Macy's: Lowering delivery costs is a 'top priority'

The retailer seeks to improve in-store fulfillment and reduce the number of split shipments to deflate last-mile costs.

By Max Garland • March 2, 2022

La-Z-Boy sends 'SWAT teams' to boost production at facilities

Labor shortfalls at its own and supplier facilities led the furniture company to deploy talent to factories.

By Sarah Zimmerman • March 2, 2022

Explore the Trendline➔

Inventory Management

Read how retailers and brand manufactures are rethinking inventory management.

By Supply Chain Dive staff

Executives share four inflation-coping strategies

CFOs in several industries describe how they are trying to shield profits against an inflationary surge.

By Jim Tyson • March 2, 2022

Industrial robot orders had a record year in 2021: A3

Businesses sought automation in 2021 to lessen the impact of labor shortfalls.

By Max Garland • March 1, 2022

Walmart's third-party fulfillment business grew 500% last year

The retailer hopes to grow its seller base and their sales with logistics services, which in turn can help boost its nascent advertising business.

By Ben Unglesbee • March 1, 2022

Newell Brands' integration plan will improve 'fragmented' distribution, CEO says

The company will combine product shipments from different business units and ship them together in full truckloads to better satisfy demand.

By Colin Campbell • March 1, 2022

Debt is a hidden financial risk in retail supply chains

A high debt load could lead to operational weaknesses that flow upstream, according to RapidRatings' James Gellert.

By Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 28, 2022

Russia's invasion of Ukraine throws another wrench into supply chains

Carriers are halting operations and suppliers are at risk. War is "a worst-case scenario," one analyst said.

By Colin Campbell • Feb. 24, 2022

California's new pop-up yards could house 20,000 containers

The three armories, two fairgrounds and a former prison site can store full containers or empties, said Chunker CEO Brad Wright.

By Colin Campbell • Feb. 23, 2022

Shipping delays prevent iRobot from fulfilling $35M in Q4 orders

The Roomba maker must help sell delayed products in early 2022, but inventory reduction efforts are likely to be met by extended shipping timeframes.

By Max Garland • Feb. 22, 2022

3D printing brings customization to the supply chain

Advances in additive manufacturing could have wide-reaching effects, even changing how supply chains are designed long-term, one analyst said.

By Jen A. Miller • Feb. 22, 2022

Labor Department to ramp up worker rights enforcement in warehousing, logistics

An initiative will focus on ensuring workers are paid their legally owed minimum and overtime wages, are safe from harassment and are provided proper time off.

By Emilie Shumway • Feb. 22, 2022

Justice Department to probe companies exploiting supply chain issues

The DOJ's Antitrust Division, in collaboration with the FBI, is taking steps to root out collusion "in industries particularly affected by supply disruptions."

By Sarah Zimmerman • Feb. 18, 2022

Institutional memory is short. It's time to plan for a return to normalcy.

As always happens with boom-and-bust cycles, management’s cry will change from "where are the parts?" to "why do we have so many of them?"

By Rich Weissman • Feb. 17, 2022

'We can go further': HanesBrands trims SKUs by 30% in past 2 years

The company also consolidated suppliers to cut costs, and it plans to add distribution capacity to grow its DTC business.

By Colin Campbell • Feb. 17, 2022

Autonomous vehicles make inroads — inside and outside the warehouse

Drones and driverless vehicle technology will continue to change supply chains as businesses experiment with how best to deploy them.

By Jen A. Miller • Feb. 15, 2022

Wayfair taps Nike, Target vet as new supply chain chief

Sean Halligan joins the online home goods specialist in a tough operating environment, and after years of shipping and fulfillment costs eating up profits.

By Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 15, 2022

Starbucks accelerates price increases to offset omicron-related costs

Staffing constraints at third-party delivery providers drove costs up at a higher-than-expected rate, executives said.

By Alejandra Carranza • Feb. 14, 2022

Tracking the shift to 24/7 supply chains

The San Pedro Bay ports could continue to dangle the threat of a container dwell fee through this summer.

Retail supply chains were made to be broken. Will brands adapt — or revert?

The past two years have laid bare vulnerabilities that have long existed in the system, including a lack of capacity and geographic concentration in manufacturing.

By Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 11, 2022

Heightened cold storage demand drives DHL's $400M expansion

A just-in-case approach to pharmaceutical distribution prompted the logistics provider to add six facilities in the U.S.

By Alejandra Carranza • Feb. 11, 2022

Disability inclusion programs help warehouses hire overlooked talent

Retail and logistics companies are accelerating their commitments to workers with disabilities as a labor crunch hampers operations. Experts say the programs have sizeable benefits.

By Colin Campbell • Feb. 8, 2022

Tractor Supply to cut in-store safety stock with just-in-time replenishment centers

The facilities, known as mixing centers, focus on delivering some of the retailer's fastest-turning products in full-pallet quantities.

By Max Garland • Feb. 7, 2022

Labor, transportation costs fuel Amazon's decision to hike Prime price

As the omicron variant makes waves, companies are facing higher operating costs to keep facilities staffed up. Amazon is no exception. 

By Max Garland • Feb. 4, 2022

Fender moves to cloud ERP to keep up with record guitar demand

Businesses are pushing for better scalability and new features in their central provisions systems.

By Roberto Torres • Feb. 2, 2022