labor shortage

Amazon cancels or delays plans for at least 16 warehouses this year

Amazon warehouse

After spending billions doubling the size of its fulfillment network during the pandemic, Amazon finds itself in a perilous position.

In the first quarter of 2022, the e-commerce giant reported a $3.8 billion net loss after raking in an $8.1 billion profit in Q1 2021. That includes $6 billion in added costs — the bulk of which can be traced back to that same fulfillment network.

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) CFO Brian Olsavsky said the company chose to expand its warehouse network based on “the high end...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/amazon-cancels-or-delays-plans-for-at-least-16-warehouses-this-year

What Amazon’s first fully autonomous robot means for warehouse workers

Amazon fulfillment center worker and robot

Ten years after launching its robotics division, Amazon just unveiled its most advanced autonomous mobile robot (AMR) to date — and it could shake up the warehouse workplace.

Proteus isn’t Amazon’s (NASDAQ: AMZN) debut in the AMR space, but it’s the first robot the company has produced that it describes as “fully autonomous.” Proteus is unlike the other robots Amazon has released over the years that are caged off from employees. Rather, it’s designed to move packages throughout the company’s...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/what-amazons-first-fully-autonomous-robot-means-for-warehouse-workers

Viewpoint: German labor strife the newest kink in supply chain crisis

Port of Hamburg in Germany.

The suspension of talks between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association is not the only labor issue in the pipe of trade. 

Another one looms.

Germany.

The terminal operators union is threatening to strike over pay and increased work requirements. An apparent labor slowdown can be tracked by the flow of containers.

SONAR’s Ocean TEU volume Index shows the continuous drop in the departure of vessels.

Crane Worldwide Logistics data shows there are more than...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/labor-issues-port-of-hamburg-germany-supply-chain-problems

Flatbed carrier invests in vocational schools to combat labor shortage

The pandemic’s effect on markets and consumers has been well documented: When consumers shifted their spending away from services and toward goods and bought more of those goods online, supply chain capacity and infrastructure came under enormous pressure. 

For many people, the pandemic also spurred an attitude shift regarding work, leading to an increase of early retirement or a desire for more fulfilling jobs. According to a 2021 survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, job...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/flatbed-carrier-invests-in-vocational-schools-to-combat-labor-shortage

XPO tackles labor shortages with multipronged approach

The logistics industry has been wrestling with the infamous driver shortage for years. This issue has only been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, and the American Trucking Associations (ATA) predicts the industry will be a record 80,000 drivers short in the next year. 

While the driver shortage has been growing, demand for transportation services has also been rising. Consumer spending surged back to life in late 2020 after being suppressed by the pandemic earlier that year, and demand...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/xpo-tackles-labor-shortages-with-multipronged-approach

Honeywell launches robot to reduce warehouse injuries, boost efficiency

Honeywell launches a new robot to automate case pickind and reduce warehouse injuries while boosting efficiency

One of the unfortunate realities of the warehousing industry is that it isn’t particularly safe. Of the 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2019, approximately 8% came from the warehousing industry, with injuries occurring at a rate of 4.8 for every 100 full-time workers. According to a report from Liberty Mutual, nonfatal industries in warehousing and transportation cost companies more than $84 billion per week in 2018 – that’s around $240,000 per year for each of the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/honeywell-launches-robot-to-reduce-warehouse-injuries-boost-efficiency

April trailer orders slide but blow away near-zero builds a year ago

New trailer orders slid to their lowest in several months in April as manufacturers warned fleets away from booking orders they cannot build for the rest of the year.

Preliminary reports from trailer manufacturers compiled by ACT Research point to 14,400 new trailer orders in April, 52% below March. But reservations soared 3,600% above April 2020 when practically no trailer orders were placed because of pandemic shutdowns.

The year-over-year number is all but meaningless in predicting the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/april-trailer-orders-slide-but-blow-away-near-zero-builds-a-year-ago

Right technology stack helps offset office staff shortage

Labor shortages spurred by the coronavirus pandemic have made recruitment and retention even tougher for the transportation and logistics industry. But while driver hiring woes continue to make headlines, there’s been little talk about equally alarming in-office labor shortages.

Justin Bailie, chief strategy officer at Rose Rocket, pointed out that attracting and retaining dispatchers and support staff is increasingly difficult. 

“The knowledge inside of a dispatcher’s head who’s been with your...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/right-technology-stack-helps-offset-office-staff-shortage

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