Just-in-time (JIT) inventory has been a way for companies to optimize profits for decades. Now we many need to redefine JIT. Toyota is credited with the concept of JIT manufacturing, an inventory manufacturing strategy used to improve profit by only receiving goods as they are needed in the manufacturing process. […]
Economy
25 posts
“Every cloud has a silver lining” as the saying goes. The coronavirus pandemic has cast a dark cloud over just about everything we see and hear today and I don’t wish to trivialize the toll it’s taken on people’s lives including sickness, death, financial distress and widespread fear. These are […]
Exactly one month ago, I posted a blog on this site regarding the disruptive potential of the coronavirus. I had no idea how quickly those concerns would come to pass. When I first posted the blog, “The Bug that Is Impacting Trucking” one month ago, the number of those infected […]
In so many ways, 2019 has been a memorable and successful year for NationaLease. But as our customers and our members know, we’re always looking to the future for greater success for all. Every year offers an opportunity to look back and assess the challenges, opportunities, and successes throughout that […]
Like most seemingly implacable problems, sometimes you need to think outside the box. There are many challenges facing the trucking industry, from regulations to changes in technology to economic concerns, but the two challenges that seem to be never-ending are the shortages of drivers and technicians. I’ve written many blogs […]
In January, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, there were 7.6 million job openings and only 6.5 million actually looking for work. That situation is unsustainable. Last week, a FleetOwner article covered the growth of robots in the workplace…how they are taking over jobs once only performed by people, […]
B2B commerce often follows the successes of B2C commerce when it comes to technology, but there are differences that must be considered. I posted an IdeaXchange blog last month about the B2B digital transformation that is now underway. In that blog, I cite Michael Treacy, author of Double Digit Growth, […]
In a time of full employment, retaining good employees is essential. Recognizing the signs that someone may be looking for the door is vital. With unemployment at its lowest level in decades, the competition for qualified talent has never been more intense, making it more important than ever to retain […]
The focus on the technician shortage is usually about the skillsets needed to work with today’s technology, but that doesn’t mean techs don’t have to know how to maintain yesterday’s trucks. Just last week, I posted a blog, “New Technology Means New Challenges for Technicians,” which addressed the new skillsets […]