2009 Annual Global Conference: Ideas. Tools. Results.
Whether you're new to the field of supply chain management or have years of experience under your belt, CSCMP's 2009 Annual Global Conference will offer invaluable information and networking opportunities you simply won't find anywhere else. Come to McCormick Place in Chicago September 20?23, 2009, to attend educational sessions and benefit from such unique events as the Learning Exchange, Student Showcase, "Sit with an Expert" discussions, the annual Supply Chain Innovation Award, and much more.
Choose from sessions in 20 tracks covering all aspects of supply chain management. Sessions will cover a host of subjects, including transportation, warehousing, inventory management, talent recruitment and retention, supply chain metrics, aligning supply chain execution with business strategies, and hundreds of other topics that are directly relevant to your job.
You'll also hear from world-renowned major session speakers. Here's a quick preview of the special presentations we have lined up:
Take advantage of a rare opportunity to hearnational supply chain for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Gary's keynote presentation on Monday, September 21, will address the challenges of maintaining performance in global supply chains while managing local conditions.
On Tuesday, September 22, Dr. Prashant Yadav of the MIT-Zaragoza International Logistics Program will speak on how supply chain professionals can use their knowledge and expertise to save lives and improve health around the world.
This year's closing session features Alison Levine, polar adventurer and team captain of the first American women's Everest expedition. Her presentation, titled "Oxygen Not Included," will cover her unique perspectives on leadership, teamwork, innovation, and dealing with change.
Complete details for the 2009 Annual Global Conference are available online at CSCMP's new conference web site. This convenient and comprehensive resource makes it quick and easy to register for the conference and get all the information you need about travel and hotels, sessions and events, the Learning Exchange and networking opportunities, and sponsorships.
Supply Chain Quarterly to chair Annual Global Conference track
For the first time, CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly will present a track at CSCMP's Annual Global Conference. The "Highlights from Supply Chain Quarterly" track will feature presentations by some of the thought leaders whose articles have appeared in the magazine. Supply Chain Quarterly's editors will moderate the sessions, which will include:
Chuck Taylor of Awake! Consulting on how companies should prepare for the next round of oil price hikes
Stephen Cain of Groenewout Consultants & Engineers on multilayered distribution in Europe
Ted Schaefer of Profit Point on how to manage the twin corporate goals of profitability and sustainability
Prof. Doug Lambert of The Ohio State University on how to determine which customers are most profitable
Brad Sampson of XCD Performance Consulting on when in-sourcing is the right decision for a company
Joe Martha of Booz Allen Hamilton on how to determine a supply chain's carbon footprint
In October, brief video interviews with each of these dynamic speakers will be available on the magazine's web site.
Student Showcase, job fair return in 2009
Meet tomorrow's supply chain leaders at the Annual Global Conference.
If you've attended CSCMP's Annual Global Conference, then you undoubtedly have seen medallion- bedecked college students patrolling the hallways, working at information desks, and assisting CSCMP staff in numerous ways. For more than 20 years, CSCMP's roundtables have been sponsoring college students who attend the Annual Global Conference as part of CSCMP's extended staff. Students are selected by the roundtables based on their scholastic performance and passion for the profession. In return for their participation, the students gain hands-on experience and benefit from the conference's educational sessions as well as the opportunities to network with supply chain management professionals.
Student assistants also can take a more formal approach to networking by participating in the Student Showcase, a popular conference feature since 2007. The event provides an opportunity for students to present their résumés, projects, and papers to supply chain professionals from around the world.
In 2008, CSCMP expanded those opportunities by hosting a job fair that brought promising students together with prospective employers. This new feature was so popular that CSCMP is bringing it back again in 2009.
Companies can take advantage of this exceptional recruiting opportunity to personally meet the next generation of supply chain management professionals. If your company would like to participate in this unique program, please contact Sherrie Nauden, CSCMP Roundtable Manager, by e-mail at snauden@cscmp.org or by telephone at +1 630.645.3466. Please note that certain rules and regulations apply.
The Student Showcase will be held from Sunday, September 20, through Wednesday, September 23, 2009. The Student Job Fair will be held on Sunday, September 20, 2009.
Register now for CSCMP'S Annual Global Conference
If you haven't already signed up to join thousands of your peers from around the world at CSCMP's Annual Global Conference in Chicago, Illinois, USA, September 20-23, 2009, now's the time to register and make your hotel reservation. Conference fees cover all program events, meal functions, and materials.
Complete details about the conference agenda, track topics, accommodations, activities in Chicago, and more are available at https://cscmpconference.org.
Coming soon! New how-to guide explains integrated supply chain costing
For companies that are focusing on improving supply chain performance, timely and accurate cost information that supports strategic, enterprisewide decision making is a must. For a variety of reasons, however, getting that information—a critical success factor in gaining competitive advantage—is very difficult for most organizations.
To help companies overcome that challenge, Terrance L. Pohlen, Ph.D., and Thomas P. Klammer, Ph.D., both from the University of North Texas, and Gary Cokins, CPIM, of SAS Institute Inc., have written a how-to guide titled Handbook for Supply Chain Costing. Based on research conducted since 2007, the book is designed to help companies develop integrated cross-functional and inter-firm supply chain cost information. With this data in hand, managers can make strategic supply chain decisions, enhance enterprise performance, and drive cross-functional process improvements. Throughout the book, readers will find the many lessons learned from companies that participated in the research.
This important CSCMP-sponsored publication is expected to be available for purchase in mid- to late 2009.
ReposiTrak, a global food traceability network operator, will partner with Upshop, a provider of store operations technology for food retailers, to create an end-to-end grocery traceability solution that reaches from the supply chain to the retail store, the firms said today.
The partnership creates a data connection between suppliers and the retail store. It works by integrating Salt Lake City-based ReposiTrak’s network of thousands of suppliers and their traceability shipment data with Austin, Texas-based Upshop’s network of more than 450 retailers and their retail stores.
That accomplishment is important because it will allow food sector trading partners to meet the U.S. FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act Section 204d (FSMA 204) requirements that they must create and store complete traceability records for certain foods.
And according to ReposiTrak and Upshop, the traceability solution may also unlock potential business benefits. It could do that by creating margin and growth opportunities in stores by connecting supply chain data with store data, thus allowing users to optimize inventory, labor, and customer experience management automation.
"Traceability requires data from the supply chain and – importantly – confirmation at the retail store that the proper and accurate lot code data from each shipment has been captured when the product is received. The missing piece for us has been the supply chain data. ReposiTrak is the leader in capturing and managing supply chain data, starting at the suppliers. Together, we can deliver a single, comprehensive traceability solution," Mark Hawthorne, chief innovation and strategy officer at Upshop, said in a release.
"Once the data is flowing the benefits are compounding. Traceability data can be used to improve food safety, reduce invoice discrepancies, and identify ways to reduce waste and improve efficiencies throughout the store,” Hawthorne said.
Under FSMA 204, retailers are required by law to track Key Data Elements (KDEs) to the store-level for every shipment containing high-risk food items from the Food Traceability List (FTL). ReposiTrak and Upshop say that major industry retailers have made public commitments to traceability, announcing programs that require more traceability data for all food product on a faster timeline. The efforts of those retailers have activated the industry, motivating others to institute traceability programs now, ahead of the FDA’s enforcement deadline of January 20, 2026.
Inclusive procurement practices can fuel economic growth and create jobs worldwide through increased partnerships with small and diverse suppliers, according to a study from the Illinois firm Supplier.io.
The firm’s “2024 Supplier Diversity Economic Impact Report” found that $168 billion spent directly with those suppliers generated a total economic impact of $303 billion. That analysis can help supplier diversity managers and chief procurement officers implement programs that grow diversity spend, improve supply chain competitiveness, and increase brand value, the firm said.
The companies featured in Supplier.io’s report collectively supported more than 710,000 direct jobs and contributed $60 billion in direct wages through their investments in small and diverse suppliers. According to the analysis, those purchases created a ripple effect, supporting over 1.4 million jobs and driving $105 billion in total income when factoring in direct, indirect, and induced economic impacts.
“At Supplier.io, we believe that empowering businesses with advanced supplier intelligence not only enhances their operational resilience but also significantly mitigates risks,” Aylin Basom, CEO of Supplier.io, said in a release. “Our platform provides critical insights that drive efficiency and innovation, enabling companies to find and invest in small and diverse suppliers. This approach helps build stronger, more reliable supply chains.”
Logistics industry growth slowed in December due to a seasonal wind-down of inventory and following one of the busiest holiday shopping seasons on record, according to the latest Logistics Managers’ Index (LMI) report, released this week.
The monthly LMI was 57.3 in December, down more than a percentage point from November’s reading of 58.4. Despite the slowdown, economic activity across the industry continued to expand, as an LMI reading above 50 indicates growth and a reading below 50 indicates contraction.
The LMI researchers said the monthly conditions were largely due to seasonal drawdowns in inventory levels—and the associated costs of holding them—at the retail level. The LMI’s Inventory Levels index registered 50, falling from 56.1 in November. That reduction also affected warehousing capacity, which slowed but remained in expansion mode: The LMI’s warehousing capacity index fell 7 points to a reading of 61.6.
December’s results reflect a continued trend toward more typical industry growth patterns following recent years of volatility—and they point to a successful peak holiday season as well.
“Retailers were clearly correct in their bet to stock [up] on goods ahead of the holiday season,” the LMI researchers wrote in their monthly report. “Holiday sales from November until Christmas Eve were up 3.8% year-over-year according to Mastercard. This was largely driven by a 6.7% increase in e-commerce sales, although in-person spending was up 2.9% as well.”
And those results came during a compressed peak shopping cycle.
“The increase in spending came despite the shorter holiday season due to the late Thanksgiving,” the researchers also wrote, citing National Retail Federation (NRF) estimates that U.S. shoppers spent just short of a trillion dollars in November and December, making it the busiest holiday season of all time.
The LMI is 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).
Specifically, the two sides remain at odds over provisions related to the deployment of semi-automated technologies like rail-mounted gantry cranes, according to an analysis by the Kansas-based 3PL Noatum Logistics. The ILA has strongly opposed further automation, arguing it threatens dockworker protections, while the USMX contends that automation enhances productivity and can create long-term opportunities for labor.
In fact, U.S. importers are already taking action to prevent the impact of such a strike, “pulling forward” their container shipments by rushing imports to earlier dates on the calendar, according to analysis by supply chain visibility provider Project44. That strategy can help companies to build enough safety stock to dampen the damage of events like the strike and like the steep tariffs being threatened by the incoming Trump administration.
Likewise, some ocean carriers have already instituted January surcharges in pre-emption of possible labor action, which could support inbound ocean rates if a strike occurs, according to freight market analysts with TD Cowen. In the meantime, the outcome of the new negotiations are seen with “significant uncertainty,” due to the contentious history of the discussion and to the timing of the talks that overlap with a transition between two White House regimes, analysts said.
That percentage is even greater than the 13.21% of total retail sales that were returned. Measured in dollars, returns (including both legitimate and fraudulent) last year reached $685 billion out of the $5.19 trillion in total retail sales.
“It’s clear why retailers want to limit bad actors that exhibit fraudulent and abusive returns behavior, but the reality is that they are finding stricter returns policies are not reducing the returns fraud they face,” Michael Osborne, CEO of Appriss Retail, said in a release.
Specifically, the report lists the leading types of returns fraud and abuse reported by retailers in 2024, including findings that:
60% of retailers surveyed reported incidents of “wardrobing,” or the act of consumers buying an item, using the merchandise, and then returning it.
55% cited cases of returning an item obtained through fraudulent or stolen tender, such as stolen credit cards, counterfeit bills, gift cards obtained through fraudulent means or fraudulent checks.
48% of retailers faced occurrences of returning stolen merchandise.
Together, those statistics show that the problem remains prevalent despite growing efforts by retailers to curb retail returns fraud through stricter returns policies, while still offering a sufficiently open returns policy to keep customers loyal, they said.
“Returns are a significant cost for retailers, and the rise of online shopping could increase this trend,” Kevin Mahoney, managing director, retail, Deloitte Consulting LLP, said. “As retailers implement policies to address this issue, they should avoid negatively affecting customer loyalty and retention. Effective policies should reduce losses for the retailer while minimally impacting the customer experience. This approach can be crucial for long-term success.”