Supply Chain by the Numbers for Week of Oct.7, 2011

Supply Chain by the Numbers

- Oct. 7 , 2011

Supply Chain by the Numbers for Week of Oct.7, 2011 - CSCMP Edition

Big Trucker Driver Shortage Emerging - Maybe; Shippers Think Better of 3PL IT Capabilities; Dow Formulates New Internal Supply Chain Consulting Group; Pfizer Finds Global Visbility is Right Medicine



300,000
The truck driver shortage in the US that economist Noel Perry said at the CSCMP conference that he expects in the next 2-3 years, pushing capacity tightness to the extreme levels seen in 2004. He also predicts that trucking costs will rise 10-15% as a result. The wild card though, he said, are initiatives to increase truck weight and length limits, which Perry said would wipe out the capacity issue if enacted.

54%

The percent of shipper respondents who said that they are satisfied with 3PL IT capabilities, according to the annual 3PL study released as always this week at the CSCMP conference by Dr. John Langley and others. While that may seem like a low percentage, it is now double the level that shippers reported 10 years ago, when the satisfaction level was just 27%.



	95%
The percent of air and ocean shipments that pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said at the CSCMP conference it now has detailed visibility to after an intense effort over 15 months to implement a cloud-based visibility system on a global basis. There is still work to be done, but Pfizer said that companies moving into emerging markets really need to step up their visibility game, and that such capabilities can enable a transformation from reactive to proactive transportation management.




140
Approximate number of consultants that Dow Chemical has in its one-year old shared services consulting group, as described this week at the CSCMP conference. The group provides services in network design, six sigma programs, RFID and tracking, materials handling, S&OP and other areas to Dow's many different business units. Dow is very decentralized, however, and the SBUs can source this help internally, with the shared services group, or outside consultants - meaning the new consulting group has to be very sharp in its game.