Continuing education is important not only for personal career development but also for learning new
supply chain strategies and tactics. Here are a just a few examples of upcoming professional education
programs around the world.
Transcend functional boundaries
Supply chain management is not just another name for logistics. Instead, it is a business approach used to transcend traditional functional boundaries, according to educators at The Ohio State University. This Supply Chain Management Executive Education course, cosponsored by CSCMP, teaches participants that supply chain management is the integration— from end user through original supplier—of key business processes that provide products, services, and information that add value for customers and other stakeholders. The program focuses on the management of the relationships between firms in the supply chain and is based on the supply chain management framework developed by Ohio State's Global Supply Chain Forum.
Program: Supply Chain Management Executive Education Sponsors: The Ohio State University and CSCMP Locations and dates: Auckland, New Zealand (with the University of Auckland): April 1-4
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, U.S.A.: April 14-18 Info:https://fisher.osu.edu/centers/scm
Take an integrated approach to logistics
Looking to expand your view of logistics beyond the traditional focus on transportation or warehousing? Michigan State University's Logistics in Supply Chain Management Executive Seminar will help participants understand the theory, dynamics, structure, and principles of logistics management. Co-sponsored by CSCMP, the program will emphasize supply chain integration, performance management, technology, and organizational dynamics. It will also help participants identify and understand the logistics and supply trade-offs associated with global operations. To supplement the lectures, the program utilizes a computer simulation that replicates a supply chain process.
Program: Logistics in Supply Chain Management Executive Seminar Sponsors: Michigan State University and CSCMP Location: Lansing, Michigan, U.S.A. Dates: May 4-9, 2008 Info:www.bus.msu.edu/execed/programs/openEnrollment.cfm
Create value through partnerships
Integrated logistics management provides a competitive advantage that will help companies achieve success in today's business environment. The University of Tennessee's Logistics Executive Development Program focuses on how to create value for all members of the supply chain and coordinate logistics activities and strategies with other areas of the corporation. The course is designed for both users and providers of logistics services and places special emphasis on developing and managing logistics partnerships. Students learn how to use and share information strategically and how to take a process-orientation and systems management approach to logistics.
Program: Logistics Executive Development Program Sponsors: The University of Tennessee and CSCMP Location: Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.A. Dates: May 5-9, 2008 Info:https://thecenter.utk.edu
Leaner, faster, stronger
Participants in Vanderbilt University's
"Achieving Operational Excellence" seminar will learn how to make their supply
chain processes leaner, faster, and more efficient. This involves conducting a "value chain
audit" of their operation's various processes,
identifying which of those processes need to be
improved, and creating and leading transformational process-improvement teams. Co-sponsored by CSCMP, this seminar will teach participants to assess their operating strategies in the
context of their target markets, core competencies, and business goals.
Program: Achieving Operational Excellence Seminar Sponsors: Vanderbilt University and CSCMP Location: Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A. Dates: May 13-14, 2008 Info:www.owen.vanderbilt.edu/vanderbilt/Programs/exec-ed
Practical guide to performance-based logistics
"Performance-Based Logistics: The Basics and Beyond" from the University of Tennessee and CSCMP seeks to help companies that have performance-based logistics (PBL) contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Tennessee's program focuses on establishing and executing performancebased logistics contracts and programs. The program format includes lectures, question-andanswer sessions, case studies, and small-group exercises led by university faculty members and industry experts.
Program: Performance-Based Logistics: The Basics and Beyond Course Sponsors: The University of Tennessee and CSCMP Location: Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.A. Dates: May 13-16, 2008; August 19-22, 2008 Info:https://pbl.utk.edu
Optimize speed, agility, and efficiency
The annual Spring Symposium at Lehigh University's Center for Value Chain Research will focus on the theme of "Supply Chain Optimization for Speed, Agility, and Efficiency." University faculty and speakers from Johnson & Johnson, Air Products, GE, Hershey, and LogicTools will address this topic. The event will start with a networking and student-recruiting dinner, followed by a full day of presentations and discussions. The program is co-sponsored by CSCMP.
Program: Lehigh University Center for Value Chain Research Spring Symposium Sponsors: Lehigh University and CSCMP Location: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Dates: May 13-14 Info:www.lehigh.edu/~inchain/SymposiumSpring08
Plan for a change
Michigan State University's Purchasing & Supply Chain Management Executive Seminar is not just five days of presentations, small-group workshops, and discussion sessions. The program also provides participants with an opportunity to plan a strategic change initiative for their own companies. Additionally, guest lecturers from leading companies will present case studies and advice from the trenches. Finally, participants will discuss their own best practices in a workshop facilitated by the program's organizers. This program is co-sponsored by CSCMP.
Program: Purchasing & Supply Chain Management Seminar Sponsors: Michigan State University and CSCMP Location: Lansing, Michigan, U.S.A. Dates: June 1-6, 2008 Info:www.bus.msu.edu/execed
The venture-backed fleet telematics technology provider Platform Science will acquire a suite of “global transportation telematics business units” from supply chain technology provider Trimble Inc., the firms said Sunday.
Trimble's other core transportation business units — Enterprise, Maps, Vusion and Transporeon — are not included in the proposed transaction and will remain part of Trimble's Transportation & Logistics segment, with a continued focus on priority growth areas following completion of the proposed transaction.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed but as part of this agreement, Colorado-based Trimble will become a shareholder in Platform Science's expanded business. Specifically, Trimble will have a 32.5% stake in the newly expanded global Platform Science business and will receive a Platform Science board seat. The company joins C.R. England, Cummins, Daimler Truck, PACCAR, Prologis, RyderVentures, and Schneider as a key strategic investor in Platform Science along with financial investors 8VC, Activant Capital, BDT & MSD Partners, Softbank, and NewRoad Capital Partners.
According to San Diego-based Platform Science, the proposed transaction aims to enhance driver experience, fleet safety, efficiency, and compliance by combining two cutting-edge in-cab commercial vehicle ecosystems, which will give customers access to more applications and offerings.
From Trimble customers’ point of view, they will continue to enjoy the benefits of their Trimble solutions, with the added flexibility of the Virtual Vehicle platform from Platform Science. That means Virtual Vehicle-enabled fleets will receive access to the Virtual Vehicle Marketplace, offering hundreds of new and expanded applications, software, and solution providers focused on innovating and improving drivers' quality of life and fleet performance.
Meanwhile, Platform Science customers will enjoy the added choice of Trimble's remaining portfolio of transportation solutions which will be available on the Virtual Vehicle platform, the partners said.
"We believe combining our global transportation telematics portfolio with Platform Science's will further advance fleet mobility and provide our customers with a broader portfolio of solutions to solve industry problems," Rob Painter, president and CEO of Trimble, said in a release. "Increased collaboration between the new Platform Science business and Trimble's remaining transportation businesses will enhance our ability to provide positive outcomes for our global customers of commercial mapping, transportation management, freight procurement, and visibility solutions. This deal will result in significant synergies along with tremendous opportunities for employees to continue to grow in a more-competitive business."
The acquisition comes just five months after Platform Science raised $125 million in growth capital from some of the biggest names in freight trucking, saying the money would help accelerate innovation in the commercial transportation sector.
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.
Economic activity in the logistics industry expanded in August, though growth slowed slightly from July, according to the most recent Logistics Manager’s Index report (LMI), released this week.
The August LMI registered 56.4, down from July’s reading of 56.6 but consistent with readings over the past four months. The August reading represents nine straight months of growth across the logistics industry.
The LMI is a monthly gauge of economic activity across warehousing, transportation, and logistics markets. An LMI above 50 indicates expansion, and a reading below 50 indicates contraction.
Inventory levels saw a marked change in August, increasing more than six points compared to July and breaking a three-month streak of contraction. The LMI researchers said this suggests that after running inventories down, companies are now building them back up in anticipation of fourth-quarter demand. It also represents a return to more typical growth patterns following the accelerated demand for logistics services during the Covid-19 pandemic and the lows of the recent freight recession.
“This suggests a return to traditional patterns of seasonality that we have not seen since pre-COVID,” the researchers wrote in the monthly LMI report, published Tuesday, adding that the buildup is somewhat tempered by increases in warehousing capacity and transportation capacity.
The LMI report is based on a monthly survey of logistics managers from across the country. It tracks industry growth overall and across eight areas: inventory levels and costs; warehousing capacity, utilization, and prices; and transportation capacity, utilization, and prices. The report is released monthly by researchers from Arizona State University, Colorado State University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rutgers University, and the University of Nevada, Reno, in conjunction with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP).
That hiring surge marks a significant jump in relation to the company’s nearly 17,000 current employees across North America, adding 21% more workers.
That increase is necessary because U.S. holiday sales in 2023 increased 3.9% year-over-year as consumer spending grew even amidst uncertain economic times and trends like inflation and consumer price sensitivity. Looking at the coming peak, a similar pattern is projected for this year, with shoppers forecasted to drive a 4.8% increase in holiday retail sales for 2024, Geodis said, citing data from Emarketer.
To attract the extra workforce, Geodis says it will offer competitive wages, peak premium pay incentives, peak and referral bonuses, an expedited payment option, and flexible schedules. And it’s using an AI-powered chatbot named Sophie to serve as a virtual recruiting assistant.
“We acknowledge the immense responsibility we have to our customers to deliver exceptional service every day, and this is especially true during peak season,” Anthony Jordan, GEODIS in Americas Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, said in a release. “Because peak season is the most business-critical sales period of the year for many of our retail clients, expanding our workforce is vital to ensure we have a flexible, dynamic team that can handle anticipated surges in demand.”