News, Articles, and Thought-Leadership

OPSdesign’s Consultants, Engineers, and Analysts are supply chain logistics subject matter experts, authors, and speakers. We have written books, have been published in respected trade journals and business magazines, and are frequent speakers at leading supply chain conferences.  Check back here often for our latest insights on trending supply chain logistics topics. Click the links below:

Item-Master Data Accuracy: The Basis of Supply Chain Efficacy

Item-Master Data Accuracy: The Basis of Supply Chain Efficacy

The item-master file is the bedrock upon which modern supply chains are built. In the complex world of modern supply chains, accuracy is the cornerstone...
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AV Trucking Receives Pushback from State Governments

AV Trucking Receives Pushback from State Governments

AV Trucking (Autonomous Vehicle Trucking) is getting a bit of pushback from a number of state governments. The success of the supply chain is dependent...
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Internet Connectivity: An Often Overlooked Warehouse Necessity

Internet Connectivity: An Often Overlooked Warehouse Necessity

Now more than ever, Internet connectivity is paramount to modern warehouse operations. Best practices dictate that to optimize a warehouse, you must integrate modern technology....
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Managing the Labor Shortage in Supply Chain Management

Managing the Labor Shortage in Supply Chain Management

Ask anyone in supply chain management, and the labor shortage is likely at the top of the list for ongoing challenges. Turnover is high, hiring...
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A Recipe for Supply Chain Management Failure

A Recipe for Supply Chain Management Failure

Avoiding supply chain management failure is just as important as working toward supply chain management successes.  Effective supply chain management is crucial for the success...
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G-20 Summit Brings Supply Chain Opportunities

G-20 Summit Brings Supply Chain Opportunities

While the purpose of the recent G-20 summit was international relations, one of its results is a potential boon to supply chain management. The United...
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Warehouse Design vs Warehouse Operation | Designing the Bakery vs Making the Donuts

Warehouse Design vs Warehouse Operation | Designing the Bakery vs Making the Donuts

Let's look at warehouse design vs warehouse operation. The "making the donuts" versus "designing the bakery" analogy provides a powerful perspective on the complex relationship...
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EV Trucks: An Industry Advancement on the Rise

EV Trucks: An Industry Advancement on the Rise

Logistics companies are considering EV trucks, for a growing number of reasons. As the world attempts to wean off fossil fuels in an effort to...
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The Use of Generative AI in Shipping

The Use of Generative AI in Shipping

Logistics companies are hoping that generative AI will help them with most supply chain tasks in the near future. Visibility is key in today’s supply...
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Providing High Service Levels While Maintaining Low Costs

Providing High Service Levels While Maintaining Low Costs

Every supply chain operation wants high service levels while maintaining low costs. "Have your cake and eat it too" is a common idiom that reflects...
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Productivity Standards: Walking A Fine Line

Productivity Standards: Walking A Fine Line

There’s been a good deal of attention given to big e-commerce companies and their harsh productivity standards in the past few years. Implementing speedy standards...
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Using AI in Logistics: Little Adoption – Big Possibilities

Using AI in Logistics: Little Adoption – Big Possibilities

The use of AI in Logistics is often discussed but seldom implemented. The world loves buzzwords, and the supply chain management industry is not immune...
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Team Building Strengthens Supply Chain Organizations

Team Building Strengthens Supply Chain Organizations

Let's explore the importance of team building in supply chain organizations and explore how it contributes to enhanced productivity, innovation, and overall success. In the...
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Digital Supply Chain Trends

Digital Supply Chain Trends

There are several new and emerging trends in the digital supply chain sector. The tools and technology available to run today’s supply chains are ever-advancing...
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Diversification of Small Parcel Carriers

Diversification of Small Parcel Carriers

When it comes to small parcel carriers, many organizations have all their eggs in one basket. The entire supply chain waited nervously last month to...
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The Multitasking Fallacy in Supply Chain Operations

The Multitasking Fallacy in Supply Chain Operations

In the modern world, where time is a precious commodity, multitasking has become a buzzword. The ability to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously is often hailed...
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Maui Wildfires – Supply Chain Assistance is Needed

Maui Wildfires – Supply Chain Assistance is Needed

Last week’s devastating wildfires on the island of Maui have left people and companies scrambling for avenues to provide help. Several organizations have jumped in...
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Nikola Recalls Class 8 EV Trucks

Nikola Recalls Class 8 EV Trucks

EV truck manufacturer Nikola recently recalled their class 8 EV trucks due to battery fires.  As the supply chain management industry pushes toward alternative fuels,...
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Yellow Transportation’s Winners and Losers

Yellow Transportation’s Winners and Losers

It’s been about a week since Yellow Transportation, one of the nation’s largest and longest running trucking companies, announced its demise. The fallout has been...
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Which Warehouse KPIs Matter Most?

Which Warehouse KPIs Matter Most?

Which warehouse KPIs matter the most? Warehousing is evolving and changing at a rapid pace thanks to booming ecommerce and omnichannel operations. It’s therefore taking...
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Omni-Channel Retailing: Determining the Ideal Number of Distribution Centers

Omni-Channel Retailing: Determining the Ideal Number of Distribution Centers

In today's retail landscape, omni-channel retailing faces the unique challenge of serving both online consumers and traditional brick-and-mortar store customers. With the convergence of e-commerce...
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The Magic Conveyor Belt – Supply Chain Management Explained

The Magic Conveyor Belt – Supply Chain Management Explained

A book titled “The Magic Conveyor Belt” does an exceptionally good job of explaining the supply chain. Until a few years ago, explaining your role...
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Yellow Trucking Meets Its Demise: What Happened?

Yellow Trucking Meets Its Demise: What Happened?

This week's demise of Yellow Trucking rocked the truckload and LTL world. Just shy of 100 years old, the company held a fleet of 12,000 trucks...
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Maintaining Optimal Inventory Levels in Warehouse, Distribution and Fulfillment

Maintaining Optimal Inventory Levels in Warehouse, Distribution and Fulfillment

The cornerstone of supply chain operations lies in determining and maintaining optimal inventory levels. Striking the right balance between meeting customer demand, minimizing stockouts, and...
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Why Warehouse Design Projects Fail: Understanding Common Pitfalls and Ensuring Success

Why Warehouse Design Projects Fail: Understanding Common Pitfalls and Ensuring Success

Warehouse design projects fail often, even though they are critical undertakings that have a significant impact on a company's logistics and operational efficiency. However, these...
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The Delay in Hiring Supply Chain Consultants: Why Wait?

The Delay in Hiring Supply Chain Consultants: Why Wait?

There seems to be a delay in hiring supply chain consultants even within organizations with underperforming warehousing and distribution operations. In today's rapidly evolving and...
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Women Are Populating The Ranks of The Supply Chain

Women Are Populating The Ranks of The Supply Chain

If you attended any sort of supply chain management trade show a couple of decades back, one thing was a given: unlike a concert venue...
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Should You Consider A 3PL

Should You Consider A 3PL

Having a third-party logistics partner could greatly benefit your warehouse as warehousing and logistics are complicated business these days. Long gone are the old, dusty...
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Labor Disputes May Impact Small Parcel Delivery

Labor Disputes May Impact Small Parcel Delivery

There are looming labor disputes in the small parcel deliver sector that could impact the supply chain. The United States is currently facing a modern-day...
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Warehouse Worker Wages May Be Stabilizing

Warehouse Worker Wages May Be Stabilizing

There are signs that ever increasing warehouse worker wages may be stabilizing. Ask any warehouse manager and they will tell you that right now, their...
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Centralized Supply Chain Management vs. Decentralized Supply Chain Management

Centralized Supply Chain Management vs. Decentralized Supply Chain Management

Should your business utilize a centralized supply chain management department or a decentralized supply chain management department? It hasn’t been that long since supply chain...
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Last-Mile Delivery is Driving Supply Chain Innovations

Last-Mile Delivery is Driving Supply Chain Innovations

 Last-mile delivery is now a key area of focus for many supply chain managers. Ecommerce was already surging prior to the pandemic, but home delivery—done...
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Investment In Tech Is Up

Investment In Tech Is Up

Back in 2019, when the Material Handling Industry (MHI) surveyed its members about planned investment in tech, specifically innovation and supply chain technology, most respondents...
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Forklift Safety

Forklift Safety

The Industrial Truck Association (ITA) recently held its 10th annual National Forklift Safety Day, convening as a group in Washington, DC, to highlight recommendations from...
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Making The Circular Economy Profitable

Making The Circular Economy Profitable

Fears and misconceptions have long hampered the supply chain’s ability to launch a circular economy. Yet, if your company needs an incentive to buy into...
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The Rise of The Machines

The Rise of The Machines

You can go back to George Orwell’s “1984” if you want to find some of the earliest predictions about the rise of the machines and...
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Autonomous Trucks Facing Legislative Headwinds

Autonomous Trucks Facing Legislative Headwinds

Are Autonomous Trucks the future backbone of the supply chain? With a continuing truck driver shortage, many supply chain professionals yearn for the day when...
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Drought Conditions in Panama Canal Disrupting the Supply Chain

Drought Conditions in Panama Canal Disrupting the Supply Chain

Traffic in the Panama Canal is being impacted by severe drought conditions in Central America. Climate change continues to serve as a disruptive factor in...
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Transportation Management Systems for Small Business

Transportation Management Systems for Small Business

You make think that affordable Transportation Management Systems for small business are a unicorn that doesn't really exist. In the overall picture of supply chain...
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The Healthcare Supply Chain: Maintaining Continuity

The Healthcare Supply Chain: Maintaining Continuity

When the pandemic began in March 2020, the first logistics system to reveal its cracks was healthcare supply chain. Essential personal protective equipment, such as...
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Putting Blockchain Technology to Work in the Supply Chain

Putting Blockchain Technology to Work in the Supply Chain

Blockchain technology continues to make its imprint on supply chain management. As it evolves in capabilities and as the supply chain adopts it, blockchain is...
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IPEF – Indo-Pacific Economic Framework Agreement

IPEF – Indo-Pacific Economic Framework Agreement

The United States has been working to reduce reliance on China in the past few years, and at the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) meetings held...
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Retailer Debt Hangover from the Pandemic Could Spell Trouble

Retailer Debt Hangover from the Pandemic Could Spell Trouble

The pandemic created quite a bit of retailer debt and the effects have yet to be fully felt. It’s been a rough and tumble several...
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Determining the Optimal Inventory Levels for Your Supply Chain

Determining the Optimal Inventory Levels for Your Supply Chain

Determining the optimal inventory levels in a warehouse, distribution, or fulfillment operation involves finding a balance between meeting customer demand, minimizing stockouts, and minimizing holding...
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When to Engage a Supply Chain Consultant

When to Engage a Supply Chain Consultant

When should you call a supply chain consultant in to assist your internal team? While focusing on supply chain management has always held value for...
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Extreme Weather Events: Protecting the Supply Chain

Extreme Weather Events: Protecting the Supply Chain

Are you taking steps to mitigate supply chain disruptions due to weather events? While no one can predict when tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, or wildfires will...
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Automated Unloading Systems are Making Life Easier

Automated Unloading Systems are Making Life Easier

The use of automated unloading systems (UAS) is on the rise. These systems are essentially robots that can unload or load a truck and they...
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Productivity Quotas Being Banned by States

Productivity Quotas Being Banned by States

States have started banning productivity quotas with 5 already banning or considering a ban on productivity quotas. The labor shortage is woven into the fabric...
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Freight Fraud is Growing: How to protect yourself

Freight Fraud is Growing: How to protect yourself

Incidents of freight fraud are ramping up. How can you protect yourself? Supply chains are inherently dependent on shipping and for years, freight brokers have...
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What is Friendshoring and How Does It Impact the Supply Chain?

What is Friendshoring and How Does It Impact the Supply Chain?

Friendshoring, is the trend to partner with nations considered friendly to the United States and its allies. For decades now, the supply chain has operated...
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