A simple application Apple filed earlier this year with the Federal Register for permission to establish production in a U.S. foreign trade zone was all it took. According to numerous reports on the Web and in social media outlets that followed, Apple was planning on moving its component and server production for its datacenters to…
Battery-sourced power for supply chains is expected to eventually become cheaper and more readily available compared to fossil fuel sources, but a lot depends on pricing and demand before that will happen. Tesla is among a group of battery storage providers bringing massive electricity storage facilities online in Sourthern California. The ramp up and its…
Applications for temperature controls have been around for a while, but thanks to the emergence of Internet of Things (IoT), these devices have become much smarter. For those in the supply chain trenches whose business models depend on keeping things at exact temperatures, temperature-control sensors are finally seeing applications on a volume scale in ways…
Google's recent announcement about its “100% renewable” goal follows similar claims by Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, and other tech giants about reducing their reliance on fossil fuel for their power-hungry supply chains. Their push towards renewable energy for their energy needs largely reflects how prices are plummeting for solar and wind power. The good news is…
The fact remains that machines can outperform humans for a growing number of supply chain-related management tasks. But for those worried about how long it will be before their jobs are replaced, this cause for concern is probably unwarranted, at least in the near term—although things could change very quickly as artificial intelligence (AI) continues…
Google Glass may have been a bust, but connected eyewear and other wearables are proving essential in helping to make supply chains and warehousing operations more productive and safer. Supply chain management applications will contribute to wearables’ skyrocketing growth, as the market is set to surge from 2.3 million units in 2015 to 66.4 million…
Nucleus Research says supply chain applications are beginning to warm to machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) in a big way, making supply chain management a “hot” AI technology application to watch in 2017, according to the analyst firm. “Supply chain managers are already starting to realize benefits from their machine learning and AI technologies. In…
A recent multinational crackdown on illegal activity in the anonymous channels of the so-called Darknet recently resulted in multiple arrests around the world. But how much the dragnet will help to thwart the distribution of counterfeit electronics and other illicit goods in the future remains in question. “Operation Hyperion,” consisting of law enforcement agencies from…
The news seems very bleak indeed, after several manufacturers have recently opted to pull out of the New York City area, prompted by high costs and taxes, complex regulations, and other issues related to doing business there. Companies that have recently either shutdown or relocated elsewhere, shedding thousands of local jobs in their wake, include…
U.K.-based Marine Transport International, a freight forwarder company, has begun to offer shippers the use of blockchain for their digital ledger data, as the platform sees adoption beyond the financial services sector. Among other things, the company says blockhain will remove much of the bureaucratic waste and costs associated with the communication of supply chain-…