JANUARY 2018
VOLUME 16 NO. 1
inside
22 Staying ahead of Mother Nature:
interview with John Bosse
BY MARK B. SOLOMON
Drivers and fleets can’t control the weather, but John Bosse of The
Weather Company believes that, with a little help, they have the ability
to effectively plan for it.
27 Big data analytics in supply chain:
Tackling the tidal wave
BY LISA HARRINGTON AND TOBY GOOLEY
The amount of supply chain data is growing exponentially, and
companies are struggling to make effective use of available information.
New research reveals the strategies they’re adopting to help them
harness the power of big data.
32 Infographic: Handled (automatically)
with care
BY DAVID MALONEY AND TOBY GOOLEY
Delicate satsuma oranges might not sound like candidates for
automated handling. But a Japanese agricultural cooperative has come
up with a solution that allows it to gently process up to 2. 6 million
oranges a day.
35 Erasing the digital borders
BY MARK B. SOLOMON
Cross-border e-commerce is booming, and it may be just getting
started. Will this trigger air freight’s next generational surge?
41 Thinking outside the boxes
BY DAVID MALONEY
After nearly four decades of growth, The Container Store’s DC had
reached its limits. That’s when the retailer installed a high-performance
automated fulfillment system that has reshaped its entire operation.
45 The block is hot
BY MARK B. SOLOMON
“Blockchain” has been heralded as the next big thing. Now, if people
only knew what to do with it.
49 A battery revolution?
BY VICTORIA KICKHAM
Lithium-ion batteries may be on the verge of a breakthrough in the
material handling market, as prices inch down and warehouse and
DC managers seek lower-maintenance, higher-productivity solutions.
