Supply Chain weekly wrap-up: 04/06/18 – 04/12/18

Shipping Industry cleaning up its environmental act

Sustainability efforts in supply chain operations have considerably increased in recent years. Particularly in the automotive industry we’ve seen the emergence of electric vehicles to decrease the amount of greenhouse gases released. On Monday, it was revealed that the global shipping industry is having to following suit with reducing its carbon emissions. Consequently, this week the International Maritime Organisation’s environment committee will be meeting in London in an attempt to reach an agreement on a global plan to combat this issue. If no action is taken, shipping could produce nearly a fifth of all carbon emissions by 2050.

Over the years, there has been no regulation set, even though 90% of world trade is transported internationally through shipping. This environmental action could have severe impacts on economies that greatly depend on shipping as an income source. At the meeting, it will be proposed that these emissions should be cut down by between 70 and 100 percent by 2050, so that there is somewhat less of a threat of rising sea levels to certain Pacific islands.

To read more about this, click here.

New Study released about all things Omnichannel Logistics

On Monday, the results of the Future of Fulfillment Vision Study conducted by Zebra Technologies Corporation were released. The study evaluated how retailers, manufacturers and transportation and logistics firms are planning to meet the increasing needs of the on-demand economy. The study revealed that to meet customers’ ever growing expectations of a faster but smooth purchasing journey, 78% of logistics companies anticipate offering same-day delivery services by 2023. Alongside this, 40% predict they will deliver items within 2 hours by 2028 and 87% of the 2,700 professionals involved in the survey will rely on a network of drivers by 2028.

Changes are gradually being made to brick-and-mortar operations so more e-commerce orders can be fulfilled. At this present time, only 39% of the companies involved are operating in a fully omnichannel manner. But 86% of surveyed retailers intend on implementing a buy online and pick up in store scheme within the next year to accommodate the rising rate of e-commerce pick-ups and returns. Furthermore, more technological support is on the way; in the next couple of years the usage of RFID technology and inventory management platforms should grow by almost half. This software will improve inventory accuracy and ultimately shopper satisfaction and help create more intelligent supply chains.

To find out more about the findings in the study, click here.

Apple facilities are 100% renewable, suppliers are the next target

More and more companies are announcing their sustainability goals and action plans for their supply chain operations. However this week, Apple, the well-known American multinational technology company, announced it had achieved its goal, which was set 10 years ago, of converting all of its global facilities to fully rely on renewable energy as a power source. This includes all of its data centers, partner data centers, retail stores, offices and the new headquarters. This has been a complex process for the tech giant. It has generated renewable energy by building its own facilities and where this approach isn’t possible, Apple has entered into renewable energy purchase contracts.

The next stage is getting its supply chain network on board with this sustainability plan. Recently, 9 more manufacturing partners have vowed to conduct all of their Apple production using clean energy resources. This means that a total of 23 out of 200 Apple suppliers are currently committed to the program. Moreover, Apple is developing renewable energy projects around the globe with their partners.

More information can be found here.  

Have a great weekend!

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