When many customers are considering a network modeling exercise to save money, they often ask this question first:  “Where should my warehouses be, and how many do I need?” Like so many other things in life that are worth doing, it’s not as simple as that. Because if you don’t follow a process that analyzes the tradeoffs, you could end up increasing your costs instead of decreasing them. » Read More

When should you do a network modeling exercise? If you’ve only optimized your outbound network, you’ve hit the first trigger, since network modeling is crucial for inbound efficiency, too. Beyond this, you can watch for these signals that your network’s time has come. » Read More

As any retailer knows, it’s tricky to balance smaller inventories with the amount of product needed on store shelves to capture sales. But it’s just as tough for suppliers to figure out a way to send their products to retailers frequently without their transportation costs spiraling out of control. That’s why many suppliers are turning to specialty retail consolidators, who can coordinate their transportation to meet strict delivery appointments—even if their volumes are very small. » Read More