Deep Dive: Page 2
Industry insights from our journalists
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5 tips for cutting insurance costs amid climate change
As weather damage increases, firms can upgrade buildings with storm shutters, flood barriers and fire-suppression systems, among other moves to reduce premiums.
Jim Tyson • Dec. 7, 2023 -
Courtesy of RecruitMilitary.
How military veterans can fill the manufacturing labor gap
As the industry pushes to fill more than 600,000 open roles, veterans offer unique skillsets and leadership qualities to step into manufacturing careers.
Sara Samora • Nov. 10, 2023 -
Scott Olson/Getty Images via Getty Images
FedEx, UPS 2024 rate increases: What shippers should know
The variances within the carriers’ price hikes indicate what services are seeing the most pressure from competitors, experts say.
Max Garland • Nov. 8, 2023 -
gorodenkoff
By the numbers: How retailers stack up on inventory
Going into Q3, many major players cleaned up their inventories after last year’s surge in stock levels, with benefits to margins. Not everyone fared equally, however.
Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 17, 2023 -
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
5 ways fashion brands can reset their supply chain strategies
Port disruptions, labor negotiations and other shipping industry upheavals have forced apparel companies to develop new solutions to enduring challenges.
Howard Ruben • Oct. 10, 2023 -
Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images via Getty Images
The ambitious regulations cleaning up fashion’s supply chain
From pollution to human rights violations, new European laws are holding global fashion brands accountable for collateral damage.
Lauren Schenkman • Sept. 28, 2023 -
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
How Amazon Shipping could shake up the parcel delivery industry
While not yet a heavy hitter against FedEx and UPS, the service could entice small- and medium-sized businesses with its straightforward fees, experts say.
Max Garland • Aug. 30, 2023 -
Courtesy of International Brotherhood of Teamsters
What’s behind the summer of supply chain labor unrest?
From port disruptions to UPS and Yellow's dust-ups with the Teamsters, disputes between unions and employers are a recurring threat to the steady flow of goods.
Max Garland • Aug. 16, 2023 -
Alex Potemkin via Getty Images
Who will pay to decarbonize the supply chain?
Some brands are helping their suppliers reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Others are dumping new requirements on vendors without shouldering any of the costs.
Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 15, 2023 -
Joe Raedle via Getty Images
Why some UPS shippers haven’t diverted volume even as a potential strike looms
As many businesses firm up contingency plans, others are maintaining their current delivery activity with UPS, according to parcel shipping experts.
Max Garland • July 24, 2023 -
Aude Guerrucci/Reuters
UPS’ chances of averting a strike are shrinking. How should shippers prepare for the worst?
Experts say an Aug. 1 strike isn't a certainty, but customers should still solidify alternative carrier options.
Max Garland • July 5, 2023 -
Brandon Bell/Getty Images via Getty Images
Deliveries keep getting faster. Will it last?
Shippers adjusted to pandemic-related disruptions to reach customers faster. But shifting shopper preferences and cost-cutting efforts may slow things down.
Max Garland • June 12, 2023 -
gorodenkoff via Getty Images
AI opens new frontier in supply chain planning
The pandemic showed that forecasting is more important — and difficult — than ever.
Ben Unglesbee • May 23, 2023 -
kupicoo via Getty Images
After last year’s inventory tidal wave, where do retailers go from here?
Bare shelves are still a recent memory, but many are learning to live on leaner inventories after overstocking in 2022.
Ben Unglesbee • May 16, 2023 -
luoman via Getty Images
Apparel suppliers out of vogue as they resist tech investments
Tied to fax machines and Excel spreadsheets, many companies are resistant to change and slow to adapt to new ways of doing business.
Krishna Thakker • May 12, 2023 -
Courtesy of Port of Savannah
4 charts show how cargo diversions are playing out in the US
Shippers have been diverting cargo for years now, but where exactly is it going? A few datasets provide a hint.
Edwin Lopez, Alejandra Carranza and Jasmine Ye Han • May 3, 2023 -
Carlos Osorio/AP
Why delivery robots face a regulatory ‘nightmare’
Laws for sidewalk-roaming bots have taken hold across states. But variances in each bill complicate the industry's expansion plans.
Max Garland • April 26, 2023 -
Spencer Platt/Getty via Getty Images
An unglamorous solution to fashion’s sustainability problem: make less stuff
Industry players are shifting to new strategies amid corporate responsibility pushes and efforts to stop the destruction of unsold goods.
Lauren Schenkman • April 20, 2023 -
Courtesy of FedEx
FedEx and Amazon still haven’t figured out sidewalk delivery robots. Will mass adoption ever come?
Delivery giants' tests of autonomous bots fizzled out. But many industry insiders still believe that the technology can catch on.
Max Garland • April 12, 2023 -
hapabapa via Getty Images
Paper industry struggles to phase out PFAS
Finding alternatives to toxic "forever chemicals" remains an ongoing issue within the packaging sector.
April Reese • April 7, 2023 -
Allison Joyce/Getty Images via Getty Images
3 years later: How COVID-19 exposed the vulnerability of suppliers and workers to the power of big buyers
A tidal wave of order cancellations in early 2020 had dire repercussions for laborers and their families. The consequences are still being felt.
Ben Unglesbee • March 31, 2023 -
Courtesy of Walmart press kit DroneUp announcement
What drone companies need to do to reach lofty delivery goals
Zipline and Alphabet's Wing aim to scale up and reach more customers, but it will take more than their internal capabilities to secure long-term success and adoption.
Max Garland • March 29, 2023 -
Courtesy of PepsiCo
Food companies say they can reduce their emissions this year. Experts are skeptical.
Academics and environmental groups say CPGs’ reliance on regenerative agriculture and carbon credits may not be enough to realistically hit their time-based goals.
Chris Casey • Feb. 6, 2023 -
Permission granted by Vita Coco
Here’s how CPGs are bracing for more volatility in 2023
Supply chain disruptions are prompting companies to revamp operations to weather a period of prolonged uncertainty.
Christopher Doering • Jan. 19, 2023 -
Spencer Platt via Getty Images
Amid strike fears, cargo diversion a key fixture in 2022’s supply chain playbook
The shadow of negotiations clouds U.S. railroads and West Coast ports. Shippers have leaned on less-risky alternatives, despite some drawbacks.
Max Garland • Nov. 16, 2022
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