Chain links: What we're reading this week
The challenge of revamping supply chains to support omnichannel fulfillment. Logistics M&A continues active. And an online professional connection site for forklift drivers.
Redesigning The Supply Chain Organization for Omnichannels: Why Is This So Challenging?
As Supply Chain Management (SCM) continues to expand in its understanding, its impacts on stakeholder value, and its role in the business and operational strategies of each company, the question of the most effective organizational design has risen to the executive suite along with the awareness of its growing influence.
Source: Tompkins International
The predictive enterprise: Where data science meets supply chain
Most companies are sitting on a goldmine of untapped supply chain data that has the ability to give organizations a competitive edge. Yet, according to a recent Accenture survey, only 17 percent of executives say they have implemented analytics in one or more of their supply chain functions.
Source: DHL
Shippers fight climate change by picking cleaner cargo vessels
International shippers usually choose a maritime carrier based on variables like cost, speed, security, or technology, but now a site called Shipping Efficiency lets users search a database that ranks 76,000 cargo ships by their carbon dioxide emissions, and pick a partner based on environmental impact.
Source: Shipping Efficiency
Logistics firms pursue mergers and acquisitions despite modest economic outlook
The logistics industry continues to exercise caution due to high inventories and the decelerating global economic rebound, according to SDR Ventures, a Colorado investment bank that releases a quarterly M&A trends report on the sector. Despite that uncertain outlook, the industry is showing optimism by investing in improving operations and keeping up a quick pace on mergers and consolidations.
Source: SDR Ventures, Inc.
Port of Boston buys security scanner for shipping containers
Carriers moving shipping containers through the Port of Boston could soon see their containers scanned for drugs or radioactive material with a $16 million x-ray scanner the size of a car-wash building. Designed by a former MIT physics professor, this SmartScan 3D machine can differentiate between substances that look identical on conventional x-ray screens, such as cocaine and salt.
Source: Boston Globe
Jobcase targets blue-collar workers left out of LinkedIn
For a doctor, engineer, or bank executive, managing a career network has never been easier, with sites such as LinkedIn offering ways to make professional connections and climb to the next job. But what about retail clerks, landscapers, and forklift operators?Jobcase.com, a Cambridge, Mass.-based company, is trying to become the networking site for a large but overlooked segment of the U.S. labor market, helping cooks, cleaners, and construction workers find jobs, build skills, and support others in similar roles.
Source: Boston Globe