Inventory management news

The EU has unveiled a series of measures that are set to reduce the amount of paperwork and the number of internal UK border checks that are required under the protocol on goods crossing the Irish sea to Northern Ireland (NI) from the rest of the UK. Background Treatment of trade between GB and NI poses numerous practical difficulties and it is exceptionally sensitive, politically, for both...

As it gears up for the critical holiday trading period, we look at the actions Target is taking to ensure it can meet shopper demand. Cost and capacity issues US retailers are facing several supply chain challenges, related to cost and capacity issues. Congestion at ports in Asia and on the US west coast, driven by lockdowns and labour availability, along with the shortage and rapid increas...

The current shortage of HGV drivers is perhaps the biggest challenge the food and consumer goods industry has faced in years. Its impact can be seen in supermarkets, which have been negatively impacted by missed deliveries and replenishment problems in recent weeks. A few months ago, my colleague James Walton looked at the overarching causes, consequences and potential remedies to the HGV dri...

CO2 production resumed Production of CO2 at CF Industries’ plant in Teesside will be resumed in the next few days, as the government is set to cover full operating costs to run the plant for three weeks. The plant is due to become operational again in three days’ time. CF Industries’ second plant, located in Cheshire, will still remain closed for now. US-owned CF Industries has recently sto...

Leading quick commerce company, Instacart, and micro-fulfillment company, Fabric, are partnering to bring automated technology solutions to retailers in the US and Canada. Combining technologies to offer new services The multi-year strategic partnership positions Fabric as Instacart’s fulfilment automation partner. The plan is to combine the technologies of both companies to offer a new eco...

Operations have started at Ocado’s new mini-Customer Fulfilment Centre (CFC) in Bristol, with capacity for over 30,000 orders per week. Boosting capacity The new CFC is a quarter of the size of Ocado’s Erith CFC at 150,000 sq ft. It has the capacity for more than 30,000 orders per week. Ocado said the Bristol CFC will open up more capacity for new and existing customers across the country...

Woolworths Group’s supply chain arm – Primary Connect - has started work on new distribution centre (DC) in Heathwood, southeast Queensland. AU$184 million, 42,000 sqm temperature controlled facility The new DC’s size is the equivalent of more than three times the size of Suncorp Stadium playing field and will enable fresher, faster and more efficient deliveries of around 4,000 frozen and...

Watch this video to hear the latest on what the UK’s exit from the EU could mean for the food and consumer goods industry. This video will cover: Politics and government Business readiness for EU Exit Economic position Shopper sentiment

In any ‘normal’ year, the retail sector would be about to shift into fifth gear in preparation for the festive season. However, 2020 has been anything but normal. So instead, the industry finds itself entering the season having already been in overdrive for months. It’s a similar picture around the world, but in the UK and continental Europe, there is the additional challenge of the UK's depar...

Co-op is preparing to roll out new IT capability to 2,600 stores in the next few weeks following a successful trial. The development is expected to improve planning and space allocation, increase availability, reduced waste and help support better communication across the extended supply chain. The scale of the rollout is significant, and Co-op is taking a phased approach, with work to migr...