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CEO Update In 2016, the MHI Annual Industry Report introduced the term “always‑on” supply chain defined as “an integrated set of supply networks characterized by a continuous, high‑velocity flow of information and analytics, creating predictive, actionable decisions that better serve the customer.” Nearly a decade later, the promise of autonomous, always‑on supply chains is quickly becoming a reality as firms ...

Executive Viewpoint BY JOHN KRUMMELL, PRESIDENT AND CEO, ADVANCE STORAGE PRODUCTS As an engineer, I like order and consistency. If you have something that is ready for change, I know that I’m pretty good at being able to see a new and improved way through it. No surprise, then, that when the opportunity presented itself to update RMI’s “R‑Mark” certification ...

MHI Solutions Community BY CHRISTIAN DOW, EVP OF INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP, MHI Maybe your manufacturing plant or warehouse was an early adopter of automation, but that original material handling equipment is now showing signs of age. Or maybe your automated systems were built for the business‑to‑business selling model, before the shift to business‑to‑consumer e‑commerce. Or maybe robust order growth and SKU ...

Economic Market Analysis   BY JASON SCHENKER, PRESIDENT OF PRESTIGE ECONOMICS®, CHAIRMAN OF THE FUTURIST INSTITUTE® Material handling businesses entered 2025 with strong tailwinds. However, risks have risen significantly in recent months, and the entire industry is being swept into an economic storm driven by escalating tariff risks. While tariffs are usually inflationary, tariff risks are recessionary and deflationary, because ...

Safer Handling   BY TOM GRESHAM Among the most prominent ways that sophisticated technology has helped make warehouses safer for workers is the emergence of Automated Storage/Retrieval Systems (ASRS). An ASRS is a combination of equipment and controls that handle, store and retrieve materials under a defined degree of automation. Systems vary from relatively simple, manually controlled order‑picking machines operating ...

Solutions Spotlight   BY KATIE KUEHNER‑HEBERT For members of MHI’s Hoist Manufacturers Institute (HMI), emphasizing safe work practices involving the use of hoists is always top‑of‑mind. “From providing materials such as fact sheets and tip cards to OSHA and continuing to strengthen our relationship with this body, to examining dos and don’ts of hoist use at the user level, HMI ...

Product Spotlight   BY SANDY SMITH The loading dock is often overlooked, despite its key function between the trailer and the warehouse. MHI’s Loading Dock Equipment Manufacturers (LODEM) group is helping to improve the industry from within while making others aware of this important link in the overall material handling ecosystem. Helping others understand this role is vital with the ...

Where Are They Now? Catching up with an MHEFI Scholarship Recipient   STEPHEN FARLEY, SUPPLY CHAIN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, KIMBERLY‑CLARK Stephen Farley arrived at Penn State University in 2021 prepared to study finance and pursue a career in investment banking, following in the footsteps of his mother, an executive assistant at a leading Wall Street firm. But then, at the suggestion ...

Linda Lasure Gray Murray The people who work at MHI and its WERC division are the gears that keep the association moving. They ensure MHI continues to be a valuable association and resource for people involved in the industry and do so with wit, competence and a smile on their face. The goal of this column in MHI Solutions magazine ...

MHI reinforced its commitment to STEM education by pledging $25,000 to support five youth robotic teams in North Carolina. The donation follows the organization’s participation in the 2025 FIRST Robotics Competition North Carolina Mecklenburg County District Event, where several MHI employees served as judges and volunteers. This event celebrates STEM, innovation and teamwork, inspiring the next generation of engineers and ...