Workforce

Just like safety, productivity and other key business imperatives, reaching your net-zero emissions goals won’t happen without a dedicated team pulling together, and the best way to deploy your human capital will look different depending on the nature and size of your organization. Feature BY DAVID H. COBURN When Michelle Tarry joined American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) in 2013, her work ...

Feature BY TOM GRESHAM G-STOCK STUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM As supply chain organizations grow increasingly complex, many workers are serving in highly specialized roles. In that environment, the inclination can be to keep everyone operating in their lanes, focused on narrowly defined responsibilities. However, companies following that game plan will struggle to innovate, according to experts. Instead, they say, companies should choose a ...

The Importance of Embodying Your Company’s Culture Through Leadership Feature BY CAROL MILLER, MHI CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER With the war for talent at a fever pitch across every level, more organizations than ever before are prioritizing culture as a means to both attract and retain employees, from the front lines to upper management. Yet with the onset of the Great ...

The persistent labor shortage is forcing many companies to accelerate the automation of their manufacturing plants, warehouses and distribution centers. This past spring, ABB and Guidance Automation each surveyed executives in the supply chain industry to see how they’re using technology to address manpower issues. Here are some key findings: AUTOMATION TRENDS IN THE LABOR MARKET 62% Respondents who expect ...

Solutions Spotlight: EASE BY KATIE KUEHNER-HEBERT Being able to operate equipment without being injured or too fatigued to do much of anything else for the rest of the day goes a long way in keeping employees happy—something particularly important in this era of the Great Resignation. Members of MHI’s Industry Group EASE—Ergonomic Assist Systems and Equipment—know a thing or two ...

Economic Market Analysis BY JASON SCHENKER, PRESTIGE ECONOMICS The economic and financial market landscape has shifted sharply in the past year. In the fall of 2021, there were many reasons for economic optimism in 2022, even with anticipated high inflation and Fed rate hikes. Looking ahead to 2023, the outlook is less positive. The year 2022 has been generally good ...

MHI Solutions Community BY CHRISTIAN DOW, MHI EXECUTIVE VP OF MEMBERSHIP AND INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP If you’re managing a manufacturing plant, warehouse or distribution center, then you’ve likely heard of VUCA. But even if you haven’t, in today’s business climate, you’ve surely experienced it. VUCA stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, an acronym that fairly sums up the challenges facing ...

WERC Matters BY MICHAEL MIKITKA, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF MHI’S KNOWLEDGE VALUE CENTER AND WERC As the only organization focused on providing resources to help distribution practitioners and suppliers do their jobs better, the Warehouse Education and Research Council (WERC)—a division of MHI—has some of the most unique offerings in our field. Through WERC, members find both education and support ...

DEI Feature BY CHRISTIAN DOW, MHI EXECUTIVE VP OF MEMBERSHIP AND INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP The recently released Supply Chain Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Survey from Gartner noted that supply chain organizations in publicly held companies employ more people of color than their privately held counterparts. Specifically, people of color comprise 35% of the overall supply chain workforce at publicly held companies, ...

What Grocery Distribution Centers Are Currently Doing to Prevent Musculoskeletal Injuries Higher Education BY STEVEN LAVENDER AND CAROLYN SOMMERICH, THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY TRONG NGUYEN/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM Musculoskeletal injury rates in grocery and related products continue to be approximately twice the overall industry average. Most of these injuries in grocery distribution centers (DCs) are experienced by the “selectors” who are the people ...