Supply chain optimization is a business imperative in today’s global marketplace. Crafting a strategy to streamline operations throughout each line of business is essential to maintain a competitive advantage. However, certain factors create volatility in businesses reliant on supply chain operations. In a recent IBM report 1,400 top supply chain executives highlighted challenges that contribute to supply chain complexities and vulnerabilities. One challenge noted in particular was visibility, which is the ability to effectively capture information and deliver it to the right people. Even though there is more information than ever, “supply chain officers still struggle to ‘see’ and act on the right information”. However, with the emergence of the mobile communication app, having a fully interconnected supply chain can now be easily achieved.
Whitepapers
While this year’s corn and wheat harvest are expected to reach record levels, a small but growing number of agriculture producers looking to take advantage of containerized exports face the perennial problem of equipment shortages because their crops are grown in rural areas that aren’t major destinations for import containers that can be used for exports.
U.S. Agriculture Exports: Opportunities and Challenges for Containerized Shippers was designed to give agriculture producers, food companies, and those servicing the agricultural supply chain, insight into how companies like Maersk, BNSF, Archer Daniels Midland, and Home Depot are looking to help ease these shortages through “import-steering” or “match-back’ programs.
Learn how these efforts are impacting the U.S. supply chain -- Download this whitepaper today!
This report on China will provide a broad but comprehensive view of the logistics challenges facing foreign firms in China these days. After looking at the changing landscape of opportunities in China -- new regions; more focus on consumers -- the report will analyze the multiple challenges of managing logistics effectively: The weaknesses in the country's infrastructure; the complex regulatory challenges -- including customs and trade compliance regulations that differ from location to location.
Finally, emerging best practices by leading foreign firms in China -- what are they doing right, and how can other firms profit from the lessons they have learned.
Globalization puts forward opportunities to companies of any size who can effectively provide or source products and services in dynamic markets. Review our white paper and learn:
- How to gain a competitive advantage through global transportation logistics
- Factors that influence international shipments
- Five characteristics of a global TMS and why companies worldwide should consider TMS technology
There is a renewal of interest in the financial elements of supply chain management today. Businesses are using agile, cloud-based technology to optimize working capital and glean liquidity from improvements in supply chain activities.
Managers previously immersed in day-to-day operations are beginning to see their role in working capital management take on a new form. They are inspecting the different components of the cash conversion cycle and finding ways to free up cash in the supply chain – a responsibility once reserved for the CFO.
In a rapidly changing global trade environment, organizations must use cash wisely while remaining open to investments that support long-term prosperity – in technology, people, and infrastructure.
While many organizations see trade compliance as a cost of doing business, automating compliance can actually result in a potential source of revenue. In fact, companies that automated their trade compliance program can realize productivity savings of up to 90%.
Amber Road’s white paper, The ROI of Automating Trade Compliance, examines how automating trade compliance can yield notable returns on investment, while also addressing the challenges faced by compliance professionals. Key benefits from automation include:
- Handling more transactions with the same or fewer staff
- Reducing forwarder fees by 20-30%
- Capturing duty drawback savings
- Reducing errors that could result in penalties
- Enhancing visibility and control
Find out how your organization can build a business case for automating trade compliance- download the white paper today!
The JOC Port Productivity whitepaper provides the first global rankings of terminals and ports in the Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa, and Asia. Five years in development, the dataset behind this whitepaper consists of over 100,000 vessel calls during 2012, inclusive of 600 terminals operating at 400 global ports worldwide.
The JOC’s newest whitepaper, JOC Port Productivity, Key findings on terminal productivity performance across ports, countries and regions highlights the following rankings:
- Port Productivity: Top 10 Transshipment ports globally
- Port Productivity by ship size
- Top 20 Ports per region
- Top 20 Terminals per region
Download your copy of the JOC Port Productivity Whitepaper today.
This paper describes the types of natural and man-made disasters that can wipe out the efficiency and profitability of a supply chain and how to handle them using cloud technology. It's based off two studies from the WEF that are cited in the paper. The premise is that yes, disaster happen, but these 5 strategies can mitigate risk. Strategies include building a trusted network, collaborative data sharing and communication, assessing risk, and continuous improvement -- all with the aid of cloud technology.
Increasing supply chain visibility is a critical strategy for reducing costs and improving operational performance. This is reflected in a recent AberdeenGroup study, which found that 63% of respondents place a high priority on improving visibility into their increasingly complex global supply chains.
AberdeenGroup’s newest report, Supply Chain Visibility: A Critical Strategy to Optimize Cost and Service, identifies key strategies across the following areas:
- Product and shipment visibility
- Transport and logistics events
- Supply chain finance and intelligence
- Dynamic and collaborative processes
Find out how you can achieve improvements in revenue and profit margins through increased visibility – download the report today!
New GTM technologies are increasingly important to automate global operations across procurement, logistics, and trade compliance business processes.
By integrating a supply chain visibility solution with your import compliance program, you will have the tools needed to collect, organize and report the key data elements to ensure optimal supply chain performance, and comply with regulations such as the Importer Security Filing (ISF).
Amber Road’s white paper, Key Strategies for Automating the Import Supply Chain, provides a framework for a global trade management (GTM) solution that can support the complete automation of the import process to:
- Streamline the procure-to-pay to process
- Track and automate dynamic preferential trade agreements
- Increase regulatory compliance
Find out how you can streamline the import process at your company – download the white paper today!
Is it time to audit your customs service provider? As a company dealing with international suppliers or customers, your business succeeds when your supply chain functions seamlessly. Given the demands of global business and the rapid evolution of customs policies and international regulations, your relationship with your customs brokerage partner can provide you with a strategic advantage – but only if your requirements are being met. Learn the questions you should ask to determine if your provider is helping you meet your business goals. Download the report today!
As organizations reap the benefits of going global, many are still making due with manual, outdated processes and technologies. In fact, only about 30% of companies have automated data and event monitoring or have optimized their global supply chain processes.
Amber Road’s eBook, Three Common Global Supply Chain Issues that Affect Your Bottom Line, highlights areas where companies may be losing money without the right global processes in place. Key themes include:
- How to reduce expedited shipments with better planning and supply chain visibility
- How to avoid detention and demurrage fines
- How to communicate efficiently with trading partners
Learn how to recognize areas where you can improve operations and reduce costs in your supply chain – download the eBook today!
In the wake of recent environmental disasters, many companies feel the need to have a “resilient supply chain”. A resilient supply chain can mitigate risks and reduce the effect of catastrophes.
AberdeenGroup’s newest report, CSCO View of Resilient Supply Chains, examines the concept of a resilient supply chain and identifies strategies for improving resiliency, including:
- Gain visibility beyond the enterprise into supplier and partner networks
- Right size inventories to buffer, sole source or regional risks
- Establish a plan of record to compare against and provide exception management
- Incorporate risk strategies into the sales and operations planning process
Find out how boosting your company’s resiliency can result in significant cost savings - download the report today!
As organizations expand their global presence, many are implementing Global Trade Management (GTM) solutions for financial gain and risk mitigation.
To help improve GTM operations, Gartner designed a GTM Maturity Model outlining the defining characteristics of companies in each of the four stages of maturity:
- Stage 1: Market-Focused
- Stage 2: Cost-Focused
- Stage 3: Demand-Driven
- Stage 4: Value-Driven
A Model for Value Chain Transformation helps companies assess where they fall within the Gartner GTM Maturity Model, and charts a reasonable course for improvement.
Learn how you can drive value and advance to the next level of GTM maturity - download this new research today!
This report brings to light the waning strength of China’s labor-intensive export manufacturing and its impact on manufacturing activity in other developing economies. Rising wages and labor shortages are prompting factory owners in China to relocate facilities where wages are lower or competitive and supply of unskilled and semi-skilled workers is abundant.
Get a better understanding of how these trends effect the global supply chain and download your FREE report today!
This report was designed to give chemical manufacturers, distributors, end users, and those servicing the chemical supply chain, a high-level view of top markets based on aggregate data for U.S. chemical exports. The report provides a detailed analysis of top markets for U.S. chemical exports classified under chapters 28 & 29 of the harmonized tariif schedule.
Understand what commodities are traded in high volume in each of these markets and what chemicals are experiencing high growth or decline. Furthermore, we examine the applications for each of these chemicals and how market conditions in each of these countries are driving these trends.
RidgePort Logistics Center is an 18 million square foot rail-served park located on more than 1,500 acres and located less than 40 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. RidgePort Logistics Center is eight miles from BNSF Railway’s Logistics Park Chicago, the largest inland container port in the United States. In 2006, Logistics Park Chicago handled 730,000 containers and is expected to grow to in excess of 1.2 million containers in the coming years.
Download more information about RidgePort features, map and coverage here.
CenterPoint Properties is focused on the development, ownership and intensive management of industrial real estate and related rail, road and port infrastructure. The company works on all aspects of the warehouse, distribution and shipping industry, providing logistics services to support the efficient manufacturing and movement of goods.
Download an overview of CenterPoint Properties' network, including recent expansion into the nation's largest inland port, here.
The latest PIERS report enables users to track import growth of NVOCCs in the U.S. and around the world. It includes both aggregate NVOCC industry and individual NVOCC company market share by major trade region, volume, value of trade and carrier (VOCC) association. These assessments offer a view of performance over time so the U.S. can compare NVOCC performance with overall market growth.
Click here to download your copy today and gain a deep understanding of the NVOCC market!
