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Business Strategy Alignment: Page 519

Most Thinking of Moving Manufacturing Operations Closer to U.S. Have Eye on Mexico, Report Finds

Mexico, the United States' southern neighbor offers transportation distances a fraction of those from Asia, a labor force a good deal cheaper than domestic workers, and a country causing fewer headaches about intellectual property and other trade concerns. But in recent years, drug-related violence along the border has caused some manufacturers to be more cautious about making the move to Mexico.

Should Kiva Customers Be Concerned that the Provider Was Taken Over by Amazon?

When Amazon announced its $775m cash deal to buy Kiva, a robot automation fulfillment center player, it put many of its existing retail clients in a bind. This includes current Kiva clients - Walgreens and Saks, among others - plus other recent (and possibly current) customers, such as Gap, Crate & Barrel, Staples, Dillard's, Toys 'R' Us and Office Depot.

Supply Chain Collaboration: A 21st-Century Revival

There has been a recent renewal of interest in collaboration among supply-chain partners, according to Ann Grackin, chief executive officer of ChainLink Research. Reasons include a greater reliance on outsourcing and the general trend of globalization of trade. Yet another element is the desire to draw on sophisticated technology, including video, teleconferencing and social networks, to link all players throughout the chain. With such factors in mind, says Grackin, "you need working relationships with trading partners to be successful."

Drop Shipping vs. Order Fulfillment: Take Your Pick

Determining the best way to store and ship products is a crucial part of your business. There are a number of options for doing so, and two of these are becoming increasingly popular: drop shipping and third-party order fulfillment.

Supplier Category Management Study Details Best Practices for Driving Value in Procurement

APQC, which specializes in benchmarking and best practices research, has released a report that identifies 14 key category management best practices grouped in four areas that are necessary for the procurement organization to become a true partner and sustainable value driver for business.

How Do You Know if You're Getting a Good Deal on the SaaS Solution You're Thinking About?

The last two years have brought an explosion of Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions. Both new app players and traditional enterprise software license providers have provided new versions of their software and services to ensure a market presence in the cloud delivery model. Along with this change we have witnessed new models in pricing strategies. The problem is that it is very hard to compare pricing - not just between the competitors - but also for same-company cloud vs. on-premise options.

Align Shop Floor Metrics to Your Corporate Strategy

Analyst Insight: The Warehousing Education and Research Council's latest benchmarking study shows that the performance gap between best-in-class and "Major Opportunity" warehouses remains large. In order to close the performance gap, Major Opportunity warehouses need to understand how to find their process weeds and pull them up by the roots. By aligning shop floor metrics to corporate strategy, companies link accountability to where the work gets done and will begin to close the gap. - Joe Tillman, senior researcher, Supply Chain Visions

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Business & Technology Trends in Supply Chain & Distribution

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The Expanded Use of Voice

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The Changing Legal Landscape for 3PLs

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Growing Complexity Demands Greater Visibility to Control Inventory, Landed Costs

The increased complexity of global supply chains has led to longer lead times, more pipeline inventory, and the need to control downstream an upstream logistics, according to Supply Chain Visibility Excellence: Mastering Complexity and Landed Costs, a report from Aberdeen Group.

Is Visibility a Grand Aspiration or Grounded in Reality?

Analyst Insight: At the beginning of 2011, IDC Manufacturing Insights predicted that supply chain visibility would climb on the IT application priority list as manufacturing companies identified the business cases to improve both service levels and dollars saved. This held true throughout the year as manufacturers get a handle on what visibility means to their organizations in a tactical, rather than strategic, manner. - Simon Ellis, practice director, Supply Chain Strategies, IDC Manufacturing Insights

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How a Leading U.S. Floral Distribution Company Reduced Warehouse Labor Costs by 45% with RFID

Recycled Tagging Fasteners: Small Changes Make a Big Impact

Mobile geolocation service for track delivery, cargo shipment and freight transportation. Logistic Import Export business (Elements of this image furnished by NASA)

Enhancing High-Value Electronics Shipment Security with Tive's Real-Time Tracking

Franchise business e-commerce online e-marketplace or digital marketing branch expansion for growth or use technology to analyze product consumer data website management plan for sale service concept.

Moving Robots Site-to-Site