Don’t Miss Tomorrow’s Supply Chain News – Essential Industry Updates to Stay Ahead

Today, map end-to-end visibility across the logistics network and lock in a 45-day recovery plan with clear carrier handoffs and store coverage for more retailers. This ensures shelves fulfilled and capacity remains flexible as routes adapt.

Most operators report pressure on freight costs; by year-end, total charges may rise into 15-20% in peak periods. In the coming days, expand carrier options and build capabilities across at least two modes to smooth lanes and mark risk early.

Beyond finance, service levels matter: after disruption, retailers must regain service within days, and the most resilient players built cross-functional teams that connect planners, store ops, and logistics partners. being proactive reduces total lead times and improves delivery reliability.

Today, weve learned over years that the most stable stores are those with real-time inventory, demand sensing, and flexible replenishment from multiple hubs into the network. Being proactive reduces the risk of stockouts across regions.

Change management is built into the plan: establish a three-part playbook that keeps store coverage, carrier continuity, and data integrity in balance, made possible by cross-functional alignment in place. Today’s changes require rapid decision cycles and real-time dashboards that show the total impact across regions.

From monitoring KPIs to tracking on-shelf availability, the entire system should mark improvements day by day: throughout the quarter, weve seen that teams that act today reduce days of stockouts and increase fulfilled orders.

Tomorrow’s Supply Chain News – Actionable Brief

Lock the docks today for high-volume shipments and mark any late arrivals with surcharges to retailers to avoid market gaps, boosting on-time fulfillment by 8–12% in the next quarter and reducing idle time on the docks.

hartmann data show that hartmann, known in the market, and other vendors fulfilled 92% of orders on time in the latest quarter, with total volume at 1.25 million units across ground routes and retailer direct-to-store moves representing 38% of shipments.

Change in demand patterns have created a need for updated capabilities across procurement, production, and dock loading; throughout the network, capacity adjustments are being implemented, making wait times shorter by 6% MoM.

Sales momentum favored store channels and retailers, with these channels accounting for 60% of total sales last quarter; most volume now moves through direct-to-store and curbside pickups, with well-aligned vendor collaboration being a key driver and expected to yield further gains.

Ground proximity and dock scheduling saved 2 days for some routes; these improvements were made possible by proactive dock coordination; after implementing the revised plan, fulfilled orders rose to 96% and surcharges were limited to late-stage exceptions.

Actions for today: confirm dock-time windows; share daily capacity with retailers and hartmann; mark surcharges clearly at the point of sale; align vendor production with ground transit windows; weve learned that this approach could cut dwell time and overall costs, and forecast volume for the next quarter.

Don’t Miss Tomorrow’s Supply Chain News: Key Industry Updates to Stay Ahead; Bed Bath & Beyond’s COO on a Common-Sense Supply Chain Pivot; Near-Term Logistics Headwinds and Tailwinds; Flexing New Muscles; Recommended Reading

Recommendation: implement a vendor-managed replenishment model for 40% of total volume by the next quarter; weve learned over years that grounding stock at vendor sites and at the docks reduces days in store, lowers surcharges, and builds a more meaningful distribution network. This change extends beyonds the current quarter and strengthens control at the center of the network.

Near-Term headwinds include surcharges rising 4-6% quarter-over-quarter, limited carrier capacity, and days added at docks during peak weeks, creating pressure on margins. Tailwinds come from improved visibility, earlier bookings with third-party carriers, and a growing vendor network. hartmann notes that placing shipments closer to stores through a ground-up approach reduces days and margin pressure; saunders adds that expanding the third-party network and aligning retailer calendars improves control at distribution centers. These actions fortify the network against volatility today and into the year.

Flexing New Muscles: weve built capabilities for real-time demand signals, cross-dock scheduling, and a carrier-agnostic footprint; these moves place more volume into the hands of three new centers, boosting service to retailers and making fulfillment more meaningful. By year-end, target a fulfilled rate improvement of 10-15% and a 5% reduction in transport costs through smarter carrier mix and dock-to-store routing. This is how ground operations become more adaptable across days, quarters, and years.

Recommended reading includes: Vendor-Managed Inventory in Retail: Practical Guidelines; Cross-Dock Optimization in Distribution Networks; Carrier Strategy Playbooks: Rates, Capacity, and Dock Scheduling. These resources highlight how retailers and vendors can collaborate to reduce surcharges, improve on-time fulfillment, and extend the reach of the network.

Define a common-sense framework: concrete steps for aligning inventory, sourcing, and logistics decisions

Start with a concrete one-page policy that ties demand signals to inventory targets, vendor commitments, and carrier capacity. however, across planning, maintain a single cadence that runs throughout the year, ensuring volume targets and days of cover align with sales realities and that total stock for each retailer is fulfilled at ground centers. This framework clarifies which product families require safety stock and which can operate leaner, reducing pressure on the network when volumes shift.

Forecast-to-fulfillment loop: translate projected volume into on-hand targets by retailer and by center, using inputs from sales, merchandising, and procurement teams. Schedule reviews every 14 days, then adjust replenishment and order quantities to maintain meaningful service levels. Track hit rates, days-in-stock, and total cost, aiming to keep most items in stock while preventing excess. After promotions or events, ensure inventory moves to the right hubs and is fulfilled on time.

Sourcing decisions: Build a vendor pool with reliable partners, including hartmann and saunders as benchmarks; set clear lead times, minimums, and capacity cushions for peak periods. Align products made in-house or by vendor with network capabilities; ensure contracts could include contingency options and beyonds to expand capacity when needed. This reduces risk and improves fulfillment across retailers and centers.

Logistics decisions: Map the network of distribution centers and carriers to minimize days of transport and total landed cost. Choose ground transport first, then consider others modes where needed, and establish cross-dock placements and standard operating procedures that reduce handling. Set thresholds to switch carriers when recent performance underperforms, protecting service levels for key retailers.

Governance and control: Institute a quarterly, cross-functional review that covers sales, operations, and finance. Use a simple scorecard to track most-critical metrics: on-time fulfillment, stock-outs, velocity, and total cost. After each cycle, capture lessons learned, update the framework, and mark improvements to be carried forward into the next year.

Quantify near-term headwinds: translate port delays and carrier shortages into actionable playbooks

Recommendation: Build a 90-day playbook that translates port delays and carrier shortages into concrete actions across stores, distribution centers, and retailers’ networks. Map affected corridors, identify centers most exposed, and set quarterly targets for service levels and inventory readiness; align with vendor capabilities. These steps deliver meaningful protection for the coming year.

Quantify impact by turning disruption into measurable inputs: port dwell days, carrier lead-time increases, and total backlog across centers. Convert into buffer stock targets equal to 10–20 days of demand at the most affected nodes, then reallocate capacity into high-sales routes. From recent observations, this is known and could reduce lost sales across the quarter. hartmann notes that the value lies in converting risk into immediate capacity, while saunders emphasizes diversified lanes to maintain throughput throughout the year.

Actionable steps span functions: design data-driven lane changes, like multi-carrier routing, establish vendor coordination cadences, and tighten store replenishment protocols. Rebalance distribution flows by shifting more shipments to centers with built capacity; set 24–48-hour gates to switch carriers or modes; implement cross-docking for volatile lanes, and formalize quarterly reviews with retailers to align forecast and replenishment. This approach builds capabilities and makes the network more resilient for years to come.

Cost and risk controls must capture surcharges early, embed them into total-cost models, and negotiate with carriers on volume-based rebates. Push for predictable pricing where possible, and create flexible routing options that limit disruption to the most sensitive stores. Track the total cost impact by region and quarter, and use it to inform year-end decisions, sales plans, and capital allocation.

Case notes and culture beyong the usual planning: beyounds the obvious gains come from proactive monitoring and weekly scorecards across centers. hartmann notes the value of early triggers, while saunders highlights the payoff from pre-negotiated contingency lanes; these inputs translate into measurable reductions in days, forecast gaps, and sales misses over the year. These steps help others in the field and are scalable to more regions.

Capitalize on tailwinds: prioritize routes, modes, and tech that reduce cost-to-serve

Reallocate 40% of long-haul freight to rail-first corridors that connect docks with strategically located distribution centers, reducing inland transit time and fuel burn. This shift lowers total cost-to-serve and makes the network more predictable for retailers and others today.

Prioritize routes that originate from major ports and pass through 3-4 regional hubs, enabling multi-modal flows with rail-first and regional trucking. This change has improved service in the current quarter and is expected to persist through the year; saunders and hartmann note that these patterns are being adopted by most retailers and by others in diverse markets.

Leverage a tech stack: real-time visibility, dynamic routing through third-party platforms, automated dock scheduling, cross-dock optimization, and lightweight AI for load planning. These tools shorten ground-handling times, boost dock-to-store speed, and reduce total cost-to-serve even as volumes fluctuate.

Roll out in stages: select 2-3 lanes with the largest cost-to-serve contributions, implement cross-docks near 2-3 store centers, and measure impact in 90 days; compare results by quarter, then scale to broader ground across the year.

これらの動きは、場所に基づいたネットワークの現実と整合し、データを根拠としています。最も意味のある効果は、数年かけて、そして四半期をまたいで見られるでしょう。初期の成功を超えて、このアプローチは需要の変動や容量不足に対する回復力を構築し、流通拠点全体の俊敏性とコスト効率を高めます。.

新たな力を発揮するためにリソースを再配分する：人材、データ、自動化への投資先

年間学習予算の40%を、小売店とDCの最前線チームを対象とした、予測、受注処理、および基本的な分析に焦点を当てたクロス・トレーニングに割り当てます。四半期ごとにコホートを編成し、ドックと店舗間をローテーションさせ、販売からフルフィルメントまでの流れをスタッフが体験できるようにします。これにより、学習が加速され、年間を通じて実践的な取り組みを維持できます。各モジュールには、現実世界のプレッシャーポイントに対応するための店舗シナリオが含まれています。このアプローチは、データに基づいたコーチングと組み合わせることで最も効果的です。.

サプライヤー、店舗、輸送業者をリンクする単一のネットワークビューにデータを統合します。統一されたデータレイヤーは、手作業を減らし、意思決定を迅速化します。最近のダッシュボードでは、ネットワーク全体の納期日数、完全納期、およびドックの遅延を追跡し、小売業者が追加料金や輸送業者の制約がエスカレートする前に対応できるようにします。既知のボトルネック（サードパーティの輸送業者、入庫ドック、クロスドックの受け渡し）は、これらの指標および現場から地上レベルまで可視化され、これらの制約を超えて複製できるアクションが可能になります。これらの取り組みは、予測精度と在庫の健全性において、十分に文書化された改善をもたらす可能性があります。このアプローチは、現在の地域を超えて拡張できます。当初の範囲を超える可能性があります。.

ドックや倉庫でのルーチンワークフローの自動化に投資：仕分け、梱包、ラベル生成、商品の移動。一部のDC（Hartmann支援のネットワーク）でロボットピッカーを試験導入し、履行率を加速させ、注文から発送までの日数を短縮。成功すれば、他の拠点にも自動化を拡大し、地上での処理能力を向上させ、継続的な制御と監視を実施。さらに、このアプローチは他の企業にも適用可能なテンプレートとなる。規模に応じて、数ヶ月以内に処理能力が20～30％向上し、納期遵守率が15～20％改善される可能性がある。.

部門横断的な指標で成功を測る：店舗からの充足率、輸送中の在庫、受注処理あたりのコストなど。四半期ごとに最も影響力のある分野にリソースを投入し、より多くのハブ、追加の小売業者や運送業者でそれを再現する。これらの投資は年々、安定したサービスレベル、緊急輸送へのプレッシャー軽減、そして収益性への明確な道筋をもたらし、現在の制約を超えて適応し、市場全体で回復力を維持し、販売速度を向上させるように構築されたネットワークを実現している。.

推奨される資料とダッシュボード：日々のモニタリングに関する実用的なチェックリスト

最も重要な変化を示すように構築された毎日のダッシュボードから始めましょう。配送センター別および店舗別の取扱量を追跡し、総需要量と充足量を示し、前年からの変更を記録します。これにより、どこに圧力がかかっているか、最初にどのルートを調査すべきかをすばやく把握できます。.

これらのダッシュボードは、日々の意思決定のために、需要、フルフィルメント、キャパシティという最も影響力のある要素に焦点を当て、無駄を省き、実用的に作られています。.

今日のシグナルミックスは、流通と履行の効率を重視しており、小売業者、ベンダー、および運送業者にとって、これらの測定値とダッシュボードは特に価値があります。.

本日維持すべき主要な読書とダッシュボード：

1. 資料：流通動態に関するサンダースの四半期報告書。キャリアのパフォーマンスとベンダーの能力が、各センターにおける納期遵守をどのように推進しているかに焦点を当てる。.
2. ベンダーおよびキャリアのプロファイル：既知の能力、サードパーティのオプション、および店舗の可用性と小売業者のフルフィルメントに影響を与えるリスク。.
3. 店舗レベルのダッシュボード：場所別の売上、注文数、履行率を、季節変動と年初来変動で調整後に監視します。.
4. ディストリビューションセンターのヒートマップ：センター全体のボリューム、滞留時間、スループットを可視化し、最も負荷のかかっているサイトを特定します。.
5. 交差経路比較：内部ルートと社外オプションや他のベンダーを比較し、ギャップを特定し、圧力を軽減する機会を見つける。.
6. 変更追跡パネル：四半期計画において重要な変更点をハイライト表示し、前四半期および前年との差分を表示します。.
7. 圧力モニター：小売店やベンダー全体のリードタイム、在庫レベル、再注文点を追跡し、欠品を防止します。.