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Amazon Workers in Staten Island Withdraw Union Petition

| Mike O'Brien

Workers at an Amazon fulfillment center on Staten Island, NY have withdrawn their petition to form a union, two weeks before a meeting before the National Labor Relations Board to determine if sufficient interest existed to proceed with unionization, the NLRB told the Associated Press.

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Amazon Air Expands to Des Moines

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon Air this week has begun operations at Des Moines International Airport, helping to expand same-day delivery for Prime members in the Hawkeye State as its cargo operations continue to spiderweb across the country, increasing Amazon’s independence from traditional air freight carriers.

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MFC Firm Fabric Joins the Unicorn Club With $200M Raise

| Mike O'Brien

Fabric, maker of automated systems for on-demand micro fulfillment in urban settings, has raised a fresh $200 million, bringing its valuation above the vaunted $1 billion mark as it looks to expand to new markets beyond its current operations in Washington, DC, New York and its launch site of Tel Aviv.

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Inventory Management Gets Trickier As Forces Collide

| Mike O'Brien

Given massive, lingering supply chain roadblocks, carrier capacity limits and labor shortages, inventory management has gotten trickier for retailers, especially as the critical Q4 approaches. This special report from Multichannel Merchant looks at ways retailers are rethinking their inventory approach to buffer against shocks.

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Canadian Fulfillment: Importing Bulk Products Duty Free

| Jeffrey Wilkins

Canadian fulfillment means purchasing large shipments overseas, then importing them to Canada, where they’re held by a third party until you receive an order and they ship it out. While it seems like a rather roundabout way of doing business, there’s a reason it’s becoming increasingly popular among U.S. businesses: It saves you money.

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Improving Ecommerce Fulfillment Productivity, Decreasing Labor Costs

| Brian Barry

In calculating ecommerce fulfillment cost per order, labor generally makes up more than 50% of the total. As labor costs continue to increase, overall fulfillment center productivity in many companies has remained flat. What are you doing to manage your labor and reduce costs? Here are five tactics companies should consider.

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project44 Acquires Convey, Gains Last Mile Strength

| Mike O'Brien

project44 has acquired Convey for $255 million to create an end-to-end supply chain visibility solution, marrying up the latter’s expertise in last mile to complement its focus up the chain in first and middle mile and all modes of freight, in both B2B and direct-to-consumer realms.

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MCM Top 3PLs 2022: Calling All Leading Providers

| Mike O'Brien

Now in its seventh year for 2022, Multichannel Merchant’s MCM Top 3PL listing showcases leading third-party logistics companies serving ecommerce and direct-to-customer (DTC) businesses. How does your organization measure up? We’re accepting submissions now through Nov. 5, 2021. Be recognized as a true leader in the field!

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Update: CA Gov. Signs Bill Targeting Amazon Labor Practices

| Mike O'Brien

Update, Sept. 24: California Gov. Gavin Newsome on Thursday signed a bill that targets labor practices in ecommerce warehouses, including banning the enforcement of performance quotas that impinge on basic worker’s rights like restroom and lunch breaks. Amazon, not named in the bill, is clearly targeted by lawmakers.

Smart Warehouse Technology the Wave of the Future

| Mike O'Brien

Smart warehouse technology powered by 5G, combined with the sensor- and data-driven Internet of Things (IoT), will be as transformative for logistics and supply chain as the Ford assembly line in 1913, attendees were told during a presentation at Ecommerce Operations Summit 2021 in Nashville.