Supply Chain by the Numbers
   
 

-April 16 , 2010
   
 

This Week’s Supply Chain by the Numbers for April 16, 2010

   
 

DSC Logistics Drives Labor Productivity; JB Hunt Hunts Intermodal Profits; Rebuilding the Rare Earth Supply Chain; Walmart to Ramp Up India Sourcing

   
 
 
 

20%

The percent of variable labor costs that logistics service provider DSC Logistics said it is saving through use of a labor management solution, according to director of engineering Jim Chamberlain in a Supply Chain Videocast this week. (To view the videocast on demand, go to: Maximizing The Return On Your Labor Investment.)

 
 
 



 

10-15

The number of years the US government said this week it would take to rebuild the US' capability to produce so-called "rare earth metals" such as cerium and lanthanum that are critical in the manufacture of many products. Over the last two decades, China has come to dominate the rare earth metals sourcing business, putting the rest of the world at a supply risk.
 
 
74%

The percent of 2009 profits for trucking giant JB Hunt that came from its intermodal business segment, versus about 0% from its traditional truckload business, according to industry analyst Thom Williams in an interview with SCDigest this week. The company has been on a more than 10-year long effort to transform itself away from long-haul trucking.  (See US Truckload Industry Struggles Likely to Continue, as Market and Carrier Strategy Changes Mean Shippers will Face New Landscape.)
 
 
 
 
"Hundreds of Millions"

The goal Walmart announced this week in terms of plans to rapidly increase its level of direct sourcing from India, according to Scott Price, the retailer's head of Asian operations this week. Price said Walmart wants to make India a major sourcing hub.
 
 
 
 
 
 
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