Up and coming leaders in the supply chain management field now have an opportunity to be recognized by their mentors or established leaders.
CSCMP is proud to announce its inaugural Young Professionals Emerging Leader Award. The award is designed to recognize active CSCMP members age 30 or under for their early and substantive contributions to the industry.
Nominees will be evaluated based on three criteria: Recognition as an up-and-coming leader; contribution to the supply chain management profession; and their potential future impact on the practice of supply chain management.
Nominations should include a descriptive summary of the nominee's achievements and contributions in 500 words or less. The summary should describe specific aspects of the nominee's business and professional experiences and include specific examples. The submission must also include one letter of recommendation written by someone who is involved in the supply chain management discipline. Letters written by current members of CSCMP's board of directors are not admissible.
The award recipient will be recognized at CSCMP's 2013 Annual Global Conference and will be invited to speak at a Young Professionals session at that event. In addition, the award winner will be spotlighted in CSCMP publications, including CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly magazine, the CSCMP membership newsletter, and the YPC Bulletin.
Nomination forms and supporting materials for the 2013 Emerging Leader Award must be submitted no later than April 15, 2013.
The nomination form and instructions for submission can be found here.
Got 75 minutes or less? Then swing by CSCMP's website—maybe during your lunch hour or before your workday starts—and expand your knowledge of core supply chain topics through the organization's Quick Courses.
Quick Course consists of: an instructional Web-based video running from 45 minutes to 75 minutes; teaching notes, which include terminology and definitions; test questions; an answer key; and recommended materials for further study. All of the Quick Courses are designed for entry-level to mid-level supply chain professionals.
Current course topics include: demand management, finance fundamentals, inventory management, materials requirement planning (MRP), operations environments, performance measurements, physical distribution systems, quality, reverse supply chain management, sales and operations planning (S&OP), risk mitigation, and master planning and capacity management.
Quick Courses cost US $64.95 for members (US $94.95 for nonmembers). Each course qualifies for 1 SCPro continuing education unit (CEU). New topics are added frequently, so check back often to see what's new.
CSCMP Hot Topics: Store-level distribution resource planning
A good way to keep on top of emerging trends and research in supply chain management is through CSCMP Hot Topics, a series of two- to four-page briefs written by subject-matter experts.
Traditionally, this type of forecasting has been based on historical shipments. Today, however, retailers can use point-of-sale data to calculate demand three levels up the supply chain. Accordingly, replenishment plans for all nodes of the supply chain can be constantly updated from such "bottom-up" forecasts. Adopting this approach, the authors say, could lead to a "supply chain revolution."
CSCMP Hot Topics, a member-only benefit, can be downloaded at no charge from CSCMP's website. Other recent issues include "Designing Supply Chain Organizational Structures," "Offshoring Trends of American Corporations," and "Supply Chain Risk Identification Structure."
CSCMP is accepting nominations for several of its most prestigious annual awards. These awards will be presented at the 2013 CSCMP Annual Global Conference, scheduled for October 20-23 in Denver, Colorado, USA.
The Distinguished Service Award is given to an academic, consultant, or practitioner who exemplifies sustained, consistent, and excellent service to the development of the discipline of supply chain management. The selected individual will have shown high integrity and moral principles throughout his or her professional career. The deadline for nominations is April 26; click here for nomination forms and more information.
The Doctoral Dissertation Award is for doctoral students whose work demonstrates significant originality and technical competence in any supply chain function. The deadline for submission is May 1. Click here for application forms and more information.
The Supply Chain Innovation Award highlights and recognizes organizations that have successfully developed and implemented an innovative supply chain program or project. The finalists will present their projects at the annual conference, and a panel of judges will vote for a winner. The deadline for submissions is March 11. Click here for application forms.
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.”
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.
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.”