I was disappointed recently to read of JC Penney’s (JCP) decision to defer its plans for RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) implementation in its retail stores. Following steady success by retail giants Wal Mart, American Apparel, Marks & Spencer and others in recent years, JC Penney appeared to be adopting an RFID leadership position with reported

One of the many benefits of attending industry conferences is the opportunity to discuss current trends and issues with colleagues. That was exactly the case earlier this month when I attended the CITT “Reposition 2012” conference in Halifax, NS to make a presentation on key performance indicators and performance metrics. It was during one of

Recent industry articles on bisphenol-A (BPA), an industrial chemical that has been used in the production of plastic bottles and metal-based food and beverage cans since the 1960s, may be of interest to logistics professionals concerned about potential changes in packaging. Opponents of BPA became more vocal in the 1990′s and since then it has

One of my favourite industry newsletters is published by Fernandes Hearn LLP (FH), a leading Canadian transportation law firm located in Toronto. And the July 2012 issue does not disappoint, containing a review of a recent decision by the Ontario Superior Court that appears to limit the powers of carriers under the Bills of Lading

Does transportation add “cost” or “value” in the supply chain? I always find it interesting how the perception of transportation’s role differs between organizations. There are a number of reasons for this of course, ranging from the obvious one of increased costs when companies engage in outsourcing, to the more subtle, related to the role

In what may come as a surprise to U.S. and Canadian importers who have embraced China as a prime source of supply in recent years, the “2011 U.S. Manufacturing-Outsourcing Cost Index” released by Alix Partners identifies Mexico as the number one location for lowest landed-costs for U.S. customers, a fact which should also be of

The on-again/off again Hours of Service (HOS) issue for commercial vehicles in the United States surfaced again recently when the US Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued it s latest rule revision in December. While the FMCSA did not further revise the current maximum daily driving time of 11 hours, arguably the most contentious

Forthcoming changes in the area of Customs this year serve to remind transportation managers of the importance of including Customs issues when planning supply chain strategy. Since joining the World Customs Organization (WCO) in 1971, Canada has subscribed to the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS), a multipurpose international product nomenclature developed by the

If recent comments are any indication, Maersk Line CEO Eivind Kolding seems intent on pushing his company, and the ocean carrier industry, in a bold new direction. Mr. Kolding’s “call for change” has been widely quoted in the international trade press this year, and he has delivered his message personally at industry conferences as a

Mexican President Calderon’s trip to Washington in early March seems to have produced significant progress regarding the ongoing dispute between Mexico and the U.S. over cross-border trucking. The refusal of the U.S. to enact the southern cross-border trucking provisions of NAFTA due to safety concerns with Mexican carriers has been a sore point with Mexico