Resources to help keep your world moving

It’s no secret that 2022 has seen its share of challenges for manufacturing operations, and Dallas manufacturers are not immune to these global struggles.  A recent KPMG report found that 67% of CEOs will increase investment in detecting disruptions to their supply chains and will look to process innovation to help alleviate threats to global business operations. Global manufacturers need to become more flexible and resilient to meet the challenges of the current business environment. The New York Fed states, “The [Global Supply Chain Pressure Index]'s year-to-date movements suggest that although global supply chain pressures have been decreasing, they remain at historically high levels.” (August 2022) In fact, the Fed’s estimated pressures on the global supply chain in 2022 are higher than all reported rates since the Fed started this index in 1997 and even higher than the pressures experienced in 2020 during the global pandemic shutdown.  The Issues: Logistics...

Low cost of living, mild climate and quality of life factors such as arts, culture, entertainment and transportation make the Raleigh area highly attractive to retiring seniors.  The recent boom in new and renovated senior living communities is evidence that investment in this economic sector is strong. The Raleigh-Durham area is now home to over 100 senior living communities, ranging from active, independent living to more specialized care like skilled nursing or memory care facilities. Opening a new senior living facility in Raleigh may be more complex and challenging than bringing a standard residential community online. Even if you’re just renovating an existing facility or converting a traditional apartment complex into a senior living community, there are several factors to consider: Regulations Bringing a new senior living facility online comes with a host of red tape. Stay on top of the requirements for your area of specialty. Maximize your access...

Sometimes it happens — a house can sustain major damage with almost no warning, and no way for a homeowner to prevent it. Whether it’s a storm, flooding or burst pipe, these are unlucky and unfortunate circumstances, but you can be prepared for what to do next if it happens to you. If your home has sustained major damage from water, it will likely need some significant repairs. Often water damage will require replacing floors, furniture and even walls. It’s important to know the right steps to take to minimize hassles after damage and to restore your property to its original state as quickly as possible. Immediate Steps to Take After a Pipe Burst 1. Contact Your Insurance Agent Right Away Start the claims process immediately. Your agent should be working alongside you to get you the help you need and to ensure you receive reimbursements for qualified expenses. 2....

between the customer and crew members. Then, they walk through the home, paying careful attention to the state of the building. Depending on the type of hardwood flooring in the home, the van operator may decide to protect the floors before the crew begins work, going the extra mile to ensure they stay spotless. They may also protect carpets, doors and other sensitive parts of the property. Manage the packing, protecting and loading processes As a full-service moving company, Armstrong offers packing services to save customers time and energy. On such a job, the van operator leads the pack-and-protect process, ensuring the crews have enough tape and other materials.  When the crew begins loading items into the van, the van operator also keeps an eye on the weather, double-checking that everyone has enough water when it’s hot out. Depending on the size of the home and the number of belongings...

Key Takeaways: Texas, Arizona, Florida, and Tennessee dominate the list of places people are moving to. Affordability, job growth, and quality of life are the biggest relocation drivers. Suburban cities near major metros continue to attract families and remote workers. Professional moving support helps reduce complexity when relocating long-distance. Texas, Florida and Arizona are the indisputable winners of the United States pandemic migration. The U.S. Census Bureau recently released its list of the fastest-growing cities in the country, and the three states have claimed every spot but one in the top 10. As remote-work flexibility opens new possibilities for corporate employees, more people are moving to areas with strong communities, low costs of living, high-ranked school systems and ample green spaces. The cities on this year’s top 10 list have all that and more, positioning them for continued growth What Are the Top Cities People Are Moving To The top...

Key Takeaways: Supply chain disruptions are now recurring business risks, not rare events. Industry-specific supply chain solutions improve resilience and responsiveness. Automotive companies benefit from just-in-case inventory models supported by 3PLs. Electronics brands rely on flexible fulfillment and value-added services to meet fast-changing demand. Retail & e-commerce businesses use 3PLs to improve inventory visibility and regional distribution. Armstrong provides scalable, end-to-end supply chain solutions across top industries. Over the past several years, the global supply chain has become increasingly fragmented and complex, interrupted by recessions, cyberattacks, natural disasters, terrorism, labor shortages and pandemics. Businesses can expect more disruptions as vulnerabilities in the supply chain become more exposed. McKinsey predicts that companies across industries should now expect supply chain disruptions lasting a month or more to happen at least every 3.7 years, with the most significant events having a lasting impact on finances. Now more than ever, building structural agility into...

As Atlanta expands its influence as a leading transportation hub, more national companies are outsourcing parts of their operations to local third-party logistics (3PL) providers. The Metro Atlanta Chamber nicknamed Atlanta “Supply Chain City” because of its prime geographic location, strong infrastructure network and collection of corporate headquarters. Atlanta is only a two-hour flight or two-day drive away from roughly 80 percent of the United States, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development. It’s home to the most expansive rail system in the Southeast, the third-busiest container gateway in the country and the world’s busiest airport. As a result, the 3PL sector in Atlanta has exploded. The Atlanta Business Chronicle reported that the logistics and parcel delivery industry has been up 90.3 percent year over year since 2019. The city’s 3PL leaders continue to revolutionize the sector, making Atlanta the second-best metro area for digital supply chain in the...

For decades, industries have been perfecting “just-in-time” inventory management models, ordering products and materials on an as-needed basis to prevent unsold stock. On average, United States companies reduced their inventories by two percent every year from 1981 to 2000, according to a study in Management Science. By keeping inventories as lean as possible, businesses could reduce their warehousing presence and significantly cut costs. Then, COVID-19 upended the global supply chain, leaving corporations with massive stockouts, heightened consumer demand and no safety nets. Instead of waiting for the supply chain to straighten out, most companies are increasing their buffer inventories to minimize the effects of ongoing delays on their buying cycles. Nearly 60 percent of companies told McKinsey they had adopted new supply-chain risk management practices over the past year. The new approach is called the “just-in-case” model, a balance between the conventional just-in-time system and the panicked stockpile mentality. Here’s...

How many desks in your office sit unused during the work week? Before the pandemic, Inc. Magazine reported that as much as 40 percent of an office’s dedicated desk space was empty on any given day. Then COVID-19 hit the United States, and employees abandoned office cubicles for work-from-home setups in droves. As workers return to their offices, more companies are using shared seating schedules to maximize space. Envoy data suggests that the demand for flexible office environments is increasing rapidly, with hot-desk bookings growing 95 percent from April to May 2021. By eliminating assigned seating, companies reduce their physical footprints and allow employees to switch freely between remote and office work. Hot desking and desk hoteling have emerged as two of the most popular office layouts for companies with hybrid work arrangements. Though people often use the terms interchangeably, there are several key differences between the two occupancy strategies....

More laboratories are on their way to the Research Triangle. The Raleigh-Durham area is the most highly-esteemed region in the country for life science work. The Triangle is not only home to the leading trio of research universities — Duke, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University — but also to more than 600 life science companies, such as Pfizer and Novo Nordisk. As the local life science sector booms, national and global institutions are moving their research labs to the Raleigh region. However, relocating a lab facility can be costly, stressful and time-consuming, requiring meticulous preparation and niche industry expertise. Here are seven steps to ensure your lab relocation goes smoothly. Transfer any grants to your new institution. If you’re moving your lab to a different institution, rather than just a different location, you need to start the complicated process of transferring over any...