There is a sea change coming, one that will require retailers to respond. And when they do, they’ll no doubt be leaning heavily on companies throughout the supply chain to assist. “Right now, Baby Boomers are providing the large proportion of sales for retailers,” said Sue Yasav, vice president, research insights leader at Synchrony Financial. But it won’t stay that ...

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So, exactly how much economic impact does the supply chain have in the United States? Well, the answer is—we don’t really know all that precisely. Every year, the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) publishes its Annual State of Logistics Report. And the most recent edition says the cost of U.S. business logistics is 8.3 percent of U.S. GDP, ...

How to attract and retain the next generation of supply chain workers to our industry is a frequent topic of discussion. So perhaps it’s no surprise that MHI’s Young Professionals Network (YPN) is dedicating an entire educational track to the subject at MODEX 2016. On Tuesday, April 5, the “New Generation Supply Chain Workforce” event includes two panel discussions and ...

The outlook for U.S. economic growth in 2016 and 2017 softened in the second half of 2015, as forward-looking manufacturing and material handling data reflected a significant slowdown in activity. While U.S. manufacturing has weakened, the U.S. service sector has remained solid, which bodes well for growth through at least the middle of 2016. At the same time that the ...

Experts agree: Our industry is in the early stages of a talent crisis. With baby boomers retiring, and unemployment low, the impacts of this crisis are being felt throughout the supply chain. We need to find ways to attract the best and the brightest students to pursue careers in our industry. But how? How do we get young people excited ...

For a dozen years, MHI has welcomed hundreds of college and university students to both ProMat and MODEX for Classroom Day. The program is sponsored and underwritten by MHI’s College Industry Council on Material Handling Education (CICMHE) and Career & Technical Education (CTE) Program in partnership with the Material Handling Education Foundation Inc. (MHEFI) and the Material Handling Equipment Distributors ...

Workers doing manual material handling have the best chance of avoiding injury in workplaces where barrier protection is integrated with ergonomic equipment. In planning or reviewing what safety equipment to use in your plant, look at potential physical risks to workers from machines, slipping and falling and falling debris at the same time as considering ergonomic hazards of the job ...

Think of the word “sustainable” and what springs to mind? For many, it means being “green,” and accepting the need for more careful use of increasingly limited natural resources. More specifically, it is a word synonymous with energy renewal and efficiency programs, harnessing the power of the sun, water and wind. Let me offer another word to consider—“ collaboration.” Perhaps ...

As the number of SKUs continues to proliferate, many distribution centers are turning to alternative strategies to handle the massive explosion in volume. Many companies are expanding their supply chains through such methods as direct-store delivery, direct-store drop ship and drop ships by third-party logistics providers, says David A. Schwebel, MHI manager, Solutions & Product Groups. That way, companies don’t ...