Insights & Innovations

Storage isn’t just about holding inventory for importers and manufacturers. It also has to support cash flow and withstand customs scrutiny. A bonded warehouse handles ...

The purchasing desk gets busy fast once a production run picks up. Quotes come back slower than they should. A supplier changes a lead time ...

Adding production capacity without adding headcount is becoming standard practice on the plant floor. It gets built into planning early now, right alongside decisions about ...

Pull up almost any damage claim filed by a Michigan manufacturer, and the story is familiar. A shipment went out properly labeled, with the right ...

Most Michigan manufacturers know the feeling. A surge hits; the warehouse fills up, and suddenly receiving docks are backed up, and shipping windows are slipping. ...

Packaging materials running out mid-shift cost money. So does holding six months of excess supply that takes up floor space and locks up working capital. ...

In 2018, containers and packaging accounted for 82.2 million tons of municipal solid waste, 28.1% of the national total, per the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. ...

The concept looks straightforward enough: receive goods from suppliers, send them to customers. Skip the warehouse storage entirely. But will it save you money? That’s ...

Manufacturing and packaging companies deal with constant changes. Part dimensions shift between production runs. Customer specs get updated mid-contract. One facility handles automotive components, another ...

You don’t get a warning when your supply chain breaks. Last Tuesday, your supplier was fine. This morning, they filed for bankruptcy. Or a storm ...

Running multiple warehouses across different states requires constant coordination of orders, inventory transfers, and shipments between locations. Without proper systems, data gets lost, orders get ...

Managing hundreds of shipments, thousands of parts, and dozens of suppliers creates a tricky question for small manufacturers: How do you spot problems before they ...