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 Shipwire Unveils Canadian Warehouse
Third-party logistics provider Shipwire announced Nov. 12 that it has expanded into the Canadian market with a new Toronto-based warehouse....
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A Peek at Holiday Order Picking
By: By Susan Rider
As the holidays approach and people turn their minds to gift buying, distribution centers plan to see business surges. This time of year makes you focus on the need to have your process in line so that temporary employees can get up to speed as quickly as possible. Since order picking in most facilities is where all the action is, it seems appropriate to spend some time in this area--where usually the greatest opportunities for improvement can be found....
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Metrics: Do You Measure Up?
By: By Randall Brough
A metric-centric organization is one that has a comprehensive yet concise plan to capture, classify, and communicate important data elements, and more important, act upon it. ...
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Rising Transportation Costs –and What To Do About Them
By: By Curt Barry
For most multichannel merchants, transportation of goods is the highest operational expense. Inbound freight costs for domestically sourced product typically range from 2%-4% of gross sales, while for imported product, inbound freight costs 6% to 12% of gross sales. ...
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FedEx Express Rates to Rise 4.9%
By: By Tim Parry
FedEx Express announced at the end of October it would raise its net average shipping rate by 4.9%-- the carrier's largest increase in seven years. The rate hike is composed of a 6.9% increase in standard list rates offset by a 2% reduction in the fuel surcharge....
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Fulfillment Doctor: The Real Cost of Employee Turnover
By: By Curt Barry
Turnover costs range from $3,000 to $10,000 in people time, training, testing, and the ramp-up to full production. This does not include expenses for agencies, ads, etc. which must be added on.
As you research your turnover rate, here are some points to consider. ...
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IWLA Starts C-TPAT Compliance Program
The International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA) recently announced a C-TPAT compliance program for third-party warehouses. The IWLA says its program is based on security best practices guidelines it has developed; the guidelines have earned endorsement of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP). ...
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DC Locations: Why Midwest is Best
By: By Tod Yazdi
For most merchants, it geographically makes sense to distribute goods from a Midwest-based distribution center. The central states are quickly becoming distribution hubs for companies all across the country. ...
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Talking Operations With A Touch of Class
Rick MacDonald is facility manager for Huntingburg, IN-based home decor and cataloger Touch of Class, responsible for warehouse operations and maintenance, among other duties. MacDonald--also the son-in-law of Touch of Class president/CEO Fred Bell—took a few minutes out of his busy day to chat with O+F Advisor’s former editor Mark Del Franco....
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The Fulfillment Doctor on… The Price of Free Holiday Shipping
By: By Curt Barry
What are the underlying reasons behind offering free shipping and processing to customers? Is this common practice in other companies in the multichannel industry? Can anything positive come from giving free shipping to our customers? ...
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The Case for Global Sourcing, Part II
By: By John Brockwell
Last week we asked, "Is global sourcing really worth it?" given that many executives are reconsidering whether or not they should be buying products from international sources. ...
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Customer Intimacy: Getting Past the First 15 Seconds
By: By Kathryn Jackson
Most call centers these days are tailoring their opening by balancing the requirements of their strategy and what their customers prefer. The best-in-class standard is not so much "agent first and last name" or "first name only" but rather what fits into the company strategy and customer segment. ...
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Ebay had the right idea but the wrong execution
By: By John Federman
Ebay recently announced that it would be taking a $1.43 billion loss this year because they overvalued Skype in its 2005 acquisition of the company – to the shock of few in the financial world. When announced two years ago, the move initially left many people scratching their heads because there were few obvious synergies between the two businesses. Not me, though. ...
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The Case for Global Sourcing
By: By John Brockwell
"Is global sourcing really worth it?" For a variety of reasons, executives at many companies are reconsidering whether or not they should be buying products from international sources. ...
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Developing an Effective Fulfillment Labor Budget
By: By Gary Conrad
The conversion from sales forecast to operations budget is not difficult, but it does require a strong understanding of your operations. You also need to know and measured performance standards or reasonable expectancies for each labor activity performed within your warehouse. ...
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Dark Days for Offshore Service?
By: By Kathryn Jackson
Have you off-shored any of your customer contact operation? If so, how do you ensure there are no “dark and stormy” nights in your agents’ or customers’ experience?...
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10 Steps for Better Returns
Whether a returned item was the wrong size or was defective, you need a set of procedures for handling the product once it arrives in your warehouse. Fulfillment pro Curt Barry has a simple 10-step reverse logistics strategy. These tips can help you refurbish returns and get them back on the shelf for sale....
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Measure for measure
By: By Dan Graville
The road to developing a successful metrics, measurement and benchmarking program starts very much like any successful plan in
that it has to have a champion...
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A Few Thoughts about WMS Integration
By: By Ernie Schell
Every distribution center requires the functions provided by a warehouse management mystem (WMS) to control inventory movements, from receiving and put-away to picking and packing well as the management of returns. ...
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