ReleaseWire Connect

Fleet electrification is a key goal that could make it easier for sustainability targets to be met. However, there are many obstacles in the way of this, including a lack of information and resources to make it happen. Now, Catalyze and Microgrid Labs are joining forces to combine software and clean energy transitions to help make it easier for fleets across the US to integrate electrification. Working with fleet owners across the country, the clean energy partnership will provide help and support with all aspects of the clean energy process, including financing, implementation and operations.

Amazon has a reputation as a business that is keen on innovation and the retailer has created many logistics and supply chain jobs through its actions over the years. That's especially so with respect to the behind-the-scenes planning that has gone into Amazon's approach to the complex journey that can be involved in a product purchase. What many don't realize is that Amazon has actually been making its own containers, leasing cargo planes, and chartering cargo ships for many years.

Digitization and digital operations have been prioritized in procurement over the past 12-24 months. Today, research has emerged indicating that it's the digital world-class procurement organizations that fully embrace digitization that typically achieve the top results when it comes to efficiency, as well as meeting and managing the expectations of customers.

The vulnerability of supply chain inefficiencies came into sharp focus during the pandemic, from congestion in ports to far extended transit times. President Biden's response has been to create a solution to the lack of investment that has been made in infrastructure in the country in recent years, so that speeding up the flow of goods might finally be possible.

Supply chain disruption has been hitting the headlines throughout 2021 and there is no sign that this is going to ease up much as we start the new year. In fact, recent input from the experts indicates that the problems experienced with supply chains today could well continue into 2023. High variability, rising inflation, issues with port infrastructure and shortages of containers are noted by experts as being significant, creating something of a perfect storm when it comes to ongoing disruption. Rather than a focus on last mile delivery issues it's actually the first mile of delivery where reliability in the supply chain is currently a real problem.

Transportation costs remain the most significant part of logistics budgets for many companies today. According to industry specialists, the cost of transport makes up around 58% of average corporate logistics costs. As the past year has seen a huge rise in the need for local delivery services (eCommerce purchases made up 14% of all sales last year) this is putting even more strain on this part of the budget.

Smart manufacturing is accelerating across the USA, as organizations seek to achieve greater efficiencies and explore the opportunities that technology and innovation can create. Key to the speed at which smart manufacturing is able to develop is the level of education within the industry. Two organizations looking to tackle this are SME, a non-profit professional association dedicated to advancing manufacturing, and CESMII – The Smart Manufacturing Institute, which together have formed a collaboration, combining their resources, to help businesses begin to invest more in the smart manufacturing approach.

Cloud computing and the Internet of Things there are now many more places where organizations might be vulnerable. For logistics businesses, there are three best practice principles that could help to protect and avoid an unnecessary breach. The first step is to ensure that security is being integrated into every part of an organization - this will require increased collaboration between IT teams and business leaders to push this to the top of the priority list.

A CO2-neutral transport network would change the way that logistics operates in the future. This is something that is being prioritized across industries in order to help ensure that the world meets global emissions reduction targets. The transport network is one of the biggest contributors to US greenhouse gas emissions - recent statistics indicate that transportation accounts for the largest portion (29%) of total U.S. GHG emissions. Road transport is the biggest offender when it comes to emissions and those emissions are predicted to rise through to 2050.

Truck drivers are vital to a healthy supply chain, something that has been brought into sharp focus by recent crises. Although there has been a shortage of drivers for some time, in recent years this has become more acute as many older drivers have retired and the often-stressful conditions of truck driving have pushed others out of the profession.