Amazon Bessemer FC feature

Amazon Union Vote Redo Starts Feb. 4

| Mike O'Brien

The National Labor Relations Board on Tuesday ordered a second union vote at an Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, AL in the eye of a major labor battle, with the vote to begin by mail-in ballot on Feb. 4. Amazon has agreed to not pursue reprisal actions against employees for union organizing activities, per an NLRB agreement.

Is a New Ecommerce Fulfillment Center Right for You?

| Brian Barry

Your company’s ecommerce fulfillment center is running out of space. You have been tasked with determining whether the existing facility can scale up to the five-year business plan, or a new facility is required. Here is a helpful checklist to use in evaluating both your existing and potential new ecommerce fulfillment facilities.

ecommerce fulfillment robot handshake

Ecommerce Fulfillment: 3 Ways to Optimize in 2022

| Perry Belcastro

Many retailers and brands are in survival mode when it comes to ecommerce fulfillment, looking for ways to handle record online order volume and maintain brand integrity while navigating supply chain challenges, an ongoing labor shortage and rising costs. To survive and thrive in 2022, here are three core strategies that can help.

3PL logo feature

Top 3PL Listing Published By Multichannel Merchant

| Mike O'Brien

Multichannel Merchant has published its seventh annual MCM Top 3PL listing for 2022, a searchable directory of leading third-party logistics (3PL) providers in ecommerce and direct-to-customer operations. It includes 60+ profiles with info on key capabilities, top merchandise categories, facility locations and more.

Ryder Whiplash Locus robots feature

Ryder Acquires Whiplash, Expands Network

| Mike O'Brien

Ryder System Inc. has significantly expanded its fulfillment network and added automation capabilities through the acquisition of 3PL Whiplash for $480 million, giving it warehouse assets in key markets and ports including Long Beach, CA, Seattle/Tacoma, New York/New Jersey and Savannah, GA.

AWS Outage Plays Havoc, Delays Peak Deliveries

| Mike O'Brien

An hours-long outage from Amazon Web Services (AWS) caused all manner of global havoc on Tuesday, shutting down government and private websites, robotic vacuums and popular streaming services as well as idling Amazon facilities as networks and apps went dark and operations ground to a halt.

Amazon FBA FC exterior feature

Amazon Union Push Gets New Vote in Alabama

| Mike O'Brien

The National Labor Relations Board has ordered a new election to determine if Amazon fulfillment center workers in Bessemer, AL can organize as members of a union for collective bargaining, which would be a first in the United States and set off a warehouse labor chain reaction.

holiday shopping online

Holiday Shopping Uncertainty Leads to Ecommerce Innovation

| Jamie Saucedo

With the anticipation of lower foot traffic in stores coupled with inventory concerns, prioritizing your ecommerce channel from a planning perspective, even at the intentional detriment of having lower stock levels in stores, may save sales during this peak holiday shopping period. And omnichannel is no longer an option.

warehouse picking

Human Warehouse Picking Still Has It All Over Robots

| Gabe Grifoni

It’s often joked that robots will soon replace humans, down to the most menial, everyday tasks. But many robotics companies are in an actual arms race to replace human labor, particularly in the supply chain. Yet it’s often still too costly to implement, leaving humans as the most efficient, effective method for warehouse picking.