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Execs continue to hand over the keys to the warehouse

Distribution and warehousing are the functions most frequently outsourced to third-party logistics providers, says a new report.

Distribution and warehousing are the functions most frequently outsourced to third-party logistics providers (3PLs), says the seventh annual report on third-party logistics produced by Georgia Tech, Ryder System and Cap Gemini Ernst and Young.

The study, which surveyed 260 logistics and supply chain executives from around the world, indicated that more than three-quarters of all companies—and 90 percent of those surveyed in Europe and Asia—currently outsourced some logistics services. Seventy-seven percent of those who do use 3PLs outsource distribution center or warehouse management activities. Next on the list were Webenabled communications (64 percent), transportation management (62 percent) and export/import and related activities (61 percent).


"This year's study highlights more demanding customer expectations of 3PL services and increasingly sophisticated requirements for technology-based and strategic supply chain services," says C. John Langley Jr., professor of supply chain management and 3PL study leader at Georgia Tech.

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AI firm Augury banks $75 million in fresh VC

The New York-based industrial artificial intelligence (AI) provider Augury has raised $75 million for its process optimization tools for manufacturers, in a deal that values the company at more than $1 billion, the firm said today.

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Indian AMR firm Anscer expands to U.S. with new VC funding

The Indian warehouse robotics provider Anscer has landed new funding and is expanding into the U.S. with a new regional headquarters in Austin, Texas.

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Report: 65% of consumers made holiday returns this year

Report: 65% of consumers made holiday returns this year

Supply chains continue to deal with a growing volume of returns following the holiday peak season, and 2024 was no exception. Recent survey data from product information management technology company Akeneo showed that 65% of shoppers made holiday returns this year, with most reporting that their experience played a large role in their reason for doing so.

The survey—which included information from more than 1,000 U.S. consumers gathered in January—provides insight into the main reasons consumers return products, generational differences in return and online shopping behaviors, and the steadily growing influence that sustainability has on consumers.

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Automation delivers results for high-end designer

When you get the chance to automate your distribution center, take it.

That's exactly what leaders at interior design house Thibaut Design did when they relocated operations from two New Jersey distribution centers (DCs) into a single facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2019. Moving to an "empty shell of a building," as Thibaut's Michael Fechter describes it, was the perfect time to switch from a manual picking system to an automated one—in this case, one that would be driven by voice-directed technology.

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In search of the right WMS

IT projects can be daunting, especially when the project involves upgrading a warehouse management system (WMS) to support an expansive network of warehousing and logistics facilities. Global third-party logistics service provider (3PL) CJ Logistics experienced this first-hand recently, embarking on a WMS selection process that would both upgrade performance and enhance security for its U.S. business network.

The company was operating on three different platforms across more than 35 warehouse facilities and wanted to pare that down to help standardize operations, optimize costs, and make it easier to scale the business, according to CIO Sean Moore.

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