India is playing an increasingly important role in the global supply chain as both a producer and a consumer. No wonder, then, that CSCMP's India 2013 conference will bring together supply chain executives from such brand-name, global companies as Wal-Mart, Tata, Procter & Gamble, Nestlé, Nokia, Starbucks, and Kraft, among others.
The keynote address will be given by John Phillips, senior vice president of customer supply chain and logistics for PepsiCo Inc. Phillips will share insights into the future of the consumer value chain, including the findings from the Consumer Goods Forum Future Value Chain 2020 Initiative, a study based on input gathered from senior executives of retail and consumer packaged goods companies worldwide.
Other sessions will look at supply chain efficiency and cost management, supply chain strategic planning, infrastructure and technology, sustainability, and challenges in retail logistics.
Europe conference offers timely advice on cost control
Supply chain managers who are trying to maintain operational excellence amid Europe's atmosphere of fiscal austerity will find plenty of helpful advice at the 2013 CSCMP Europe Conference in Amsterdam. The conference theme: "How to Cut Supply Chain Costs without Paying the Price."
The program will focus on reducing administrative and operating costs, improving sourcing strategies, and using sustainability as a driver of supply chain cost reductions. Sessions will include insights, best practices, and techniques from leading supply chains.
The conference also includes the European Research Seminar, which examines current issues in European logistics and supply chain management.
Since 1967, CSCMP has sponsored executive education courses at Michigan State University that have blended academic rigor and real-world experience. This year's Supply Chain Logistics Management Executive Seminar is no different; it combines thought-leading teachings on supply chain integration, performance measurement, technology, and organizational dynamics with lessons learned from world-class logistics organizations.
The seminar is designed for experienced executives whose firms have begun or plan to implement integrated logistics within the context of an overall supply chain strategy. The seminar faculty consists of academic and industry experts who are thought leaders in supply chain and logistics management.
Program: Supply Chain Logistics Management Executive Seminar Location: Lansing, Michigan, USA Dates: May 5-10, 2013 Sponsor: Michigan State University, CSCMP Info:edp.broad.msu.edu/events/16
ProMat 2013 focuses on the future
ProMat, the biennial tradeshow organized by the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA), will draw an expected 30,000 visitors to Chicago for a look at 800-plus exhibits showcasing new equipment and technology—everything from driverless forklift trucks, robots, and high-tech storage equipment to the latest in conveyors, pallets, packaging, and more.
The event, scheduled for January 21 to 24, will be held at Chicago's McCormick Place. To help visitors navigate the 300,000 square feet of exhibit space, ProMat's organizers have arranged exhibitors into four "solution centers":
The Manufacturing and Assembly Solutions Center, which will feature automated assembly support, robotics, ergonomic and safety equipment, work stations, and other equipment and systems for the manufacturing environment.
The Fulfillment and Delivery Solutions Center, which will feature solutions for traditional and e-commerce order fulfillment, order picking and packaging, third-party logistics, warehousing, distribution, and transportation.
The Information Technology Solutions Center, which will feature radio frequency identification (RFID), auto ID and data collection, and supply chain software solutions for transportation, manufacturing, logistics, enterprise resource planning, and order management, among other functions.
The Knowledge Center, which will house nearly 100 on-floor educational seminars.
All three of the show's keynote presentations will look toward the future. Henrik I. Christensen, KUKA Chair of Robotics and director of robotics at Georgia Tech, will talk about a new wave of robots that is revolutionizing manufacturing and distribution. Steve Forbes will draw on his experience as chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media to discuss the economic outlook for the next couple of years. And futurist Edie Weiner and the heads of four influential industry organizations will discuss the future of material handling, logistics, and the supply chain.
CSCMP will have a significant presence at ProMat. On the third day of the conference, CSCMP President and CEO Rick Blasgen will take part in the panel discussion led by Weiner. Additionally, Rich Sherman, director of strategic development, will moderate a panel of senior supply chain executives who will discuss how logistics and supply chain management are evolving to meet future business challenges. Panel members include CSCMP members Heather L. Sheehan, vice president of indirect sourcing and logistics for Danaher Corporation; Jeff Starecheski, vice president of logistics for Sears Logistics Services; and John Caltagirone of Loyola University, Chicago.
Event: ProMat 2013 Dates: Jan. 21-24, 2013 Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA Organizer: Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) Info:www.promatshow.com
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).
As U.S. small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face an uncertain business landscape in 2025, a substantial majority (67%) expect positive growth in the new year compared to 2024, according to a survey from DHL.
However, the survey also showed that businesses could face a rocky road to reach that goal, as they navigate a complex environment of regulatory/policy shifts and global market volatility. Both those issues were cited as top challenges by 36% of respondents, followed by staffing/talent retention (11%) and digital threats and cyber attacks (2%).
Against that backdrop, SMEs said that the biggest opportunity for growth in 2025 lies in expanding into new markets (40%), followed by economic improvements (31%) and implementing new technologies (14%).
As the U.S. prepares for a broad shift in political leadership in Washington after a contentious election, the SMEs in DHL’s survey were likely split evenly on their opinion about the impact of regulatory and policy changes. A plurality of 40% were on the fence (uncertain, still evaluating), followed by 24% who believe regulatory changes could negatively impact growth, 20% who see these changes as having a positive impact, and 16% predicting no impact on growth at all.
That uncertainty also triggered a split when respondents were asked how they planned to adjust their strategy in 2025 in response to changes in the policy or regulatory landscape. The largest portion (38%) of SMEs said they remained uncertain or still evaluating, followed by 30% who will make minor adjustments, 19% will maintain their current approach, and 13% who were willing to significantly adjust their approach.
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.