Shipping Optimization Blog

Monthly News Round-Up: March 2021

Written by Vivian Vy Lam | Mar 30, 2021 1:00:00 PM

A lot in the supply chain industry happened within Q1 2021! What did you miss this past March? Discover new shipping compliance restrictions and e-commerce prediction reports.  

  

What's New in Transportation & Freight?  

FedEx Promises to be Carbon-Free Globally by 2040  

FedEx will designate more than $2 billion of initial investment to achieve carbon-neutral operations globally by 2040. The major carrier pledges investment in three key areas: sustainable energy, carbon sequestration, and vehicle electrification. Read more about the FedEx carbon-neutral commitment in this press release.  

Royal Mail Will Test Sunday Parcel Delivery  

With more and more consumers shopping online during the pandemic, they're expecting their packages as soon as possible after placing their orders. To meet this demand, Royal Mail will pilot Sunday parcel deliveries. Previously in 2014, Royal Mail tested this service but decided not to roll it out permanently. Read more about this new service from The Independent.  

PACT Act Restricts Shipping of Vaping Products  

Signed last December, the "Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking" (or PACT) imposes strict restrictions on vaping products' shipping. It's still legal to ship vaping products, but companies must jump through multiple hoops to avoid compliance violations. This regulation resulted in many carriers, such as USPS, FedEx, and UPS, altogether refuse shipping "vape devices, products, and accessories." Read more about the PACT Act from Forbes.  

  

What's New in Global Trade & Logistics?  

Factories in Taiwan Face Supply Chain Delays  

Factories in Taiwan have extreme difficulties in keeping up with demand from overseas clients. Officials from the U.S., Europe, and Japan have asked the Taiwanese government to assist in chip shortage for car production. Manufacturers attribute to the supply chain delay because of low stock levels from suppliers, shortage of freight containers, and delayed shipping schedules. Learn more about this supply chain shortage on Bloomberg.  

The U.S. on Track to Reach $1 Trillion in eCommerce Sales by 2022  

The COVID-19 pandemic skyrocketed U.S. online shipping by $183 billion, according to Adobe's eCommerce division. Based on this rapid growth, Adobe predicts that eCommerce sales will reach $1 trillion by 2022. Dive into the eCommerce statistics and predictions directly from Adobe.  

  

What's New with SAP?  

SAP Aims to be Carbon-Neutral by 2023  

SAP revises its goal to operate fully carbon-neutral by the end of 2023. In a previous statement, SAP aimed for 2025 for carbon neutrality. However, the company managed to reduce more greenhouse gas emissions than planned due to 100,000 employees working from home during the pandemic. Taking the reduction in carbon footprint in 2020, SAP will accelerate even faster toward carbon-neutral operations. Learn more about their environmental achievements and goals from the SAP Press Room.  

SAP Celebrates 5 Million Total Enrollments in its Online Learning Platform openSAP  

Established in 2013, openSAP aims to provide individuals with flexible opportunities to learn more about the SAP software landscape. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the online learning platform has seen accelerated growth, doubling the enrollments over the last three years. Read more about this milestone in the SAP Press Room.  

  

What's New with ShipERP?  

Discover more supply chain and SAP insights to advance your industry insights:  

 

Just Around the Corner: ShipERP Cloud  

We're excited to present the all-in-one shipping software on cloud computing that will give you the flexibility you need to transform your supply chain. Learn more about ShipERP Cloud and how it will:  

  • Save freight and shipping costs  
  • Scale with your business growth  
  • Improve accuracy of data  
  • Improve collaboration between cross-functional teams  
  • And much more!