A few days before it took place, I was sharing with somebody that I would be attending the 2015 CSCMP Annual Conference in San Diego, even though my employer wouldn't sponsor my trip. The person asked, "Why would you do that?" I believe I responded with something weak like, "Well, because I like it." But the question kept turning in my head. After the conference was over, I came to the realization that I like it because I'm a little bit of a dreamer and an idealist combined with a hard-facts- and results-driven businessperson. For me, the conference offers something in all of those respects.
For example, the conference was a great opportunity to Connect with friends I have made from past conferences and to more great people. It was an opportunity to Learn about the hot trends and best practices in supply chain, and how others address the same struggles I have. It was also an opportunity to Develop my leadership skills some more. And finally, it was a great opportunity to continue my volunteer work for CSCMP, particularly helping the organization to grow internationally.
Additionally, this year, I discovered the human side of supply chain. It all started with "Stop Hunger Now," [where attendees packaged meals for the hungry]. Volunteering Sunday afternoon for this cause reminded me of 2013, when I attended a very similar team event in Peoria, Ill., which inspired my wife and me to help others in my home town, Nuevo Laredo in Mexico.
The next day, on Monday, Mr. Robert Martichenko almost broke up in tears while trying to thank his wife when he received CSCMP's Distinguished Service Award, showing how human he is ... very moving.
Then, at the first general session on Monday, I was amazed by the message Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, shared with us: "Bring love and humanity to the workplace and to the boardroom, and profits and opportunities will follow," he said. "I'm not alone, I'm not crazy," I thought. "It is possible to combine humanism and profits and be successful." I felt hopeful.
On Tuesday, there was a presentation about ALAN (American Logistics Aid Network), a not-for-profit born at the heart of CSCMP 10 years ago that is dedicated to saving lives by helping to coordinate logistics efforts during disaster events. [ALAN Vice President] Mark Richards and [Executive Director] Kathy Fulton challenged the audience to help to raise $100,000 in a few months. Immediately after they completed their plea, Dave Clark, Amazon's vice president of customer service, donated $25,000 on behalf of Amazon and offered to match donations made that same day. By the end of the conference, we had contributed more than $75,000 to ALAN. This is one of the things I envy about the American culture—that powerful sense of community.
The next event happened after I completed my participation as a panelist at a conference session. A professor who lives in California stopped me on my way to find a table for lunch. With tears in her eyes, she said that I touched her by talking about humanism at work. She also shared her passion for Mexico and her desire for my country to do better. She moved me to the point of tears. Again, I was reminded that I'm not alone.
So why do I attend the CSCMP Annual Conference? Because it makes me feel like I'm home, because it lifts up my spirit, because it gets me a bit closer to finding my path every time ... and heck, because I like it.
Javier Zarazua, CSCP, RCWT
Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, México
By the numbers, overall retail sales in August were up 0.1% seasonally adjusted month over month and up 2.1% unadjusted year over year. That compared with increases of 1.1% month over month and 2.9% year over year in July.
August’s core retail sales as defined by NRF — based on the Census data but excluding automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants — were up 0.3% seasonally adjusted month over month and up 3.3% unadjusted year over year. Core retail sales were up 3.4% year over year for the first eight months of the year, in line with NRF’s forecast for 2024 retail sales to grow between 2.5% and 3.5% over 2023.
“These numbers show the continued resiliency of the American consumer,” NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said in a release. “While sales growth decelerated from last month’s pace, there is little hint of consumer spending unraveling. Households have the underpinnings to spend as recent wage gains have outpaced inflation even though payroll growth saw a slowdown in July and August. Easing inflation is providing added spending capacity to cost-weary shoppers and the interest rate cuts expected to come from the Fed should help create a more positive environment for consumers in the future.”
The U.S., U.K., and Australia will strengthen supply chain resiliency by sharing data and taking joint actions under the terms of a pact signed last week, the three nations said.
The agreement creates a “Supply Chain Resilience Cooperation Group” designed to build resilience in priority supply chains and to enhance the members’ mutual ability to identify and address risks, threats, and disruptions, according to the U.K.’s Department for Business and Trade.
One of the top priorities for the new group is developing an early warning pilot focused on the telecommunications supply chain, which is essential for the three countries’ global, digitized economies, they said. By identifying and monitoring disruption risks to the telecommunications supply chain, this pilot will enhance all three countries’ knowledge of relevant vulnerabilities, criticality, and residual risks. It will also develop procedures for sharing this information and responding cooperatively to disruptions.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the group chose that sector because telecommunications infrastructure is vital to the distribution of public safety information, emergency services, and the day to day lives of many citizens. For example, undersea fiberoptic cables carry over 95% of transoceanic data traffic without which smartphones, financial networks, and communications systems would cease to function reliably.
“The resilience of our critical supply chains is a homeland security and economic security imperative,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in a release. “Collaboration with international partners allows us to anticipate and mitigate disruptions before they occur. Our new U.S.-U.K.-Australia Supply Chain Resilience Cooperation Group will help ensure that our communities continue to have the essential goods and services they need, when they need them.”
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools can help users build “smart and responsive supply chains” by increasing workforce productivity, expanding visibility, accelerating processes, and prioritizing the next best action to drive results, according to business software vendor Oracle.
To help reach that goal, the Texas company last week released software upgrades including user experience (UX) enhancements to its Oracle Fusion Cloud Supply Chain & Manufacturing (SCM) suite.
“Organizations are under pressure to create efficient and resilient supply chains that can quickly adapt to economic conditions, control costs, and protect margins,” Chris Leone, executive vice president, Applications Development, Oracle, said in a release. “The latest enhancements to Oracle Cloud SCM help customers create a smarter, more responsive supply chain by enabling them to optimize planning and execution and improve the speed and accuracy of processes.”
According to Oracle, specific upgrades feature changes to its:
Production Supervisor Workbench, which helps organizations improve manufacturing performance by providing real-time insight into work orders and generative AI-powered shift reporting.
Maintenance Supervisor Workbench, which helps organizations increase productivity and reduce asset downtime by resolving maintenance issues faster.
Order Management Enhancements, which help organizations increase operational performance by enabling users to quickly create and find orders, take actions, and engage customers.
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Enhancements, which help organizations accelerate product development and go-to-market by enabling users to quickly find items and configure critical objects and navigation paths to meet business-critical priorities.
Nearly one-third of American consumers have increased their secondhand purchases in the past year, revealing a jump in “recommerce” according to a buyer survey from ShipStation, a provider of web-based shipping and order fulfillment solutions.
The number comes from a survey of 500 U.S. consumers showing that nearly one in four (23%) Americans lack confidence in making purchases over $200 in the next six months. Due to economic uncertainty, savvy shoppers are looking for ways to save money without sacrificing quality or style, the research found.
Younger shoppers are leading the charge in that trend, with 59% of Gen Z and 48% of Millennials buying pre-owned items weekly or monthly. That rate makes Gen Z nearly twice as likely to buy second hand compared to older generations.
The primary reason that shoppers say they have increased their recommerce habits is lower prices (74%), followed by the thrill of finding unique or rare items (38%) and getting higher quality for a lower price (28%). Only 14% of Americans cite environmental concerns as a primary reason they shop second-hand.
Despite the challenge of adjusting to the new pattern, recommerce represents a strategic opportunity for businesses to capture today’s budget-minded shoppers and foster long-term loyalty, Austin, Texas-based ShipStation said.
For example, retailers don’t have to sell used goods to capitalize on the secondhand boom. Instead, they can offer trade-in programs swapping discounts or store credit for shoppers’ old items. And they can improve product discoverability to help customers—particularly older generations—find what they’re looking for.
Other ways for retailers to connect with recommerce shoppers are to improve shipping practices. According to ShipStation:
70% of shoppers won’t return to a brand if shipping is too expensive.
51% of consumers are turned off by late deliveries
40% of shoppers won’t return to a retailer again if the packaging is bad.
The “CMA CGM Startup Awards”—created in collaboration with BFM Business and La Tribune—will identify the best innovations to accelerate its transformation, the French company said.
Specifically, the company will select the best startup among the applicants, with clear industry transformation objectives focused on environmental performance, competitiveness, and quality of life at work in each of the three areas:
Shipping: Enabling safer, more efficient, and sustainable navigation through innovative technological solutions.
Logistics: Reinventing the global supply chain with smart and sustainable logistics solutions.
Media: Transform content creation, and customer engagement with innovative media technologies and strategies.
Three winners will be selected during a final event organized on November 15 at the Orange Vélodrome Stadium in Marseille, during the 2nd Artificial Intelligence Marseille (AIM) forum organized by La Tribune and BFM Business. The selection will be made by a jury chaired by Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO of the Group, and including members of the executive committee representing the various sectors of CMA CGM.