Mastering reverse logistics for profit

The supply chain – or distribution channel – flows like a river, all downstream. The rise of e-commerce has generated a new river that runs back up the mountain: the flow of returned goods. How can a logistics manager cope with this unusual stream?

The rise of the logistics manager

There was a time when logistics and marketing professionals seldom talked to each other, but these days they are becoming key partners.

The Last Mile

Modern urbanisation is posing ever harsher challenges. People have high expectations concerning mobility and delivery levels for consumer goods. However, we all want to live in a healthy and safe environment. Most of these challenges come down in the end to emissions and congestion. How are companies adapting their logistics to serve urban customers? What will they have to do differently tomorrow? Eureka’s Gian Schiava delves into the world of city logistics and deliveries in the Last Mile.

The fastest show on earth

Motorsport, whether it’s racing or rallying, on two wheels or four, is popular across the world. The highest-profile series, the Formula One Grand Prix World Championship, visits every (inhabited!) continent on the planet. Planning and managing the logistics is quite a challenge – and not for the faint-hearted! Long-time racing fan Ruari McCallion has a scout behind the scenes with help from Rocla Rus.

A career in materials handling – a word from the professors

Our 10th anniversary reflection, looking back and forward at the world of materials handling, would be incomplete without a word from those ‘shaping’ the careers of the logistics managers of tomorrow: our logistics schools and universities. Gian Schiava has interviewed two renowned logistics professors to gain a deeper insight into this area.

Where do I build my warehouse?

Before deciding how to shape a materials handling operation, companies need to consider where to build their new warehouse. E-commerce has revolutionised the game, and supply chains and markets are undergoing serious changes.

Gian Schiava explores several recent surveys and helps us discover the best logistics hotspots in Europe.

Masters of immediate response: the role of supply chain processes in disaster relief

Médecins Sans Frontières has honed its supply chain processes and warehousing to respond quickly to disasters and emergencies in some of the most inhospitable locations around the globe. Gay Sutton from eureka magazine finds out from Stefaan Philips, Site Director, MSF Supply, how this works in practice.

Backhauling boosts logistics cost-effectiveness

There are many apparent barriers to backhauling, not least of which is the sticky issue of branding and working with your greatest competitor. Yet there are enormous opportunities to reduce supply chain costs and carbon emissions if these hurdles can be overcome.

Gay Sutton finds out how some of the best companies are achieving these savings and how they manage the challenges.

How Cat Logistics cuts forklift trucks fleet costs

When Impact Handling won the contract to supply Cat Logistics’ UK materials handling fleet it overcame several challenges with a combination of planning, attention to detail and agility.

Ruari McCallion