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Intermodal Equipped With Opportunities
by Tyler Wolfe - Tuesday May 1, 2012
By: Tyler Wolfe As manufacturers begin inching toward recovery and truck tonnage climbs, capacity shortages remain among the top of shipper’s concerns. With CSA regulations looming; some experts fear as high as 15 percent of trucks could disappear from US roadways threatening an already fragile capacity market. These capacity threats coupled with intense consumer cost pressures are leading many companies to rethink their supply chain strategies and consider expanding their service options in search of new cost containment opportunities. It is for this reason that manufacturers and retailers alike are beginning to transition freight volumes traditionally managed by truckload carriers over to intermodal channels. This growing trend has... -
The Sizzle Sells the Steak!
by Neetin Datar and Paul Pretko - Monday March 12, 2012
By: Neetin Datar and Paul Pretko Its evening time and you are sitting at a restaurant. You have already given some thought to what you going to eat for dinner. You are about to order when suddenly another waiter briskly walks by you with a sizzling platter of steak in hand. What happens next? Yes, you know it – you end up ordering that steak. Don’t deny it; it happens to all of us! A similar phenomenon is occurring in foodservice distribution industry. The sizzle in this case is enterprise mobility i.e. sales reps equipped with smart phones or tablets and cool enterprise mobile apps to be used anytime anywhere. And steak of course continues to be a foodservice distributor’s existing customer relationships backed up by their... -
Fuel: Making the Difference for Foodservice Fleets in 2012
by Sean Evans and Ryan Mossman - Tuesday December 13, 2011By Sean Evans, Marketing Specialist – Fuel Center By Ryan Mossman, Vice President and General Manager – Fuel Center While 2011 has been a tremendously challenging year for foodservice fleets of all sizes, 2012 looks to bring more of the same. Fuel costs in 2011 climbed to levels not seen since 2008 with even greater price swings, and a number of severe weather events across the country wreaked havoc on logistical plans. Instability and political events in the Middle East continue to add pressure to supply translating into higher fuel prices and a greater burden on fuel manager budgets. Higher fuel prices have also meant alternative methods of transportation, such as rail, are gaining ground on foodservice fleets. So what can a... -
Preparing for the NLRB's Proposed Changes To Union Election Rules
by Robert T. Quackenboss - Monday November 21, 2011
By: Robert T. Quackenboss On November 30, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will vote on sweeping proposed changes to the rules by which it conducts union representation elections. The proposed changes fall broadly into three categories: (1) a shortened time period between the filing of the initial election petition and the election date; (2) post-election NLRB review of contested issues that were previously resolved pre-election; and (3) increased disclosure requirements for employers. Should the proposed changes be adopted as the NLRB moves forward with an implementation plan, employers will need to substantially alter their approach to union elections. A Shortened Election Process Under the new rules, elections... -
Food Safety Gets a Boost from Recall Preparedness
by Tom Kozenski - Friday November 4, 2011
By Tom Kozenski When you hear the phrase recall preparedness, it implies a strong system of track and trace within an organization, backed by computer data about origins of ingredients for products, and information about where finished goods are within the supply chain. But it’s important to realize that putting these data systems in place benefits food safety even if a recall never occurs. At our company we use the term “inventory genealogy” to describe knowledge about which lots of raw materials have been used in a final product. And with good technology that can be traced to products on retail shelves. This visibility is great for a precision recall where the exact lot code and exact locations are known, but it also provides...
