CONTENTS
INFOCUS 1 INFO SNACKS 10 DIALOG 16 WHAT’S THE WORD? 22 NOTED 26 TAKEAWAYS 30 BEYOND THE BUZZ: AI 180 IN BRIEF 192 LAST MILE Can you find these 3PL words?
64 SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE 3 steps to improve visibility and resilience 66 GLOBAL TRADE CBP rule pushes compliance upstream 68 VISIBILITY Improving rotational inventory visibility 70 REVERSE LOGISTICS 5 ways to optimize returns handling 72 FIRST MILE Cocoa volatility exposes a blind spot in global supply chains 73 MATERIALS HANDLING Turning trends into reality 74 THE TRANSFORMER Back to the future: Deconstructing processes and reconstructing roles in an AI-native supply chain INFO 178 SUPPLY CHAIN INSIGHTS 186 CALENDAR 188 RESOURCE CENTER
180
INSIGHT 8 CHECKING IN Your best AI solution may be your 3PL 12 10 TIPS Mapping AI to resilience 14 GOOD QUESTION What’s your favorite brand name? 52 3PL LINE Flexible 3PL strategies build resiliency 54 SUPPLY CHAIN COMPLIANCE The hidden ROI of barcode verification 56 VIEWPOINT Why integrated logistics facilities matter 58 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Why intelligent supply chain execution is the next big advantage 60 GREEN LANDSCAPE How to maintain sustainability, even during disruptions 62 IT MATTERS Why growing companies wait too long to adopt a TMS (and what it costs)
14
GOOD QUESTION What’s your favorite brand name?
INPRACTICE 18 LEADERSHIP Uniting the Public and Private Sectors to Achieve High-Stakes Goals With a lifelong immersion in politics and business, Eugene Laney, president and
chain disciplines with innovation to redefine how companies connect with their customers through automated, data-driven direct mail. 175 TOOLKIT Delivering the Route to a More Efficient Fleet
CEO of the AAEI, values the art of listening, the power of public-private partnerships, and adaptability as the ultimate trade secret. 20 SUPPLY CHAIN P.O.V.
How Richard’s Building Supply Company went from a paper-based, largely manual system for managing its delivery fleet to a suite of automated solutions
Brent Hagan Puts His Stamp On Direct Mail Delivery As chief supply chain officer for Lob.com, Brent Hagan bridges traditional supply
from Descartes Systems Group.
Inbound Logistics (ISSN 0888-8493, USPS 703990) is mailed monthly to approximately 60,000 business professionals who buy, specify, or recommend logistics technology, transportation, and related services, by Thomas, a Xometry company, 6116 Executive Blvd, Suite 800, North Bethesda, MD 20852. Periodicals postage paid at North Bethesda, MD, and additional mailing offices. All rights reserved. The publisher accepts no responsibility for the validity of claims of any products or services described. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic means, or stored in any information retrieval system, without permission from the publisher. Postmaster send address changes to: Inbound Logistics, P.O. Box 1167, Lowell, MA 01853-9900
6 Inbound Logistics • July 2026
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