A number of studies document a growing trend of U.S. businesses bringing manufacturing operations back to the U.S.— often referred to as onshoring. In 2011, a report by The Boston Consultancy Group revealed that 24 percent of senior manufacturing executives were considering returning production to the U.S. and predicted that changes in China’s wage structure along with increased use of ...

The use of radio frequency identification (RFID) and global positioning system (GPS) technologies is mitigating the risks within supply chains by minimizing financial losses due to downtime, reducing the chance for non-compliance with government regulations on product safety as well as corporate governance, and even protecting the physical safety of workers. But the use of such technologies to provide an ...

Passing the buck” doesn’t work when it comes to an outsourced supply chain. Here, whatever happens—no matter how far down the line—problems, challenges or missteps will be seen as part and parcel of the company’s image. Disastrous weather affecting production? Lack of compliance with international law? A different understanding of quality controls? Labor issues? In today’s demanding, transparency-seeking marketplace, outsourcing ...

“How do you know you’re at a supply chain event? Because the women are walking straight into the restroom, but there’s a line for the men’s room.” – 25-plus year supply chain veteran Michelle Livingstone of Home Depot Admit it. You laughed because, well, it’s true. But the material handling, logistics and supply chain industry takes that observation very seriously. ...

Today’s pharmaceutical sector looks healthy on the surface. It’s growing and expanding into new markets. It’s taking advantage of increased understanding about diseases and treatments, and society increasingly relies on “better living through chemistry.” But this industry is prone to some side effects, too. And, at the risk of sounding like a pharmaceutical ad, these side effects could include impacts ...

A year ago, the MHI Board of Governors and the members of the Annual Conference Workgroup—the committee responsible for planning the event—unveiled a modified format for the MHI fall gathering. Historically known as MHI’s Annual Meeting, the consensus among MHI’s volunteer leadership was that the event could offer additional membership value. Most of the work conducted at the Annual Meeting, ...

The economic climate for the balance of 2015 and 2016 is likely to be characterized by solid U.S. economic growth, an improving global economy, modestly rising commodity prices and continued foreign exchange rate volatility. In the new Material Handling Equipment Manufacturing (MHEM) forecast models, strong equity markets, low interest rates and continued manufacturing expansion are supportive of new orders. However, ...

A professor walked into a faculty meeting at Bradley University eight years ago waiving a Wall Street Journal article in the air and saying, “We must do something about supply chain management.” The faculty agreed, but where to start? Supply chain management is a hot new field for universities, and we knew that we’d need to take an innovative approach ...

During the March 25 keynote at ProMat 2015, MHI released the 2015 MHI Annual Industry Report: Supply chain innovation—Making the impossible possible. In this second report, MHI again partnered with Deloitte to conduct a survey of the decision makers responsible for one of the most critical components of business success today: the supply chain. Managers of traditional supply chains should ...

A resource for reducing injuries associated with manual material handling (MMH) your company may have overlooked is your insurance carrier. Many insurance companies offer their policyholders no cost programs designed to analyze MMH tasks and develop solutions to minimize worker stress while saving money for their employers. Motion is Money® Motion is Money® from CNA begins when Brian Roberts, director, manufacturing ...