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Beyond Control Towers: How Cognitive Command Centers are Revolutionizing Supply Chains
Like its sibling supply chain visibility, control towers continue to garner a lot of interest and discussion in the industry. As...
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Next-Gen Control Tower: Machine Learning & Optimizing the Supply Chain
Blume Global CEO, Pervinder Johar joined Sarah Barnes-Humphrey on a Let’s Talk Supply Chain “Thoughts and Coffee” episode that explored the busy intersection of machine learning and logistics technology. Johar provided a market snapshot on what he is seeing in the industry, as well as what Blume customers are talking about and what is important…
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Why RFQ Systems Struggle to Support Complex Manufacturing
Product launches can be stressful. They require close coordination across internal departments as well as suppliers who may be dispersed across the globe. Most organizations struggle to overcome miscommunication caused by siloed information, which results in teams working from disconnected data that cannot be easily consolidated and it is often out of date. This in…
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The Top 3 issues shippers have with Supply Chain Visibility
It’s no secret that solutions by supply chain technology providers are abound. Visibility is becoming an industry standard, and chances are that shippers that have embraced digitization have a handle on where their shipments are at points within the journey. But what do you do when something goes wrong during the shipment lifecycle? That means…
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VIEWPOINT: Machine Learning’s Role in Optimizing the Supply Chain and the Next-Gen Control Tower
Entering 2023, supply chain players are finding themselves in unique situations. After the events of the last 12 months, larger retailers have too much inventory while smaller retailers are still struggling to catch up. Another example is the overall fall in demand, but not at the rate anticipated by experts, as well as the energy…
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2022 Year in Review
All players in the global supply chain can agree on one thing: 2022 has been quite the ride! The looming impact of the pandemic, fluctuating economy and wavering political instability are likely to leave lasting effects for many into the new year. That isn’t to say, however, that supply chain leaders lost their footing in…
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VIEWPOINT: The State of Logistics Technology: A Lookahead into 2023
As the closing of 2022 nears, the effects of key global events throughout the year—such as the war in Ukraine, energy crisis and looming rail strike in the U.S.–are heavily influencing how supply chain executives are approaching 2023. With companies of all sizes feeling vulnerable to the looming unpredictability of what is in store for…
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Improving Supply Chain Resilience: How A Digital Supply Chain Orchestration Platform Can Help
Supply chain logistics executives are busy navigating the best strategy in preparing plans and budgets for the year ahead. One key objective for many of them is improving supply chain resilience, moving beyond visibility and developing stronger, transparent relationships with carriers and other trading partners. What actions should companies be taking to achieve these goals?…
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VIEWPOINT: As Reality of Recession Nears, Shippers Look Beyond Visibility to Build Resiliency in their Supply Chains
Rippling inflation is causing uncertainty throughout many industries, especially shipping and logistics, who are feeling the effects of the market turbulence. Though record-low unemployment may point to a healthy plateau, many companies are experiencing difficulties. What has recently happened that is pointing to inflation, exactly? A key driver would be fuel costs, which are soaring…
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VIEWPOINT: Rail Strike Averted: Getting Ahead with the Power of Partnership
Strikes throughout history have shaped the American labor force, and with the last United States rail strike taking place three decades ago, it is safe to say we averted a crisis this time around. The near imminent rail strike would have been one of many devastating events to impact supply chains over the last several…
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VIEWPOINT: Internet of Things and The Future of Supply Chain
In today’s world, it is widely accepted that digitization is the key to transforming all areas of the logistics industry. However, we are just at the beginning of a long journey. Recent Black Swan events have exposed vulnerabilities within some of the world’s best run supply chains. With effective planning becoming impossible, the need for…
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VIEWPOINT: Supply Chain Technology’s Role in Navigating Detention & Demurrage fees under OSRA 22
Players in the supply chain are no stranger to detention and demurrage (D&D) fees, especially during the pandemic where excessive port congestion led to historic record levels of charges incurred. On June 16, President Joe Biden signed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (OSRA 22) into law — the first major revision of US…
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Does your TMS need an update?
Supply chain spend worldwide comes in at a staggering $18 trillion per year. Freight transportation expense is a no-less dizzying $11 trillion. While these two gigantic expenditures are necessary to keep the freight flowing worldwide, historically, the two have been treated as separate matters. For decades, there has been a defined way of using transportation…
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West Coast ports could soon see more logistics congestion
There might be more turbulent times for West Coast ports, and the wider supply chain, around the corner. With COVID infections again on the rise and shutdowns again occurring in Asian ports, it certainly seems like the supply chain congestion that has been impacting the flow of goods around the world will not be abating…
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How do you push beyond the TMS status quo?
The supply chain space has been dramatically – and likely permanently – altered due to the COVID pandemic. Many of the vulnerabilities in existing supply chain technology systems and logistics processes were laid bare, so how do you pick a transportation management system for this new reality? As a result of industry-wide shifts to address…
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Is 2022 the year supply chain sustainability takes center stage?
To say the last two years have been difficult for the supply chain industry is a significant understatement. From driver shortages to the e-commerce boom and pandemic-related lockdowns fueling unprecedented congestion, getting goods to retailers and consumers in a timely manner has never been more challenging. While there has been some easing of capacity constraints,…
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Is your logistics technology provider a data aggregator?
Supply chains run on data, and the quality of that information is critical to business success. Take shipment transparency, for example: The ability to track and trace goods in transit (supply chain visibility), gives shippers and logistics service providers the power to know, in real-time, where their goods are anywhere in the world. Logistics execution…
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The Importance of Real-Time Supply Chain Visibility
In a volatile market, real-time information is essential, as it equips shippers with the necessary visibility to maneuver through supply chain disruptions. The pandemic has shown that logistical hurdles can arise quickly and unpredictably, causing major backlogs if not adequately prepared for and managed. Digitizing the supply chain with an emphasis on collecting and utilizing…
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Here’s What You Need to Know About the Driver Shortage
As the global supply chain continues to endure the ripples of the COVID-19 pandemic, an elemental issue inhibits shippers, carriers, and consumers from bouncing back: a driver shortage. The American Trucking Associations (ATA) estimates that the U.S. was short record-breaking 80,000 truck drivers in 2021. This number is particularly alarming, considering that more than 70…
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How a Global Crisis Exposed Supply Chain Vulnerabilities
Every manufacturer seeks to avoid supply chain disruptions. Most have continuity plans in place, designed to support the company through a localized or supplier-specific situation. But few manufacturers were prepared for the global supply chain disruption caused by COVID-19. During the first quarter of 2020, as the COVID-19 outbreak became more pronounced in China, supply…
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Supply chain visibility provider updates its digital twin of the logistics world
Blume Global is revolutionizing the game for shippers with Blume Maps, a dynamic, digital map of the supply chain world. Planning, tracking, and adjusting supply chain shipments isn’t easy. There are countless factors to keep track of — from traffic congestion to poor weather conditions — so it can be a time-consuming and even overwhelming…
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Supply chain congestion won’t end this year, says logistics technology CEO
The global supply chain continues to experience shortages, congestion, and more. Here’s what manufacturers and other shippers can expect for 2022 and how stakeholder collaboration and supply chain technology can help. In March of 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, prompting stay-at-home orders and grinding many parts of the supply chain…
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IMCs simplify rail booking with interline schedule solution
For shippers and intermodal marketing companies, booking intermodal shipments can be a time-consuming process involving piecing together scheduling information from different rail providers, creating a patched-together, cross-country route for their customers. In a world where real-time end-to-end supply chain visibility, transparency that not only covers the transportation path of each shipment but the manufacturing journey…
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Acquisition bolsters end-to-end logistics execution, visibility capabilities
During the pandemic, shortages of components for high-tech devices and automotive industry products have proliferated. But it’s not easy for most shippers to have visibility into the process before finished-good shipments are sent out around the globe. The issue? The concept of end-to-end supply chain visibility should not be limited to freight shipment transparency. The…
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Supply chain digitization fosters logistics collaboration
Now, more than ever, all stakeholders in the supply chain need to collaborate through digitization to ease port congestion and prevent future supply chain disruptions. Port congestion, truck driver shortages and empty shelves are commonplace these days. Domestic trucking capacity, not to mention chassis for those trucks, can be hard to find. According to Lincoln Pei, a sales director…
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Supply Chain 101: Find the best logistics technology partner
The right supply chain technology makes all the difference, but with all the providers in the market, choosing the best provider can be difficult. The logistics industry is more competitive, volatile, uncertain, and interconnected than ever. Businesses must have a streamlined and agile supply chain to keep up with the competition and the changing environment. Having the right transportation technology can improve…
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Supply Chain 101: Optimize freight transportation RFPs
An optimized freight transportation RFP can mean the difference between a successful, harmonious shipper-carrier relationship and re-bidding your lanes. As a shipper, you’re probably aware of request for proposal (RFP) documents. Not to be confused with a request for information (RFI) or a request for quotation (RFQ), an RFP is a formal request for truckers…
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Supply Chain 101: How to become a shipper of choice
In tight markets, shippers of choice will have drivers willing to haul for them, allowing them to stay competitive. In the current tumult that is the global supply chain, marked by extreme congestion and a lack of assets, the relationship between shippers and freight transportation provider is more important than ever. By adopting best practices…
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Why should supply chain and logistics companies care about corporate culture?
The supply chain industry is currently facing a labor shortage as people retire or quit, training budgets are reduced, and laid-off workers never return. More than 70 percent of 400 high-level executives have had trouble recruiting the senior supply chain leaders necessary for keeping up with the competition in today’s rapidly changing world. This is an employment problem, but it is also…
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Think supply chain disruptions are disappearing post COVID? Guess again
COVID-19 disrupted the global supply chain, and these delays are likely here for the foreseeable future. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic came global supply chain disruptions. The initial dip in demand for most commodities caused shippers to reduce their manufacturing capacity, let go of their workers and cancel ocean carrier and other freight transportation shipments. The summer…
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What is the next evolution of supply chain technology?
The current state of the supply chain is dire. We all are seeing inefficiencies in every leg of a container’s move, but of course, today’s problems were not created in a vacuum. They didn’t magically appear overnight. The inefficiencies were seeing, which opened the door for the near-complete congestion we’re experiencing on the ocean and…
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5 supply chain expectations for this peak shipping season
Peak shipping season will look a little different this year. Luckily, there are a few things businesses can do to overcome supply chain challenges during this time. Domestic consumer demand rose drastically when the economy started to recover after the initial coronavirus-related dip, and it has remained high since the summer of 2020. Consequently, supply…
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How can logistics companies holistically address supply chain sustainability?
Supply chain stakeholders are leveraging the benefits of logistics technologies to meet sustainability goals, but should not forget about the human element. The changes required to shift from carbon-based fuel sources to 100% renewable energy solutions aren’t going to happen overnight — partly because the US has been considerably slower than the EU and Britain when it comes to cutting…
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Supply chain technology will evolve from applications to platforms
In the last two decades, innumerable evolutions have taken ahold in the supply chain technology arena. These small shifts in technology have created better efficiencies for supply chain parties along the way, but with the significant supply chain upheaval that started with the coronavirus pandemic, supply chain executives must consider a new way of doing things….
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Has the pandemic impacted in-person supply chain conferences?
With in-person supply chain conferences beginning for the first time in nearly 18 months, logistics networking event organizers must prioritize safety and accessibility. Conference season is starting up again, but with the coronavirus, still a very present health threat, and variations like Delta continuing to cause harm, logistics networking events held this fall and spring…
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Is it crucial to embrace new logistics execution technology?
The increased complexity and distribution of the modern supply chain requires innovative logistics execution solutions. In the past year, 49% of supply chain leaders have accelerated spending in digital technologies to make their operations more responsive, and the role of COVID-19 likely cannot be understated here. The pandemic exposed deep vulnerabilities in the global supply chain, pushing industries and…
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Ocean shipping congestion dominated logistics even before Ida
Ocean carriers, freight forwarders and shippers are all trying to figure out when the current ocean shipping congestion will ease. Will it be easier to find containers for shipments after the Chinese New Year in February 2022? Will the congestion-induced backups at the West Coast ports unclog next summer? Hurricane Ida, though the natural disaster…
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Ocean port congestion in China, West Coast will echo into 2022
As the coronavirus crisis continues to impact the global supply chain, some carriers are saying tight ocean capacity and ocean port congestion will continue for at least some of 2022. A recent COVID outbreak at the Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan in China, with Maersk and other carriers canceling port calls, is straining the already damaged supply chain. “Our carrier customers have…
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How has Blume Global’s CIO excelled in the male-dominated logistics industry?
Yamini Vellore is a key member of the leadership team at Blume Global, a supply chain execution technology provider delivering a digital operation platform that goes beyond the TMS status quo. As CIO and head of customer success, Vellore helps steer logistics innovation at the company while keeping solution development tied to customer needs. Vellore…
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Can technology speed up supply chain sustainability?
Sustainability and carbon-emissions reduction is now a perennial concern for retailers, but many have recently been confronting more immediate supply chain and warehousing challenges related to the coronavirus pandemic. It can be difficult to think about instilling environmentally friendly corporate practices when congestion at the West Coast ports and continued logistics disruptions have meant one sourcing…
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How can order orchestration enable supply chain agility?
Recent events – the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the Suez Canal blockage, the seemingly never-ending congestion in the ports on the West Coast of the United States and in Asia – have underlined the need for supply chain agility and adaptable logistics processes. With the frequency of disruptions increasing around the world, supply chain digitization and end-to-end logistics visibility is not…
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Air freight forwarders must help industry increase air cargo visibility
Adversity forces innovation, especially for those resistant to change. With increasing competition from integrators, air cargo forwarders and other stakeholders have started to acknowledge they need to streamline and collaborate, fully embracing supply chain technology to survive in a rapidly changing world. A driving factor is the lack of air cargo visibility. With the…
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Knichel Logistics turns to logistics technology amid COVID
To navigate through the worst periods of the pandemic, Knichel Logistics had to rely on supply chain technology. This not only included getting all employees connected remotely and up and running at home but using logistics digitization to maneuver capacity issues, carrier shutdowns, and other problems. “We overcame the situation by just doing what we…
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Why should shippers focus on supply chain sustainability?
In an industry where the transportation of freight by ocean, air and land is so reliant on fossil fuels, it seems impossible to meet any significant sustainability goals. How are logistics players going to vastly reduce freight emissions to meet worldwide carbon emissions metrics? In a recent LinkedIn survey of Blume Global customers, nearly 70 percent of industry…
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How accurate is your supply chain visibility data?
These days, your supply chain visibility is only as good as the shipment data you receive. If that data isn’t being processed in real-time or is routed through a third-party data aggregator, you might not see shipment bottlenecks until it’s too late to react. In its most recent market analysis of transportation and execution visibility systems, ARC Advisory Group analysts…
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How can logistics technology enable supply chain sustainability?
The beginning of the supply chain sustainability era, kicked off by Walmart’s then-CEO Lee Scott, is more than 15 years old. While it would be disingenuous to say that nothing has changed in that time regarding the greening of the supply chain, logistics sustainability has only now become a pressing priority, as seen by the recent announcement…
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Suez Canal blockage impacted entire global supply chain
In the logistics industry, one significant chokepoint can disrupt the entire supply chain world. The most significant hitch in a while occurred when the Ever Given ran aground last week, causing a Suez Canal blockage that has impacted every corner of the supply chain. With the right supply chain technology, shippers can mitigate the impact of the disruption, finding alternate routes and modes. After six days, workers were able to…
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Take this one step now to future-proof your supply chain
Shippers that lack a reliable supply chain technology platform are navigating a turbulent world blind. Collaborating with the right supply chain technology provider gives you logistics agility and execution while providing end-to-end visibility, no matter the mode. You’ll always see a crystal-clear picture of the logistics ecosystem. Many shippers have already partnered with a supply chain execution technology provider, but it can be hard…
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How do shippers and 3PLs benefit from supply chain shipment visibility?
Five years ago, the industry started humming about the real-time shipment visibility solutions made possible through real-time API connections. Supply chain technology providers raced to promise complete, immediate transparency throughout the shipment lifecycle — a control tower view of the supply chain. Many providers are still holding onto that assurance, but the reality is somewhat…
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Have you updated your supply chain execution and visibility solution lately?
While supply chain digitization is a trend that has sped up exponentially in the last year, many retailers and shippers may have long ago embraced logistics technology solutions, updating their manual processes to streamline and optimize shipment visibility and even, in some cases, logistics execution. These technologies that seemed innovative and bleeding-edge a few years…
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NRF panel explores retail logistics evolution, last mile
Logistics and supply chain trends in the retail space accelerated throughout 2020, and while the huge increase in e-commerce might be the most talked-about development, the pandemic has also brought about the transformation of the brick-and-mortar store into a micro fulfillment center. Creating a new fulfillment strategy or embracing any other current trends in the retail…
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Where have all the ocean freight containers gone?
Beginning last year, ocean freight carriers started witnessing an alarming shortage of containers just as the holiday shopping season began, compounded by an ongoing chassis shortage. That scarcity continues to this day. Due to a lack of available ocean freight containers, vessels that are not fully laden with cargo frequently travel from Asia to Europe and the United States. Sending a vessel that is not completely loaded with freight leads to…
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CES panel discusses adapting to a post-COVID freight transportation world
Nearly a year ago, the retail supply chain world irrevocably changed. A steady increase in the growth of e-commerce shipments, which had been trending up for years, suddenly surged. With customers at home due to the pandemic and brick-and-mortar stores closed or operating with significant limitations, online retail became the primary channel for commerce. For…
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How the pandemic accelerated Ralph Lauren’s quest to digitize the fashion supply chain
When Patrice Louvet joined Ralph Lauren as president and CEO in the summer of 2017, he started a digital transformation. His quest began with a chief digital officer – a position had not existed in the 53-year history of the fashion company. He knew that digital would be an important new lodestar for the company;…
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Freedom from ERD penalties starts with accurate supply chain data
This year, much discussion has centered around ocean carrier Earliest Return Date fees, and a lack of communication among ocean carriers, marine terminals, and U.S. exporters. It was a hot topic at the Agriculture Transportation Coalition’s Major Midyear meeting last week, as the costs resulting from incorrect ERDs can easily be as onerous as $1,000 per shipment. The ERD problem…
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Norfolk Southern, OL USA Turn to Technology to Navigate Pandemic Disruptions
The Blume Digital Operating Platform rapidly digitizes manual supply chain processes, democratizing technology for even the smallest supply chain stakeholders and allowing them to forge a path through disruption. This year, Blume’s platform has been increasingly helpful for companies looking to streamline their supply chains, adjust to remote-work realities and cut costs amid economic pressures. The coronavirus pandemic began…
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Exporters Increase Productivity, Visibility with Blume Global’s International TMS
The decline of supply chain productivity at West Coast ports is a familiar story; congestion at the ports of LA and Long Beach has been the norm for months. Ocean vessels queue up offshore for a chance to dock. Agriculture exporters, ready to ship time-sensitive freight, are sometimes turned away. Unfortunately, these logistics challenges will…
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Supply chain digitization increases during COVID pandemic
One of Blume Global’s foundational philosophies is to use data to optimize connections among logistics partners and streamline their supply chains. Across 10,000 companies in 133 countries, Blume Global uses data, collected in real-time, to create tailored solutions that not only give customers access to unrivaled visibility but provide exception-motivated actions to keep cargo moving…
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Walmart Updates OTIF Requirements – Fines Enforced for Suppliers & Carriers
As reported by FreightWaves’ Mark Solomon, Walmart will require its suppliers and their carriers to deliver all orders on-time and in-full (OTIF) 98% of the time or risk being fined 3% of the cost of the goods being delivered starting September 15, 2020. Officially announced on September 1, 2020, Walmart gave suppliers just two weeks’…
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Blume CarrierGo Premium™ is Democratizing Technology for Small Trucking Companies
The supply chain is a complex ecosystem, dependent on both small and large players to ensure that goods are delivered, and consumers’ demands are met. Within this ecosystem, small trucking companies are integral players that are often struggling to meet these expectations and even stay in business. However, in the US trucking market, trucking companies…
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How Domestic Reload Services Diminish Repositioning Fees and Increase Efficiency
Every year, repositioning empty containers costs supply chain organizations an estimated $15-20 billion. The impact of COVID-19 has significantly decreased the return of empty containers, with returns to Asia dropping about 23% in March. For instance, in April, 2020, the Port of Oakland welcomed its largest vessel — the 19,200-TEU MSC Anna — to retrieve…
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OL USA’s Journey to Blume Global – and the Value of an In-house Implementation Team
Blake Darby, Implementation Specialist & Project Manager A successful implementation can be challenging when it is outsourced. During my career, I have seen how an organization often works with various contacts from an outsourced implementation team. With each contact being charged with different aspects of the process, the entire implementation process would be slowed down…
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Adjusting Supply Chain Strategies in the Age of COVID-19
Yamini Vellore, CIO, Head of Customer Success, Blume Global It feels too obvious to state that all of us have been impacted by the spread of COVID-19 — both personally and professionally. But that, unfortunately, is our new reality. In response, our team at Blume Global has been working tirelessly to identify ways we can…
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Thank You from Blume Global
During this uncertain time as we are all impacted by COVID-19, we wanted to pause to acknowledge all the people who are working hard to care for those in need and keep goods moving in the supply chain. Thank you to all the healthcare workers who are putting themselves at the frontline of this crisis…
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Blumer Spotlight — Anusha Madadi, Lead UI Developer
As part of Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting some of the Blume women who are key to our growth and success. In this spotlight, we spoke with Lead User Interface (UI) Developer, Anusha Madadi about her role at Blume and what it’s like to be a woman in tech. Originally from India, Anusha completed a…
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The Future of Logistics in Europe and the U.S.
By Ronald Kleijwegt, VP Global Sales & Managing Director EMEA Though there are stark differences that emerge when comparing logistics in the U.S. and Europe, their priorities in this new digital landscape are similar. In this post, I’ll be sharing some of my predictions for what I believe the future of logistics industry will look…
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Insights from DrayTECH2020
by Chandini Ramesh, Product Analyst Last week, I was fortunate to attend DrayTECH 2020, an annual conference hosted by the Harbor Trucking Association for trucking companies and their partners. As a product analyst at Blume currently working on Blume CarrierGo — our solution for motor carriers — I was excited to take this opportunity to…
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Unpacking Supply Chain’s Biggest Headlines in February
Welcome to our supply chain news roundup for February! Each month we do our best to find the top stories covered and share insights into how they impact the supply chain industry at large, as well as how your organization can best respond. This week we’re covering two of the biggest news stories of the…
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What to Look Out for at TPM20
UPDATE: TPM20 and El Dorado has been cancelled. We regret that we cannot meet with our customers and partners at TPM20 and El Dorado, but know the health of our communities outweighs the importance of any trade event. We look forward to the next opportunity to meet safely with our global network. TPM20 and El…
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“Innovate or Die” — The Current Market Outlook for Ocean Carriers
by Lincoln Pei, Account Manager Coming from a relatively long tenure in the ocean carrier business, I recall names such as Sealand, US Lines, P&O, Nedlloyd, APL, and OOCL. The list could go on. And although some of those names may still be viable brands within a larger ownership group, they have all either been…
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Welcome to the Blume Global Hong Kong Office!
by Dr. Mark Yong, Managing Director of APAC Friday, February 21 marks the official grand opening of our regional Hong Kong office. We are excited to begin the expansion of our presence within a region filled with our customers and potential partners. At the celebration for our grand opening, the Director General of Invest Hong…
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Roses are Red, Violets are Blue… Hey LSPs, We’ve Got a Valentine Treat for You
Happy Valentine’s Day from the Blume Global Team! As one of the biggest spending holidays of the year, Valentine’s Day proves to be a busy one for everyone in the supply chain, especially LSPs. This year consumers are planning to spend an average of $196.31 on their loved ones, including family and pets, with total…
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Achieving 20/20 Vision into Your Supply Chain
by Sharad Mathur, Senior VP of Research and Development, Blume Global According to IBM, Chief Supply Chain Officers (CSCO) cite a lack of visibility into supply chain operations as the key hurdle in mitigating disruptions, while another 84 percent report it to be their biggest business challenge. While efficient and effective operations must be fueled…
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How Can You Achieve Complete Supply Chain Digitization?
by Gilles Leyrat, Executive Advisory Board Member, Blume Global As I recount the past 25 years, there has been tremendous change and evolution in the supply chain industry. I’ve witnessed customer demands dramatically increase with the rise of digital technology, as customers now expect their orders to be delivered within one to two days, which…
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All About Supply Chain — Unpacking Supply Chain’s Biggest Headlines in January
We are now a month into 2020, and the supply chain industry is facing a tremendous amount of uncertainty in the face of Brexit being finalized and the spread of the coronavirus. However, on the other side of the world, global leaders feel hopeful in light of the newly revised North American Free Trade Agreement…
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Looking at the U.S. from a European Logistics Background
by Ronald Kleijwegt, VP Global Sales & MD EMEA I often tell people I was born in logistics. With my father and uncles running a trading company in The Netherlands, having neighbors with trucking companies and studying logistics management — my whole life and career have been around logistics. In the late 90’s I moved…
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Taking on Supply Chain’s Biggest Challenges — Part 3: Large Inventory Management
“We want what we want, and we want it NOW!” Customers have now come to expect and even demand their purchases to be delivered within one to two days, with 69 percent of them claiming they wouldn’t make another purchase from a retailer, if their delivery was late. In addition, physical retailers face high customer…
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All About Supply Chain — Unpacking Supply Chain’s Biggest Headlines
2020 has finally arrived and with it, the start of two new laws which have the potential to disrupt and greatly change the supply chain industry as we know it. In this blog, we will be unpacking two of the biggest stories of January so far and considering how they impact the entire supply chain…
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Insights from the JOC Port Performance North America Conference
by Tom Koontz, Sales Director Recently, I attended JOC’s Port Performance North America Conference. As the title suggests, this annual conference is focused on container terminal productivity, with representatives from diverse groups, including: terminal operators, port authorities, motor carriers, railroads, labor unions, chassis providers and of course shippers. Here are some of the key themes…
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Blume Global Gives Back This Holiday Season
As we head into the holiday season, it’s time to spread the joy and give back to our local communities. This year our Wellesley office decided to partner with the Friends of Boston’s Homeless — a non-profit organization which supports men’s and women’s homeless shelters in the area. The team came together to purchase materials…
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Tackling Supply Chain’s Biggest Challenges — Part 2: Transportation Capacity Constraints
In the supply chain, the saying “time is money” is particularly accurate. More than 100 million hours of time are wasted per year in procurement, supplier management and freight-administration functions equaling nearly $2 billion, according to a study by digital freight forwarder, Zencargo. With capacity constraints, the transportation industry especially contributes to the waste and…
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A Conversation with Yamini Vellore, Blume Global CIO and Head of Customer Success
The global nature of today’s supply chain makes it more complex than ever — but also particularly susceptible to inefficiencies. These inefficiencies not only lead to the ineffective use of company time and resources while achieving suboptimal results, but often exacerbate the supply chain’s negative effects on the environment. We spoke with Blume Global CIO…
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How the Port Industry Can Overcome Barriers to Digitization
Every headline within the supply chain industry seems to be signaling a move towards digitization—with words like artificial intelligence and automation popping up left and right. It has become all the more relevant as stakeholders throughout the supply chain are facing pressure to increase their efficiency and productivity, with the continued rise in demand and…
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Read All About It! – The Latest in Supply Chain News
The supply chain industry is thriving—and the proof is in the news. Supporting evidence can be found every day in headlines that explore how companies are shaking things up along the supply chain journey in new and different ways. Let’s take a look at some recent industry news stories and announcements, and examine the impact…
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Tackling Supply Chain’s Biggest Challenges — Complex Shipment Journeys
We’re now only a few days away from Black Friday, one of the biggest retail holidays of the year—and with it comes one of the busiest seasons for the shipping industry. This year, the National Retail Federation estimates that 165.3 million people will shop Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, with Black Friday accounting for about…
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Key Insights from FreightWaves LIVE 2020
by Marisa Martin, Sales Director Last week I had the opportunity to attend FreightWaves LIVE where the best in class companies came together to discuss the future of the industry. The FreightWaves leadership did a great job of organizing the event and promoting collaboration amongst technology stakeholders. Here are two key insights I gained: …
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Gobble, Gobble—How Motor Carriers Can Utilize Technology to Prepare for Thanksgiving
Tis the season, for our yearly excuse to stuff ourselves with turkey and pumpkin pie. With Thanksgiving now only a week away, the supply chain industry is busy at work to ensure that the grocery stores are stocked with turkeys for your holiday meals. In 2017, the United States produced 7.49 billion pounds of turkey,…
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The New Age of Smart Ports
By Andy Murden, Sales Director Looking back 15 years ago at my time working near the Port of Jebel Ali in Dubai, my perception of ports was that they were old-fashioned, dirty and congested. Though port congestion is still a present-day reality, I was surprised by what I learned from attending the Smart Digital Ports…
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Guide to a Data-Driven Supply Chain – Part 4: How Data is Powering Smart Supply Chains
Data-driven technology is transforming the supply chain industry as we know it. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are no longer nice-to-haves, but necessary partners for driving success within supply chain organizations. However, as our CEO Pervinder Johar shared, AI’s success in businesses will be largely dependent on developing technological capacities based off industry-specific…
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What a Year! Blume Global Receives 2019 Golden Bridge Award for Corporate Branding
A few weeks ago, our team received the 2019 Golden Bridge Award for Corporate Branding, recognizing our successful transformation to a leading, innovative supply chain brand in just 9 months. After almost a year of brainstorming sessions, meetings and projects to bring the Blume Global brand to life—our whole team is proud to see how…
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Key Points from JOC Inland Distribution Conference 2019
By Nick Neises, Sales Director This past week I headed to Chicago to attend this year’s JOC Inland Distribution Conference. The event brought together various leaders within supply chain to help envision what this next year will look like in the industry. One common theme was that data-driven technology is now a must for all organizations seeking to excel. Some other key points from the event included: …
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Guide to a Data-Driven Supply Chain – Part 3: Unexpected Sources of Data
Every minute of the day, data is being created all around us. Everything from the photo you just posted to the weather alert you received on your phone, data is being captured in places we would have never expected. This data then helps to inform the world around us by enabling machine learning and artificial intelligence based solutions, even within the supply chain industry. As we shared in our second blog in the series, an important aspect to…
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Insights from Our Latest Webinar “Manual to Digital…”
Last week in our Pleasanton headquarters, we hosted our webinar called, “Manual to Digital: Why Freight Digitization Will Save You Time and Lower Costs.” It was led by three of our very own Blumers: Product Marketing Manager, Vidya Narayanan; AVP of Solutions, Dipti Gupta; and LSP Solutions Expert, James Miller. In the webinar, Dipti and James spoke from their past experiences working with LSPs. They shared steps these organizations can take to overcome commonly faced challenges…
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3 Ways Digital Supply Chains Benefit Motor Carriers
Motor carriers around the world are continuing to rely on manual, paper-based processes to find loads, accept or reject tenders, submit proof of deliveries and invoices. This ultimately prevents them from maximizing business opportunities, optimizing driver usage and collecting payment with minimal disputes. As customer demands continue to rise and competition increases in the industry, motor carriers need to innovate in order…
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Guide to a Data-Driven Supply Chain – Part 2: 4 V’s of Data for Logistics
Within the supply chain, big data lies at the center of every process, asset movement and decision made. Big data is often thought about in four parts, otherwise known as the 4 V’s: volume, variety, veracity and velocity. As we covered in our last blog, when your organization successfully addresses the challenges of working with data in the supply chain, you will be able to unlock…
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What’s Next in Supply Chain—Two Blumers Share Their Thoughts
This past week our Blumers Felicia Utami and Kyle Vamvouris attended CSCMP’s, “What’s Next? Supply Chain Predictions” panel, featuring our AVP of Solutions, Dipti Gupta. Here are their top takeaways from the event. By Felicia Utami, Supply Chain Product Marketing Manager I was a student member of the Phoenix Chapter of CSCMP during my…
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Guide to a Data Driven Supply Chain – Part 1: Address the Challenges
With buzzwords like machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) barraging the supply chain industry, leaders face the challenge of making informed and timely decisions around incorporating new technologies. A core tenet in seeing results from these technologies is the use of data. Yet, bad data is an all too common industry pain point and can be a major barrier for digitizing your supply chain. Given the rise of innovative technologies, fueled…
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2 Weeks, 2 Suitcases, 2 Conferences – 3 Main Takeaways
\By Kyle Vamvouris, Sales Development Manager Over the last two weeks I had the pleasure of traveling across the country to listen to leaders in supply chain and logistics speak about the future of our industry. This industry is changing quickly and currently in the epicenter of massive innovation. The only challenge is that this world is so complex that it can be easier to be passive instead of trying to make…
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Takeaways from JOC LogTech
By Glenn Jones, Global Vice President of Product Strategy This past week Dipti Gupta, our AVP of Solutions, and I headed to JOC’s 2019 Logistic Technology Conference. This is an annual conference that brings together shippers, the service providers who serve them, and other supply chain stakeholders to discuss the impact of technology in their industry. It was as an opportunity for me to hear about some of the greatest…
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Blume Year in Review
This past year at Blume Global has been one of incredible growth and progress. From bringing on our world-class executive team, moving into our newly renovated Pleasanton headquarters and welcoming over 100 new employees, we have a lot to celebrate. To take a look back at this year, we decided to talk to some of…
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