From The Journal of Commerce
The main economic factor affecting the steep fall in oil prices was the release of disappointing European, Chinese economic data.
Diesel prices dropped 4.2 cents in the week ending April 23, the most since mid-December. The only region that didn’t see a steep decline was the New England region of the United States, where prices were flat around $4.269.
Nearshoring Latin America: A Closer Look
Do the advantages of locating production near the point of consumption outweigh the region’s drawbacks?
Reasons influencing corporate leaders’ decisions:
Click here to read this Inbound Logistics feature story by Lisa H. Harrington
Well it’s almost that time again, for the NASSTRAC Logistics Conference and Expo. With so many industry events, it can become a job in itself trying to keep up with all the happenings and attend . This will be Trendset’s first trip to the NASSTRAC Expo and we are looking forward to networking with industry peers during this three day event.
Event Information:
From the conference website:
The NASSTRAC Annual Conference & Expo is where you’ll find invaluable information, perspectives, and industry connections. All focused on transportation. You’ll learn how other companies leverage transportation and logistics to create efficiencies in their supply chains and value to their customers.
For more information NASSTRAC, please visit these helpful links:
If you are going to be at the conference, we’d love to meet with you. Contact us and let us know you will be in sunny FL!
Here’s a fresh idea: your 3PL leveraging the value of partnering with a best-in-class freight pay and audit provider!
Would you like your 3PL to:
Now is the time to experience the Trendset Freight Pay and Audit Difference! Learn how other 3PL’s are taking advantage of using best-of-breed technologies to differentiate themselves in the marketplace.
Being headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina, Trendset is surrounded by innovative, global companies who work tirelessly to give back to the community and invest in the surrounding area. Michelin is one of those companies. Yesterday, Michelin held a press conference in Greer, SC to announce that they will expand their earthmover plant in Lexington County and will build a new earthmover tire plant in Anderson County. Overall this represents an investment of $750 million dollars and will create upwards of 500 new jobs.
Click here to read the entire article.
Capgemini, a French global IT services company and one of the world’s largest management consulting, outsourcing and professional services companies, has released it’s write up of the top 10 reasons businesses should consider outsourcing. Contributing writer Jim Davidson, Infrastructure Services Executive, Capgemini
1. Global Reach
Outsourcing today is seen as the need to find solutions that help connect people, processes and technologies that are located around the globe 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. CIO’s who outsource to providers who can leverage this critical function allows CIO’s to focus on key business drivers.
2. Operating Expenditures (OPEX) Rules
Outsourcing shifts capital expenditures into operational costs which can help improve financial measurements by eliminating the need to show return on equity from investment capital.
3. Innovation and Interoperability
CIO’s who can tap into resources that help shape the ability to create and drive new products to market (such as SaaS) can be critical in developing new business strategies.
4. Service Transparency
Use metrics as a key indicator of the success of IT.
5. Savings in Labor Cost
This is one of the most basis reasons why companies evaluate the cost savings benefits of outsourcing.
6. Centralized Management of Resources and Functions
Outsourcers have developed ways of consolidating many internal functions (such as service desk support, different operating technology standards), CIO’s looking leverage this consolidation will realize greater control of resources and functions to avoid unnecessary duplication and cost reduction.
7. Improve Regulatory Controls
For most businesses achieving, measuring and maintaining compliance is a complex and capital-intensive endeavor. When companies look to outsource the design, execution and auditing of certain functions the relationship can lend both to benefits and burdens. In order to minimize these effects it is important to have a well-executed contract with a proven service provider.
8. Accelerating Process Maturity
The mere act of outsourcing can often be a driving factor in business process maturity and help build a more customer and process centric organization. Companies who leverage frameworks (such as the Information Technology Infrastructure Library {ITIL}, Sig Sigma, and the Control Objectives for IT {COBIT}), can drive a set of best practices application across the whole organization.
9. Increased Resources
Outsourcing provides companies the ability to reach into the global pool of talent, in order to acquire new skill sets for project work, mergers and acquisitions, and/or expansion into new regions.
10. Improving Company Strategic Focus
Drive innovation by letting an outsourcer focus on managing operational functions while your company focuses more strategically on it’s own core business.
