How Shipping Software Innovation Led FreightPOP Into Freight Management!

Have you ever been extremely frustrated with a process at work? That was where we were six years ago. Our technology business, Horizon Technology, was being hindered by our shipping processes.

Our outdated manual methods were wasting a lot of time and money, which we attempted to solve by subscribing to a transportation management solution; however, we were sorely let down by the lack of customization. We couldn’t make existing shipping software work for our business, at least at a cost we could afford.

So we had to develop our own. As a technology company, we had the resources and experience. And we were so satisfied with the results, we brought our solution to market with a start-up known as FreightPOP. 

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Supply Chain as a Service (SCaaS)!

I began my career working in a manufacturing plant within an international company that was completely vertically integrated. From component manufacturing through to subassembly manufacturing and end product assembly they did it all.

Within 10 years the company experienced a number of site closures and declared that manufacturing was no longer a core competency. For the site that I was a part of this meant that closure was an inevitability.

Faced with this stark reality we made the choice to spin off from the parent organization and start our own new company, entering the world of Contract Manufacturing.

This was my first experience with Outsourcing, or what I refer to as “Supply Chain as a Service” (SCaaS).

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1001 Networks Offers Delivery Solutions! (Sponsored)

In December 2019, 1001 Networks officially launched!

This site, which operates out of Antibes, France allows people to take control over their business’ shipping and delivery needs. The website offers a place for people to come together and share information.

Right on the homepage of the website, people can see real customer reviews of companies. These detail the experiences people had with their chosen provider, and allows others to learn who to use, or not to use. 

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Seasoned Leadership in Action ™ – Our 2018 All Star Leaders!

In 2018 Supply Chain Game Changer introduced our Seasoned Leadership in Action ™ interview series.

There are so many fantastic people leading in Business and in Supply Chain.  We thought that it would be great to learn a little more about what makes these people tick, what is important to them, and what we can all learn from them.

The Interview series has proven to be phenomenally popular with our readers with many of these Interviews being amongst our most viewed articles of all time.  So we thought that it would be great to recap all of the Interviews we published in 2018.

Finally we extend our thanks to all of those who participated in our Seasoned Leadership in Action™ Interview series.  You were quite simply great for which we are truly grateful!

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Hopewell Logistics: Pioneering Efficient Canadian Market Distribution!

Efficient logistics and supply chain management are essential to succeed in the fast-paced and competitive Canadian market. Companies that efficiently distribute their products to customers have a clear advantage over their competition.

At Hopewell Logistics, they empower brand owners by outsourcing warehousing and distribution needs while preserving in-house control and adaptability. They are your trusted ally for efficient and growth-oriented logistics solutions. Let’s see how they’ve helped clients grow and simplify distribution. 

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Will Supply Chain Improve in the Near Future?

We’ve been through a lot these past few years. After thinking we had operations under control with just-in-time supply chains, leaning out our processes and modernizing our IT systems, we got hit with geo-political tariffs, then shut-downs due to the Covid pandemic, shortages and backlogs, a fast shift to online commerce, omni-channel selling, and remote working just to survive.

Some industries were pummeled, and others never had it so good.

So, what have we learned from all of this, and what is our prognosis? Will Supply Chain improve? We’re still left with a mixed bag of options. Let’s look at where we are.

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Junk Mail is Clogging the Supply Chain!

Every week I receive approximately 20 -25 pieces of physical mail in my mailbox. Amazingly, week after week only 1-2 pieces of that mail are actually bills or other items that I should be getting.

The rest is Junk!

That’s right 95% of the mail that I get is Junk and gets immediately thrown in the recycle bin.

But that Junk mail still takes resources to be made and distributed.

What an absolute waste!

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Online Freight Forwarding: Easing International Shipping for SMBs!

With more customers ordering goods online than ever before, the margin of error for mistakes in shipping and logistics has become that much smaller. Simply put: A poor delivery experience will likely lose an SMB their customer.

Logistics operations are notoriously difficult and expensive to set up, especially for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Margins are low and resource needs are high, both stumbling blocks for the average SMB. Thankfully, digital freight forwarding is presenting SMBs with a unique solution.

Here’s how online freight forwarding is easing international shipping for SMBs.

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The Home Stretch: Understanding the “Last Mile” of Delivery!

Imagine you’re tracking a package online–you can see it’s traveled across oceans and continents, through sorting centers and onto trucks, and now it’s finally in your city. But this last bit of journey, known as the “last mile,” is where things can get tricky.

This is the final leg of the supply chain–the part where your package makes its way from the local distribution center to your doorstep. It’s a crucial stage, and often the most complex, costly, and time-consuming part of the whole delivery process.

For businesses, getting this last part right can be the difference between a happy customer and a lost opportunity.

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The Benefits of LTL Trucking!

There are many benefits of LTL trucking services rather than traditional trucking services.

For one, LTL trucking is much more economical for small businesses and shippers. Rather than having to hire a full truck and driver to transport their goods, businesses can use LTL services to share the cost of transportation with other businesses at greater efficiency.

This helps to save money on shipping costs.

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What Exactly Is Supply Chain Management? 10 Different Definitions!

When I began my  career there was no such thing as “Supply Chain Management“.  Supply Chain was not a title to be found anywhere on any organization chart.

Yet all of the functions that we now associate with Supply Chain have been around for a very long time:  Planning, Inventory Management, Logistics, Procurement and Purchasing, Warehousing and many more.

So what exactly is the definition of “Supply Chain Management”?  Interestingly there are many views on how to define Supply Chain.

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Top Considerations When Choosing a Route Planning System for Delivery Logistics!

Gartner had predicted that by 2020, ten percent of all field service work would be scheduled by artificial intelligence. However, about 52% of all companies providing field services plan their delivery services manually, and only 30% use GPS tracking or a route planning system, according to statistics on resco.net.

Whether you specialize in food delivery or HVAC services, route planning can help grow your business by providing quick delivery times and reducing fuel costs. In turn, the overall flow of your business operations increases, giving you a competitive edge against competitors. However, to enjoy these benefits, there are some factors you must consider, including the use of routing software.

Below are the top considerations when choosing a route planning system for delivery logistics.

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Truck Drivers are a Vital Part of the Supply Chain!

Take a quick look around your home or office and you’d be hard-pressed to find a product that has not seen the inside of a truck or delivered by truck drivers at some point in its existence.

In truth, many aspects of everyday life are made possible through the supply chain industry, with trucking alone responsible for 70% of America’s freight volume by weight. This is achieved through the hard work of truck drivers, the unsung heroes of the industry, who travel 430 billion miles per year hauling 10 billion tons of goods that people all need to live.

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Our 2023 Top 10 Articles!

As we start our 7th year here at Supply Chain Game Changer, the number of ideas, articles, and the amount of content has never been greater.

We have emerged from the restrictions of the global pandemic of the last few years but the ramifications will still be felt for a long time to come. Significant advances in AI technology (eg. ChatGPT) reflect a realization of a part of our vision of the Digital Supply Chain of the future.

Here we present our 2023 Top 10 articles for the first half of the year.

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How to Become a Professional Truck Driver!

Becoming a professional truck driver certainly has its challenges. For someone just starting the task might unconquerable.

For that reason, this article suggests some helpful tips for those looking to become a professional truck driver.

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