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CEO Update According to the 2024 MHI Annual Industry Report, the biggest supply chain trends include AI, robotics, automation, cybersecurity and sustainability. The common theme for all these trends is the growing need for transparent, data-driven supply chains. This is no easy task, and you can’t get there without a commitment to data integrity, an innovative workforce culture and supplier ...

Executive Viewpoint BY SCOTT SUMMERVILLE, PRESIDENT AND CEO, MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC AUTOMATION, INC. There was a time when I thought the business end of work was all that mattered, and personal relationships weren’t as important. It was immature and naïve, and I was young. It’s been a journey since then, and I’m fortunate that I’ve had the opportunity to do some ...

MHI Solutions Community BY CHRISTIAN DOW, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF MEMBERSHIP AND INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP, MHI Kenny Rogers surely wasn’t thinking about complex supply chains when he sang, “I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in,” but his song should resonate with supply chain executives who are harnessing the power of conditions-monitoring (CM) software. Like Rogers, managers ...

Economic Market Analysis BY JASON SCHENKER, PRESIDENT OF PRESTIGE ECONOMICS®, CHAIRMAN OF THE FUTURIST INSTITUTE® As we look to finish out 2024, the number of risks threatening the outlook are numerous. The geopolitical landscape is fraught with conflict risks from Cold War Two tensions and proxy conflicts. Domestically, the run-up to the 2024 presidential election has been divisive and frustrating ...

Safer Handling BY TOM GRESHAM The protective guarding industry has been busier than ever in recent years as those who operate warehouses and distribution centers demonstrate an increasingly sophisticated and determined commitment to safety. “I think we’ve seen a general increase in concern for safety,” said Kenneth Parrott, product manager for MHI member Impact Recovery and chair of the Protective ...

Solutions Spotlight BY KATIE KUEHNER-HEBERT The SLAM Industry Group, which focuses on the automation of scanning, labeling, applying and manifesting, has now started a new Pharmacy Fulfillment Committee to educate the pharmaceutical industry on how SLAM members can best handle the special requirements for handling prescription medications and other sensitive items. The SLAM group is composed of companies that integrate ...

Product Spotlight Using the combined strength of Crane Manufacturers Association of America Inc., the Hoist Manufacturers Institute and the Monorail Manufacturers Association, the Overhead Alliance helps promote three organizations at once. BY SANDY SMITH Just as cranes, monorails and hoists complement the work in a manufacturing or warehouse setting, the Crane Manufacturers Association of America Inc., the Hoist Manufacturers Institute, ...

Where Are They Now? Catching up with an MHEFI Scholarship Recipient PETER PRANATA, MANAGER, GLOBAL SUPPLY PLANNER, HARRY’S INC. While he was still in high school, Peter Pranata set his sights on manufacturing as a career field, which led to his pursuit of undergraduate and graduate degrees in industrial engineering at the University of Buffalo. “During my senior year, an ...

Debbie White Allison McNulty 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 ...

MODEX 2026 will be held April 13-16 at Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center. MODEX is the largest international supply chain expo, bringing together solution providers who demonstrate every angle of equipment, technology, systems and services for manufacturing, supply chain and transportation operations. In April 2026, over 1,100 exhibitors will showcase their solutions on the MODEX show floor totaling over 600,000 ...