FLORENCE, KY (June 6, 2019) – LeanCor Supply Chain Group, a provider of third-party logistics, supply chain consulting, and training services, has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2019 honor by the Cincinnati Enquirer. 

Recent tariff increases on over $200B of goods imported from China have been described as “catastrophic” by US companies with a significant Chinese supplier base. With so much trade uncertainty lingering, companies are taking actions now to mitigate the effect on their supply chains. Many are now forced to question how product is coming into the U.S. and forming new sourcing strategies: moving manufacturing to another low-cost country, stockpiling inventory, or "re-shoring" manufacturing to the U.S. are some examples.

Whatever your strategy may be, knowing where to locate and how to leverage your assets across the supply chain network are major decisions that depend on many variables.

In today's uncertain transportation climate, it's more important than ever to stay knowledgeable about market rates to ensure you're getting the best value for your transportation spend.

The LeanCor Logistics team was recently asked the question, "do companies with a higher transportation spend always get the lower transportation rates?"

We often run into a general assumption in the industry that companies with high-volume transportation spends (exceeding $100M) will have an advantage when it comes to securing lane rates.

But in our experience -- while there is an overall correlation, the causation comes from three, non-spend related sources.

Chicken of the Sea's "Journey to World Class" has yielded significant improvement results in production targets, cost reduction, and efficiency. As part of this leadership training journey, the team is leveraging LeanCor's ORLOE problem-solving model.

LeanCor Supply Chain Group has been recognized by ALM Intelligence as a global Vanguard Logistics Consulting contender in its latest 2018 report.

LeanCor was among a list of companies that made ALM Intelligence – Consulting division’s 2018 ratings of logistics consulting providers due to brand recognition in the industry.

By many reports, the trucking industry is facing a driver shortage. "The American Trucking Association figures companies need about 60,000 drivers, a number that could top 100,000 in just a few years" (MPR News). 

These conditions can prompt trucking companies to hire whomever they can find - and shippers to unknowingly partner with carriers that are unqualified to move their freight. This poses major risks in safety, quality, and liability for all parties involved. 

Making an effort to qualify and monitor your carriers for specific risk factors can go a long way toward building a stronger fleet of partners. 

When operating an industrial facility - whether it's an inbound materials warehouse or a finished goods distribution center, the focus should be on driving business results. During warehouse consulting engagements, the LeanCor team assesses a client's operations relative to performance standards, or benchmarks.

The following key performance indicators (KPIs) are proven to evaluate the most important aspects of a warehousing operation in order to drive results in performance and cost.

2018's freight market has faced a strong economy coupled with strong domestic truckload demand. With varied truck and driver supply, shippers have certainly had an interesting year.

Here's our take on some transportation market trends we're seeing from our Logistics Control Center -- and what to expect going forward.