Dr. Terry L. Esper is an associate professor of logistics at the Fisher College of Business of The Ohio State University. He has published several articles on issues associated with retail logistics and supply chain management strategy in leading academic and managerial outlets.
We’ve all seen the news. The rallies and protests triggered by the killing of George Floyd have taken center stage all across this country, as persons of all races and ethnicities gather in city streets to express frustration, hurt, and anger. These are, indeed, tense and “charged” times. Times that call for tough conversations within communities, about how racism, discrimination, biases, and differences in viewpoints shape the ways in which those communities function. This includes the supply chain management (SCM) community.
We have had long-held conversations regarding gender disparities in SCM, but the widescale focus on the George Floyd incident opens a door for us to bring the race conversation to the forefront. There are many things that we could discuss on race, but as a researcher of last-mile logistics and home delivery services, I’d like to raise one concerning issue for us to talk about, ponder, and hopefully act on.
I’ve been in SCM for over 25 years. I started as an intern for a state department of transportation, worked for a major carrier in claims and billing, launched my professional career managing small package transportation for a major corporation, and throughout these experiences, worked my way through college and graduate school, eventually earning a PhD in SCM. For the last 20 years, I’ve been in the SCM academic community, serving on faculty at many of the field’s most well-respected university programs. In this capacity I not only educate emerging SCM talent, but I also spend considerable time studying strategic SCM issues (like last-mile logistics) and working with several major corporations in the process. And, I must admit...In my many years of observing our industry from these various viewpoints and perspectives, never... never have I ever... been as concerned and fearful for the safety of frontline logistics and transportation workers as I am today.
Let me be more specific by adding another of my characteristics to my credentials—I’m a black man. It is that part of my identity that triggered this piece, because while I am generally concerned about the safety of all frontline logistics workers, especially in light of COVID-19, I am most and directly concerned about my fellow black men in our SCM community that are charged with the task of providing last-mile delivery services. Let me also be clear in saying that this is not a new concern. It’s been brewing for some time. But a series of recent events, including the situation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, have brought my concern to a boiling point—prompting me to pull up a chair and attempt to start a conversation.
In case you missed this story in the news... a black male delivery driver was recently stopped by members of a neighborhood community demanding answers regarding his reasons for being there. These weren’t simple inquiries, mind you... they were demands, laced with threats of calling law enforcement, apparently out of concern for the safety of their neighborhood. The driver, recording it all via a mobile device, was eventually “allowed to leave”... but only after the delivery recipient intervened, assuring neighbors that the driver had a valid reason for being in their community.
Fast forward a few days, and another such incident occurs. In this case, a pair of FedEx independent contractors, black men in full FedEx uniform, deliver a package to a home. Upon leaving, a resident of the home chased and confronted the men, yelling threats and verbal attacks. After law enforcement intervention, the resident claimed that he had done so out of fear that these men were potential burglary threats. Again, the incident was video captured by one of the drivers.
Fast forward another week, and yet another example surfaces. A black man attempting a DoorDash delivery in an Arizona apartment complex was met by a resident with a drawn firearm. The resident claimed to be afraid of the delivery worker and held him at gunpoint until law enforcement arrived.
Now, some would classify these as isolated incidents, perhaps blown out of proportion by social media retweets and reposts. Some might argue that these are nothing more than simple misunderstandings that were captured and shared, in order to highlight one side of the story. I disagree. Either way, this disturbing pattern allows for a broader conversation because what I know for sure is that these situations represent the oft unspoken fears and concerns that many black men shoulder when navigating neighborhoods to make deliveries.
Stories abound where African Americans, particularly men, are reported to law enforcement for what is found to be benign occurrences, simply because their presence and/or disagreement are interpreted as a threat of significant harm. A most recent example involves Amy Cooper, a New York Central Park patron, who, upon being asked to leash her dog by a black man, called law enforcement and falsely claimed that her life was in danger...all while being recorded. This story was shocking to many, but came as no surprise to black men. We know that we are often viewed as a threat. It is an awareness that we carry, and an unfortunate tax of physicality that we pay. Yet, as the recent killings of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd have so hurtfully illustrated, we also know that our traipsing about city streets can be interpreted as threatening, and can lead to loss of life, even if law enforcement is involved.
And, that is what I want us... the SCM community... to consider.
I am concerned. The sheer numbers suggest an increased likelihood of situations similar to the delivery examples above. As we have seen, COVID-19 has caused more marketplace consumers to shift to online retail for food and product purchases, which means an increase in home deliveries, and an increased potential for delivery-related confrontations involving African American drivers. Furthermore, many online retailers and restaurants are turning to crowdsourced home-delivery service providers for last mile logistics, which means an increase in home deliveries made by drivers in “ordinary” vehicles wearing “ordinary” clothes. And, in the event that these ordinarily clothed delivery drivers are black men, there is unfortunate likelihood that we will see more reported repeats of the aforementioned delivery incidences. Perhaps with even worse outcomes, especially if not recorded.
SCM community, let’s take this seriously! Yes, the leading story of the day involves law enforcement in Minneapolis, but this emerging pattern of delivery-related issues suggests we also have problems in our SCM community. The sad truth is that, for black male delivery drivers, simply circling a neighborhood to find an address location, or opening a screen door in order to secure a package, comes with a real threat of being accused, accosted, arrested, or dare we even say...assaulted or killed. I ask that we not turn a deaf ear or blind eye to this issue, especially in light of the heightened tensions in our country. I wish I had a list of solutions to provide, but I don’t. I can only ask that we expand our thinking regarding driver safety. In addition to investing in things like personal protective equipment (PPE), advanced technologies, and updated delivery equipment as ways of enhancing driver safety, let’s also consider implementing processes and standards to combat the safety threats that biases and racial stereotypes pose for frontline delivery drivers—especially those that are African American and men.
Mega-retailer Amazon says its newest fulfillment center, located in Shreveport, Louisiana, uses 10 times more robots than previous warehouse designs, and relies on artificial intelligence (AI) to direct the eight different models deployed in its bustling operation.
“Over the years, we’ve built and scaled the world’s largest fleet of industrial robotics that ease tasks for employees and improve operational safety while creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs along the way,” the company said in a blog post Wednesday. “For the first time, we have introduced technology solutions in all key production areas at the site, meaning our employees will work alongside our growing fleet of robotic systems seamlessly in a way that wasn’t possible until now.”
The Shreveport site spans five floors and more than 3 million square feet—equivalent to 55 football fields—making it one of Amazon's largest sites. It will employ 2,500 employees once it’s fully ramped up.
The technology at the center of the huge building is called Sequoia, a “multilevel containerized inventory system” that can hold more than 30 million items, making it five times bigger than Amazon’s first deployment of that system in Houston, Texas.
As inventory and packages move through the facility, Robin, Cardinal, and Sparrow—an AI-powered trio of robotic arms—sort, stack, and consolidate millions of items and customer orders. The latest version of Sparrow uses computer vision and AI systems that give it the versatility to handle over 200 million unique products of all different shapes, sizes, and weights.
And Proteus, which Amazon calls its “first fully autonomous mobile robot,” navigates carts of packages to the site’s outbound dock so they can be loaded into trucks, while safely moving around employees in open spaces. The remaining three robot models include larger AMRs called Hercules and Titan and a packaging automation system that creates custom-sized packages to fit each order’s dimensions.
Although the increased automation allows the facility to handle more orders than older sites, Amazon insists it is not replacing workers’ jobs. “As we deploy this new generation of robotics across our network, we expect our headcount to continue to grow and we’re really excited by how this technology also creates more opportunities for skilled jobs. In fact, our next-generation fulfillment centers and sites with advanced robotics will require 30% more employees in reliability, maintenance, and engineering roles,” the company said.
According to Amazon, it trains workers for skilled jobs by helping them earn certifications through a corporate “Career Choice program” and a “mechatronics and robotics apprenticeship” that provides hourly wages up to 40% higher than entry-level roles.
For example, millions of residents and workers in the Tampa region have now left their homes and jobs, heeding increasingly dire evacuation warnings from state officials. They’re fleeing the estimated 10 to 20 feet of storm surge that is forecast to swamp the area, due to Hurricane Milton’s status as the strongest hurricane in the Gulf since Rita in 2005, the fifth-strongest Atlantic hurricane based on pressure, and the sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane based on its peak winds, according to market data provider Industrial Info Resources.
Between that mass migration and the storm’s effect on buildings and infrastructure, supply chain impacts could hit the energy logistics and agriculture sectors particularly hard, according to a report from Everstream Analytics.
The Tampa Bay metro area is the most vulnerable area, with the potential for storm surge to halt port operations, roads, rails, air travel, and business operations – possibly for an extended period of time. In contrast to those “severe to potentially catastrophic” effects, key supply chain hubs outside of the core zone of impact—including the Miami metro area along with Jacksonville, FL and Savannah, GA—could also be impacted but to a more moderate level, such as slowdowns in port operations and air cargo, Everstream Analytics’ Chief Meteorologist Jon Davis said in a report.
Although it was recently downgraded from a Category 5 to Category 4 storm, Milton is anticipated to have major disruptions for transportation, in large part because it will strike an “already fragile supply chain environment” that is still reeling from the fury of Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago and the ILA port strike that ended just five days ago and crippled ports along the East and Gulf Coasts, a report from Project44 said.
The storm will also affect supply chain operations at sea, since approximately 74 container vessels are located near the storm and may experience delays as they await safe entry into major ports. Vessels already at the ports may face delays departing as they wait for storm conditions to clear, Project44 said.
On land, Florida will likely also face impacts in the Last Mile delivery industry as roads become difficult to navigate and workers evacuate for safety.
Likewise, freight rail networks are also shifting engines, cars, and shipments out of the path of the storm as the industry continues “adapting to a world shaped by climate change,” the Association of American Railroads (AAR) said. Before floods arrive, railroads may relocate locomotives, elevate track infrastructure, and remove sensitive electronic equipment such as sensors, signals and switches. However, forceful water can move a bridge from its support beams or destabilize it by unearthing the supporting soil, so in certain conditions, railroads may park rail cars full of heavy materials — like rocks and ballast — on a bridge before a flood to weigh it down, AAR said.
The North American robotics market saw a decline in both units ordered (down 7.9% to 15,705 units) and revenue (down 6.8% to $982.83 million) during the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, as North American manufacturers faced ongoing economic headwinds, according to a report from the Association for Advancing Automation (A3).
“Rising inflation and borrowing costs have dampened spending on robotics, with many companies opting to delay major investments,” said Jeff Burnstein, president, A3. “Despite these challenges, the push for operational efficiency and workforce augmentation continues to drive demand for robotics in industries such as food and consumer goods and life sciences, among others. As companies navigate labor shortages and increased production costs, the role of automation is becoming ever more critical in maintaining global competitiveness.”
The downward trend was led by weakness in automotive manufacturing, which traditionally leads the charge in buying robots. In the first half of 2024, automotive OEMs ordered 4,159 units (up 14.4%) but generated revenue of $259.96 million (down 12.0%). The Automotive Components sector was even worse, orders 3,574 units (down 38.8%) for $191.93 million in revenue (down 27.3%). Declines also happened in the Semiconductor & Electronics/Photonics sector and the Plastics & Rubber sector.
On the positive side, Food & Consumer Goods companies ordered 1,173 units (up 85.6%) for $62.84 million in revenue (up 56.2%). This growth reflects the increasing reliance on robotics for efficiency in food processing and packaging as companies seek to address labor shortages and rising costs, A3 said. And the Life Sciences industry ordered 1,007 units (up 47.9%) for revenue of $47.29 million (up 86.7%) as it continued its reliance on robotics for efficiency and precision.
The warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico are brewing up another massive storm this week that is on track to smash into the western coast of Florida by Wednesday morning, bringing a consecutive round of storm surge and damaging winds to the storm-weary state.
Before reaching the U.S., Hurricane Milton will rake the northern coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula with dangerous weather. But hurricane watches are already in effect for parts of Florida, which could see heavy rainfall, flash and urban flooding, and moderate to major river floods, according to forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
As it revs its massive engines with fuel from the historically warm Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Milton could possibly hit Tampa as a Category 5 storm, according to the FEWSION Project at Northern Arizona University, which tracks supply chains throughout the country.
With that much power, Milton could shut down the port and seriously disrupt the fuel supply into western and central Florida, which could then hinder recovery efforts. That’s because fuel supplies for much of Florida, especially central Florida, arrive from Texas and Louisiana through the Port of Tampa. That means that anyone who depends on generators or fuel for critical functions should plan for an extended period without access to fuel. And recovery crews and logisticians should consider bringing their own fuel when responding to the storm, FEWSION said.
One of those disaster recovery efforts will be led by nonprofit group the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN), which is already mobilizing its forces for Hurricane Milton, even as it devotes other energy to the Hurricane Helene response. “In an ideal world we’d have plenty of time to focus all of our efforts on Hurricane Helene clean-up and recovery,” Kathy Fulton, ALAN’s Executive Director, said in a release. “But in the real world, major hurricanes don’t always wait for their turn. As a result, we are officially activating for Hurricane Milton.”
In the meantime, many weary residents of the region are thinking of moving to another part of the country instead of getting hit by vicious storms several times a year. Nearly one-third (32%) of U.S. residents aged 18-34 say they’re reconsidering where they want to move in the future after seeing or hearing about the damage caused by Hurricane Helene, according to a survey commissioned by real estate brokerage Redfin.
“Scores of Americans flocked to the Sun Belt during the pandemic because remote work allowed them to take advantage of the region’s relatively low cost of living. Some thought Appalachia was insulated from hurricane risk, not realizing that the area is prone to flooding and that hurricanes can sometimes cause flash flooding far away from the ocean,” Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather said in a release. “Americans are beginning to realize that nowhere is truly immune to the impacts of climate change, and we’re starting to see that impact where people want to live—even people who haven’t experienced a catastrophic weather event firsthand.”
The report is based on a commissioned survey conducted by Ipsos on Oct. 2-3, fielded to 1,005 U.S. adults. After making landfall in Florida in late September, Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc across Appalachia, becoming the deadliest storm to hit mainland America in almost two decades. In North Carolina, the death toll has surpassed 100 and the city of Asheville has been devastated.
Shippers and carriers at ports along the East and Gulf coasts today are working through a backlog of stranded containers stuck on ships at sea, now that dockworkers and port operators have agreed to a tentative deal that ends the dockworkers strike.
In the meantime, U.S. importers and exporters face a mountain of shipping boxes that are now several days behind schedule. By the latest estimate from Everstream Analytics, the number of cargo boxes on ships floating outside affected ports has slightly decreased by 20,000 twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs), dropping to 386,000 from its highpoint of 406,000 yesterday.
To chip away at the problem, some facilities like the Port of Charleston have announced extended daily gate hours to give shippers and carriers more time each day to shuffle through the backlog. And Georgia Ports Authority likewise announced plans to stay open on Saturday and Sunday, saying, “We will be offering weekend gates to help restore your supply chain fluidity.”
But they face a lot of work; the number of container ships waiting outside of U.S. Gulf and East Coast ports on Friday morning had decreased overnight to 54, down from a Thursday peak of 59. Overall, with each day of strike roughly needing about one week to clear the backlog, the 3-day all-out strike will likely take minimum three weeks to return to normal operations at U.S. ports, Everstream said.