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Implementing Continuous Improvement in the Supply Chain
Throughout the Industrial Age businesses have looked for continuous improvement in the supply chain. Managers sought ways to streamline operations and eliminate waste by establishing working protocols, leveraging new technology, or even shifting their business models. As times change, successful businesses adapt and modernize. Technology provides many opportunities to support a continuous improvement process, but…
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How to Improve Pallet Durability
We’re all familiar with the scene: broken wood block pallets piled against a warehouse wall. Wood pallets like these have served their useful lifespan of around 15 to 20 trips across the supply chain and are often bound for the local landfill—or perhaps a good bonfire. On average, once every three to four trips through…
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5 Warehouse Automation Trends and What They Can Do for You
The warehouse automation market—composed of innovative practices and machinery that cut labor costs, protect workers, and accelerate operations—is predicted to reach $89 billion by 2026. As managers begin to adopt these warehouse practices, they often face a steep learning curve. One way managers can flatten the learning curve is by ensuring that they approach the…
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Best Practices for Automatic Pallet Wrapper Safety
If your facility invested in an automatic pallet wrapper, then you’re likely already experiencing total cost of business (TCOB) reductions. Consider the efficiency gains in sheer productivity. Remember when one warehouse worker would wrap maybe thirty pallets over the course of an entire workday? Entry model turntable wrappers can wrap as many in one hour,…
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How 5S in the Warehouse Can Increase Throughput and Reduce Waste
Early in Hiroyuki Hirano’s classic sourcebook on 5S methodology in warehouse operations and factories, 5 Pillars of the Visual Workplace, he introduces readers to the “red-tag” strategy for visualizing waste. The enemy, Hirano writes, is waste, and the red-tag strategy provides a visual metric for identifying accumulated waste on the factory and warehouse floors. As…
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3 Cold Chain Logistics Challenges—And How to Solve Them
Cold chain management has transformed to meet the growing global demand for fresh food and pharmaceuticals. This transformation has not always been easy, though: businesses running cold chain logistics operations often struggle to transport and store perishable food products while maintaining their safety and freshness. Pharmaceutical products such as vaccines are particularly prone to damage…
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Pallet Pooling, Supply Chain Sustainability/Circular Economy, Supply Chain: Lowering Your Total Cost of Business
Reverse Logistics and Sustainability: Reducing Waste in the Supply Chain
Reverse logistics, or aftermarket logistics, describes an integral part of supply chain operations where materials and products must return to their point of origin for proper disposal or value recapturing. By integrating reverse logistics and sustainability, companies can reduce waste generated in the supply chain, lowering their carbon emissions and environmental footprint. This eventually improves…
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How to Lower Your Warehouse Carbon Emissions
As businesses introduce sustainable practices across their supply chains, operations managers have located a key pain point: carbon emission reductions. Logistics operations—including warehousing—contribute significantly to a business’s carbon footprint that can negatively impact both the brand and the bottom line. While warehouse carbon emissions are not as high as those generated by freight transportation, warehousing…