Dollar General Names VP of Supply Chain Optimization
Dollar General announced Matt Lucas as vice president of supply chain optimization and promoted Kyle Gorman to vice president of distribution. Lucas, a 2013 hire, will apply data analytics and financial modeling to redesign the retailer’s network, technology and product flow. Gorman will oversee distribution operations at facilities in Florida, Alabama and Texas. The moves are part of a broader executive reshuffle aimed at tightening inventory and reducing SKU count.
FedEx, UPS and DHL Detail Tariff Refund Approach for Customers
FedEx, UPS and DHL Express announced they will pursue refunds for duties paid under the now‑defunct International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs and return the money to the original payors. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched a...
4 Tech Tools Food Brands Are Using to Enhance Inventory, Demand Planning
At the Food Manufacturing Summit, experts highlighted four tech tools reshaping inventory and demand planning for food brands: digital twins, RFID, cold‑chain solutions, and advanced planning systems. They stressed that data quality is the single biggest lever for supply‑chain performance,...
Pandora Upgrades WMS as Part of Supply Chain Tech Overhaul
Pandora is upgrading its warehouse management system (WMS) with Hardis software across North America, Europe and Thailand as part of a broader supply‑chain overhaul. The new WMS will integrate with Pandora’s SAP S/4HANA Cloud ERP and a transportation management system,...
One Year In: How Medtech Companies Are Coping with Tariff Challenges
One year after President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs on China, Mexico, Canada, the EU and other partners, medtech firms are still feeling the financial sting. Unlike pharma, device makers have not reshored at scale, opting instead to absorb costs and...
AI in Parcel Shipping: How to Cut Through the Noise and Find Tools that Actually Work
The article warns logistics firms to evaluate AI tools for parcel shipping based on problem relevance, domain specificity, data security, and integration. It stresses that AI should reduce cost per package, prevent lost shipments, and improve carrier management. Vendors must...
Spiking FedEx, UPS Fuel Fees Are Grabbing Shippers’ Attention
FedEx and UPS have driven a record‑high quarter for ground delivery costs as fuel surcharges surged. The TD Cowen/AFS Freight Index shows Q1 per‑package rates were 39.3% above the January 2018 baseline and are projected to reach 42% in Q2. Fuel surcharges...
Home Depot Eyes Same-Day, Next-Day Delivery Site in New York
Home Depot has filed an application to build a 414,000‑square‑foot distribution center in Yaphank, New York, designed for same‑day and next‑day delivery of bulky building materials. The project would cost about $157 million to construct, with an additional $11 million for site improvements,...
Hershey Leans on Cocoa Sourcing Resilience to Blunt Price Shocks
Hershey is bolstering its cocoa supply chain by diversifying origins beyond the Ivory Coast and Ghana to include Ecuador and Brazil, while using sophisticated hedging tools to lock in prices. The company couples these financial safeguards with farmer‑focused programs like...
Home Depot Acquires Warehouse Tech Firm to Boost Fulfillment Strategy
Home Depot announced the acquisition of warehouse‑technology firm Simpl Automation, though financial terms were not disclosed. Simpl’s automated storage and retrieval systems, already piloted at the retailer’s Locust Grove, Georgia distribution center, delivered faster pick speeds, shorter cycle times and...
Hershey Projects $100M Inventory Cut From Supply Chain Tech
Hershey announced at its 2026 Investor Day that its decision‑intelligence platform will drive a $50 million productivity lift and trim inventory by $100 million over the next two years. The initiative builds on a $250 million supply‑chain and manufacturing digitization program launched in...
Ocean Freight Contracts: How Data Steers One Shipper’s Approach
Shippers are turning to data analytics to reshape ocean‑freight contracts amid heightened market volatility. Bluspark’s consulting platform helps Emser Tile integrate multi‑dimensional metrics—rates, carrier performance, vessel routes, and port efficiency—into procurement decisions. By visualizing these data points, Emser Tile can...
How AI Is Changing Food Supply Chains
The pandemic disrupted food supply chains, making logistics resilience critical. Because food is perishable, companies like CookUnity must guarantee precise, temperature‑controlled deliveries. AI platforms such as Blue Yonder now act as a “copilot,” boosting demand forecasts from 50‑60% to 80‑90%...
WD-40 Braces for Iran War Impact on Supply Costs
WD‑40 warned that the Iran‑driven oil shock is raising the price of petroleum‑based specialty chemicals used in its formulas. The company said the cost increase will take 90‑120 days to filter through inventory and affect gross margins, with the first...
Sportsman’s Warehouse Hones in on Inventory Timing
Sportsman’s Warehouse trimmed its inventory by $29.1 million, an 8.5% year‑over‑year decline, and plans to keep levels lower throughout 2026. CFO Jennifer Fall Jung said the spring inventory will arrive later to improve turns, while the retailer continues SKU rationalization, especially...
UPS Growing RFID Usage to Boost Shipper Visibility, Trim Manual Scans
UPS announced a U.S.-wide expansion of its RFID package‑sensing system, adding sensors to hubs later this year and offering RFID label‑printing to customers in 2026‑27. The rollout aims to eliminate nearly 20 million manual scans each day, improving visibility and delivery...
Iran War Is ‘a Concern, but It’s Not a Worry,’ Los Angeles Port Director Says
The Port of Los Angeles says the Iran war is a concern but not a worry for its operations, noting no current disruptions despite ongoing Middle East tensions. March throughput fell 3% year‑over‑year to 752,520 TEUs, while April is projected...
PVH Expects Improved Tariff Mitigation Results in 2026
PVH Corp., the parent of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, expects $195 million in gross tariff costs for 2026 and plans to offset 60% of that impact, double the mitigation achieved in 2025. The company’s guidance assumes a 15% duty rate that the...
Norfolk Southern Focuses on Freight Growth in Latest Partnership
Norfolk Southern announced a partnership with Jaguar Transport Holdings to expand capacity at its Doraville transload facility near Atlanta. Jaguar will manage local switching and fund yard upgrades, boosting freight handling and truck‑to‑rail connections. The initiative aligns with NS’s strategy...
Why Agentic AI Is Emerging as the Next Layer of the Modern TMS
Logistics teams are drowning in repetitive, high‑fatigue tasks such as shipment tracking, invoice reconciliation, and carrier performance monitoring. Shipwell’s new transportation management system (TMS) embeds agentic AI that automates these “invisible” workflows, delivering real‑time alerts and optimization suggestions while keeping...
Strategic Intermodal Integration: Efficiency, Visibility and the New Length-of-Haul
Intermodal freight is shedding its reputation as a slow, low‑visibility option as carriers like Werner Enterprises introduce GPS‑tracked containers and proprietary EDGE technology. These advances make regional rail‑truck combos competitive on 600‑ to 1,000‑mile lanes, delivering truck‑plus‑one‑day transit, end‑to‑end visibility,...
Building Resilient Supply Chains in an Era of Constant Disruption
Supply chain volatility has become the new normal for manufacturers, prompting a shift from reactive tactics to proactive resilience. Leading firms are embedding visibility, integrated processes, and cloud‑based technology into the product development lifecycle to anticipate risks before they materialize....
CBP: Tariff Refund Process Will Take 60-90 Days to Issue Returns
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that its new Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) system will take 60‑90 days to issue tariff refunds for eligible entries, extending the previously stated 45‑day window. The agency reports the system is...
Georgia Ports Authority to Open Inland Port, Targeting Manufacturers
The Georgia Ports Authority will launch the Gainesville Inland Port in May, a $134 million rail terminal that can handle 200,000 containers a year and links directly to the Port of Savannah’s 40 weekly ship calls. The facility targets roughly 330...
Target Fuels Next-Day Delivery Expansion with Shipt
Target is expanding its Shipt‑powered next‑day delivery service, called Target Last Mile Delivery Direct, to 20 additional metropolitan areas this spring. By the end of 2026, more than 100 stores across 50 markets will ship orders directly from the retail...
Lamb Weston Warns of Supply Chain Pressures Amid Iran War
Lamb Weston warned that the ongoing Iran war could spark heightened volatility in key commodities such as packaging and fuel, adding pressure to its already‑tight margins. The company now projects a 250‑ to 300‑basis‑point decline in adjusted gross margin for...
Amazon Advances Rural Delivery Push with New West Virginia Facilities
Amazon opened two small‑scale fulfillment facilities in Davisville and Beaver, West Virginia, creating roughly 500 jobs and enabling same‑day delivery within a 65‑mile radius. The sites focus on household goods, pet supplies and other high‑frequency items, extending Amazon’s rapid‑shipping network...
How Food Manufacturers Are Rethinking Product Assortments
Food manufacturers are trimming product assortments, cutting low‑velocity SKUs to focus on high‑margin items that drive growth. Large corporations are accelerating SKU reductions, while smaller firms remain cautious due to uncertainty about opportunity costs. Executives highlighted the distinction between "good"...
Transpacific Ocean Rates Rise, Demand Softens
Ocean freight rates climbed sharply in early April as the Iran war drove fuel costs higher. The Asia‑to‑U.S. West Coast lane rose 11% week‑over‑week to $2,420 per FEU, while the East Coast lane increased 5% to $3,350 per FEU. Despite...
Amazon Freight Increases Dry Van Trailer Count to 80k
Amazon Freight announced its dry‑van trailer fleet has reached 80,000 units, a rise of 10,000 since June 2025. The expansion gives shippers more flexibility during peak seasons and faster response for urgent loads. Equipped with real‑time tracking, the new trailers...
USPS to Shift some Volume as It Installs New Sortation Equipment
The U.S. Postal Service is installing new package sortation equipment at several processing facilities this month, temporarily rerouting volume to alternate sites during the transition. The upgrades raise daily processing capacity to about 88 million packages, up from 60 million, and add...
Walmart to Close Illinois Fulfillment Center
Walmart announced the permanent closure of its Matteson, Illinois fulfillment center, affecting 111 employees. Operations will be transferred to other NextGen facilities in the retailer’s network, and affected workers receive a $7,500 incentive to relocate or transition to open roles....
Iran War Sways Air Cargo Contract Negotiations
The Iran‑U.S. conflict is reshaping air‑cargo contract negotiations, prompting shippers to favor three‑month agreements over traditional annual deals. Spot rates surged to $2.86 per kilogram, a 14% year‑over‑year rise, while global cargo volumes slipped 3%. Jet fuel costs have nearly...
Retailers Rely on This Tariff Mitigation Tactic. Congress Has Noticed.
Retailers are increasingly using the decades‑old First Sale customs rule to lower tariff liabilities, a tactic highlighted in Target’s 2025 SEC filing. The rule lets importers value goods at the earliest sale price in a multi‑tier supply chain, reducing duties...
Postal Service, Amazon Reach Scaled-Back Delivery Deal
The U.S. Postal Service and Amazon have signed a scaled‑back agreement that cuts Amazon’s package volume to USPS by 20%, a smaller reduction than the two‑thirds cut previously reported. The deal still secures more parcels than the earlier Wall Street...
Ulta Doubled Store Fulfillment Capabilities in 2025
Ulta Beauty doubled its ship‑from‑store locations to over 1,000 U.S. stores in fiscal year 2025, up from about 500 the prior year. The expansion was powered by an AI‑driven order‑management system, while the company kept its existing distribution‑center network and...
Hormel Modernizes Supply Chain with AI Planning Platform
Hormel Foods has rolled out the o9 artificial‑intelligence planning platform across more than 70 of its facilities, linking demand, supply and inventory in a single system. The deployment, completed between March and December 2025, aims to shift the company from...
Williams-Sonoma Isn’t Planning for Tariff Refunds Anytime Soon
Williams‑Sonoma will not factor potential tariff refunds into its fiscal 2026 outlook, despite U.S. Customs developing a system to return duties from the invalidated Trump‑era levies. The retailer’s CFO said guidance assumes existing tariff rates will stay in place or...
Amazon to Apply 3.5% Fuel and Logistics Surcharge on Fulfillment
Amazon announced a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge on its Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) services, effective April 17 for U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil and expanding on May 2 to Buy with Prime and Multi‑Channel Fulfillment. The charge translates to roughly...
Walmart to Close Massachusetts Fulfillment Center
Walmart announced the closure of its Worcester, Massachusetts fulfillment center, affecting 90 employees with layoffs slated to start on May 29. Affected associates can transfer to other Walmart sites nationwide and may receive a $7,500 relocation bonus along with training....
Trucking Capacity Crunch Draws Shippers to Intermodal
Shippers are increasingly turning to intermodal transport as over‑the‑road trucking faces a capacity crunch driven by stricter federal oversight and soaring diesel prices. Uber Freight reports spot OTR rates up 25% year‑over‑year and predicts intermodal rates will rise 3‑5% by...
FedEx’s Next AI Leap to Feature RFID, Robotics
FedEx announced a multi‑year push to embed artificial intelligence into physical assets such as RFID sensors, robotics and automated trailer unloaders. By 2028 the carrier aims to have AI driving more than half of its core operational workflows, from first‑mile...
Gap Feels Confident About Inventory Levels, Tariff Mitigation
Gap Inc. reported a 7% year‑over‑year rise in inventory during its March 5 earnings call, yet managed to lower retail units through stricter inventory controls. The company’s tariff‑mitigation plan, which includes sourcing adjustments and selective price hikes, is projected to deliver...
How Food Manufacturers Can Benefit From AI and Other Technologies
Food manufacturers are accelerating AI adoption, using computer‑vision, automation and anomaly‑detection tools to proactively manage safety and meet the FDA’s extended food‑traceability rule, now due July 2028. Deloitte’s Drew Gaputis highlighted that AI can give a cleaner, end‑to‑end view of supply...
HP Pulls Multiple Levers to Battle Soaring Memory Chip Costs
HP Inc. is confronting a sharp rise in memory‑chip prices, which have doubled sequentially, pushing memory and storage to represent about 35% of its PC bill of materials—twice the share from the prior quarter. To mitigate the cost pressure, HP...
Hasbro Opens Distribution Hub to Cut Costs, Speed Deliveries
Hasbro has launched a 600,000‑square‑foot distribution center in Midway, Georgia, operated by GXO, to streamline its U.S. logistics network. The new hub consolidates five distribution nodes down to three, supporting both brick‑and‑mortar retailers and direct‑to‑consumer sales. Hasbro projects roughly $8 million...
Tariff Refunds: Court Expands Scope to Include Finally Liquidated Entries
The U.S. Court of International Trade broadened a prior order, directing Customs and Border Protection to refund tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) for all import entries, including those already finally liquidated. The amendment follows the...
Matson Responds to Growing Cargo Theft in Intermodal Shipments
Matson announced a new cargo‑security program launching in Q2, deploying free security devices on containers traveling from Los Angeles to all BNSF network destinations and positioning them in the lower well of intermodal rail cars for added protection. The initiative responds...
FedEx Hails Most Profitable Peak Season Ever Amid Network 2.0 Shift
FedEx reported its most profitable holiday peak season as it accelerated the rollout of Network 2.0, with about 35% of eligible shipments now processed through nearly 400 optimized facilities. The carrier improved on‑time delivery to 95.3% in December 2025 and saw...
CBP’s 4-Part Tariff Refund Process Inches Forward
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is advancing its Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) system, a four‑step digital platform designed to refund importers for Trump‑era tariffs that were recently nullified. The agency reports the project is between 45 % and...