Survey Finds that Popping Bubble Wrap® ...

Forget plunking down that money for a massage. A survey conducted earlier this year by the Kelton Research for the Bubble Wrap® Brand showed some surprising results for how Americans relieve stress. The 12th Annual Bubble Wrap® Appreciation Day rolled out a “Pop” Poll to find out just how stressed out Americans are these days. Turns out, about 77 percent of us are more stressed this year over last year. But take heart. Popping this packaging material for just one minute equals spending 33 minutes on a massage table. Of those surveyed, workers that spent a week...

Saturday U.S. Postal Service Deliveries ...

The U.S. Postal Service continues to financially spiral out of control with quarterly loses hovering at $3.2 billion. Unfortunately, the reported loss is up $1 billion of the same quarter last year, and the USPS is putting the mea culpa on Congress. Apparently, lawmakers blocked a cost-cutting measure that would help the agency financially recover from a string of declining mail volume, and pending health benefits from retired postal workers. And just in case you didn’t think that the national debt could get any worse-it can it and it will. Without legislative action,...

Top 5 Questions to Ask When Choosing a T...

Hiring a 3PL or third party logistics company means that they have the shared responsibility of your company’s reputation. When the proper packaging is not used, or the kitting and assembly process is poor, this reflects the way YOU do business. Here are the top 5 questions to ask when hiring a 3PL. 1. What is your kitting, assembly, and fulfillment process. A solid third party logistics company should already have a well-oiled kitting, and assembly process in place. Additionally, ask for some feedback on your inventory and how it should be best organized. 2. What...

Port of Savannah’s One Foot Shortage i...

Last month the Port of Savannah suffered a major setback in the port race. Federal officials decided that the original deepening of the Savannah River will fall a foot shorter than originally planned, and has the possibility of preventing the Port of Savannah from being able to handle the passage of cargo ships by some 800 containers for heavier cargo. The original proposal was set at deepening the Savannah River 48 feet, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has decided that shortening the depth to 47 feet would save money for Georgia. However, with some 100,000 Atlanta...

Failure to Use a Turn Signal is More Dan...

Here’s a trivia question you can take share at your next backyard grill out. What is considered more dangerous while driving? Driving distracted or failing to use your turn signal. A new study conducted by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) found that neglecting to use a turn signal is responsible for twice the amount of accidents each year over distracted driving. This is the first time a study has been conducted on turn signal use, or lack thereof, and the findings are downright scary. It’s estimated the 48% of us fail to use a turn signal when changing lanes,...

U.S. Economy is Recovering at a Sluggish...

The U.S. economy is recovering…albeit slowly, and retailers are responding to the sluggish pace by better inventory management to keep store shelves stocked to reflect the demand. Additionally, automobile manufacturers are part of this group, and the demand for purchasing a “new ride” is on the rise, according to figures released by the Commerce Department. Currently, the gross domestic product increased at a modest 2.2 percent annual rate. While the rate fell below the 2.5 percent estimated growth rate by economists, it was higher than 1.5 percent predicted...

DOT Warns Truckers Not to Respond to Fra...

The Department of Transportation wants to put truckers, and those in the logistics and fulfillment industry on the alert of a fake letter from a phony DOT Senior Procurement Officer named, “Julie Weynel” dated March 16. The latest identify theft scam asks recipients to fax back their banking account information on an “Authorization to Release Financial Information” form. These thieves have taken great pains to make the letter look official complete with a U.S. Department of Transportation letterhead, according to the FMCSA. The only time a DOT procurement...

South Korean Retailers Pull U.S. Importe...

It’s official, a case of Mad Cox disease has been confirmed in the state of California and is leading to some South Korean stores from putting U.S. beef on its shelves. According to U.S. public health officials, the risk is not high and should not affect the public. However, some South Korean retailers are taking no chances. One major South Korean retailer, LotteMart pulled American-imported beef from its shelves. The move was meant to quell fears among the South Korean public, but South Korea’s government is increasing its checks on U.S. imported beef rather than...

Georgia Manufacturing Plant to Bring Ove...

Another company has decided to set up shop in Georgia. Baxter International Inc. announced plans to build a manufacturing plant in The Peach State. The pharmaceuticals and biotechnology company would bring over 1,500 jobs over a five-year-period. The new plant will be opened southeast of Atlanta in the city of Covington. According to the company officials, Georgia was an attractive state to open a manufacturing plant due to the state’s transportation logistics, and workforce incentives. Baxter will break ground on construction some time later this year, and the new plant...

Suprising and Fun Facts About the Histor...

When IntegraCore is not providing state-of-the-art third party logistics to our customers, we are searching the web for articles on how to improve our services and the latest industry trends. So, this week we decided to do our own research and fact finding behind the supply chain management industry. Here are some unknown and surprising historic facts behind the supply chain management process: -The term “logistics” was used as far back as 1898. -According to Wikipedia barcodes were first used to label railroad cars. It wasn’t until a pack of Wrigley’s gum was...