This is not the easiest time to be a supply chain pro. A perfect storm of complications—an ongoing pandemic, the explosion of eCommerce, maritime misadventures, raw material shortages, labor shortages, and actual storms—are causing global disruptions like we haven’t seen in decades. Just in time for peak holiday shipping season. If you work in the…
The ABCs of the modern supply chain: Automation, Blockchain and Compliance
Trucks drive themselves hundreds of miles on public highways. Warehouse workers’ glasses tell them which items to pick. Overseas transactions worth millions are consummated with the flick of a wand. This is not your father’s supply chain. Heck, it’s not even your older brother’s supply chain. If you find your head spinning at the pace…
Webinar: Can technology help you survive today’s supply chain?
In times like these, your shipping operation really can’t afford any stubborn inefficiencies. The capacity of the global supply chain is strained to its limits. Unpredictable disruptions happen every day. It’s never been harder to find qualified workers. And peak holiday shipping season is here, which makes all of the above even scarier. If your…
Supply Chain Moves: Week of November 1st, 2021
Week of November 1st, 2021 Linking supply chain news with dangerous goods compliance Finding ways to get goods to customers continues to be a major focus for business. But the challenges go beyond just capacity constraints and port congestion; it’s knowing also knowing how to ship those goods safely and compliantly. Let’s examine some…
What will lithium battery shippers do without Section II Packing Instructions?
On January 1, 2022, the new, 63rd Edition IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations will take effect. One of the most significant changes from previous regulations is that Packing Instructions PI 965 and PI 968 have been revised to remove Section II. Readers of this blog will now likely have one of the following reactions: What the…
Common hazmat shipping errors to avoid this holiday season
Two things most shippers are (or should be) keenly aware of right now: The global supply chain is enduring disruptions like we haven’t seen in decades. The holidays are coming. Yes, we’re heading into peak shipping season—which strains supply chains even in the best of years—at a time when inventories are already thin, shortages strike…
Supply Chain Moves: Week of October 18th, 2021
Week of October 18th, 2021 Linking supply chain news with dangerous goods compliance The supply chain crisis continues to be a major problem for businesses and consumers around the world…and that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon. Let’s examine some recent industry news. SUPPLY CHAIN NEWS Supply Chain Chaos is Already Hitting…
Which sites have the best hazmat information for eCommerce shippers?
During the recent Dangerous Goods Symposium, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Hazardous Materials Program Specialist Vinny Desiderio described the ongoing challenges USPS has with eCommerce shippers who don’t know (or act as if they don’t know) they’re shipping hazmat. Some of them—purveyors of ammunition, smoke grenades and chemicals such as calcium carbide—almost certainly know better. The…
DG Digest: PHMSA releases Lithium Battery Handling Guide in attempt to simplify disparate regulations across the U.S.
Did your workplace mark Fire Prevention Week? The annual reminder to take fire danger seriously is based on the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, which occurred 150 years this year from October 8th through the 10th in 1871 and destroyed a 3.3 square mile area—at that time, a span encompassing most of the city. The tragedy…
What if Dangerous Goods regulatory publications were made into movies?
Why aren’t people more excited about the release of new Dangerous Goods regulatory publications? Sure, they’re long and intimidating, but that didn’t stop the Game of Thrones series from becoming best-sellers. And no, they’re not very entertaining, but they are completely essential for their role in keeping hazmat shipments safe and compliant. Every organization in…