-1560 • FAX: [phone]
helper. The whole situation struck me as odd because I’ve witnessed many city [email protected]
deliveries by professionally uniformed workers from UPS, FedEx, DHL, XPO, the MEXICO & LATAM: Guillermo Almazo
U.S. Postal Service, and others, and they always keep a watchful eye on the pack- 212-629-1560
[email protected]
ages they are responsible for.
NATIONAL SALES ASSOCIATE: Nicole Mangray
Looking west back over my shoulder, I had a chain of custody chuckle. World- 212-290-8757
class DC automation, stunning warehouse technology, DC robots, cobots, new [email protected]
truck fleets, an air force sporting that familiar Amazon smile, drone deliveries, and FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS
www.inboundlogistics.com/free
e-commerce technology second to none truly builds a testament to the inventive-
ness and hard work of thousands of workers. Yet, in between melting snow puddles, Inbound Logistics supports sustainable best
practices. Our mission is rooted in helping companies
separated by bags of NYC garbage, I saw the last mile of all that effort and technol- match demand to supply, eliminating waste from
the supply chain. This magazine is printed on paper
ogy ironically happening in the shadow of the most modern, glass-clad skyscraping sourced from fast growth renewable timber.
apartments anywhere in the city. The 10,000 or more residents who will be Prime Inbound Logistics welcomes comments and submissions. Email us at
[email protected]; call [phone]; or mail 5 Penn
customers for these e-commerce deliveries likely won’t know that the deliveries they Plaza, NY, NY 10001. For advertising or subscription information, call
[phone], or e-mail [email protected]. Inbound
are anxiously waiting for might be bounced to the curb from the back of an aged Logistics is distributed without cost to those qualified in North America.
Interested readers may subscribe online at bit.ly/get_il. Subscription
and dented van by a casually dressed, newly hired, Uberesque delivery team. price to others: in North America: $95 per year. Foreign subscriptions:
$229. Single copy price: No. Amer. $10, foreign $19, back issues $15.
Let’s hope this episode only reflects growing pains and not the norm. Has the
uberization of freight ushered in an era of the last grimy mile? Let’s hope not. n
8 Inbound Logistics • April 2018