

COVID-19 Higher Online Shipping Volumes Invoke More Bottlenecks and Added Costs as Carriers Add New Surcharges
The Supply Chain Matters blog highlights that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the surge in online ordering activity is taxing carrier networks and performance, and how UPS and FedEx are instituting added surcharges or daily shipping volume restrictions. The result is invariably higher costs for online services for major retailers.


COVID-19 Learning- The Changing Requirements for Automated Online Customer Fulfillment
The Supply Chain Matters blog addresses how the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has already provided meaningful lessons regarding the future requirements and automation needs of online driven customer fulfillment. Contrasting approaches involving total automation of customer fulfillment processes, to that of Autonomous Mobile Robots that enhance worker efficiencies and productivity are explored.




The First Scapegoat of the 2017 Holiday Surge Customer Fulfillment Period
Despite months and months of pre-planning, for every year-end holiday surge period, there always seems to be the few scapegoat logistics providers or retailers along the customer value-chain that endures the most scorn regarding expected vs. actual performance. This year, the first recipient in the barrel is likely UPS.