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FAST lane program could shorten border lines

An agreement between the United States and Canada to align some of their customs procedures appears to be helping expedite movement at three major border crossings.

The agreement, known as FAST (the joint U.S. and Canadian Free and Secure Trade initiative), is now in effect at the Detroit/Windsor, Ontario; Port Huron, Mich./Sarnia, Ontario; and Buffalo, N.Y./Fort Erie, Ontario, border crossings, according to the U.S. Customs Service. The FAST lane program is expediting trade through these three locations, which are responsible for processing more than 20,000 inbound and outbound commercial trucks per day—representing more than 40 percent of trade between the United States and Canada, according to a news release from the Customs Service. This month,the FAST lane program will be extended farther west along the U.S.-Canada border, to Blaine,Wash./Douglas, British Columbia,and to the east,at Champlain, N.Y./Lacolle, Quebec.


Under the terms of the agreement, which was announced last September, the United States and Canada are harmonizing commercial processes for clearing low-risk shipments. To be eligible for the FAST lane, a shipment must be destined for an importer enrolled in the U.S. Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), transported by a carrier enrolled in C-TPAT and driven by a registered driver in possession of a valid FAST-Commercial Driver Card. Importers have to complete separate applications for the customs authorities in each country, and carriers and drivers must complete a single application.

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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.

According to Augury, its goal is deliver a new generation of AI solutions that provide the accuracy and reliability manufacturers need to make AI a trusted partner in every phase of the manufacturing process.

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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.

Bangalore-based Anscer had recently announced new financial backing from early-stage focused venture capital firm InfoEdge Ventures.

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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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