Current Features

Industry Focus   BY TOM GRESHAM   The consumer electronics industry supply chain is highly complex, with a set of unique challenges that require particularly sophisticated solutions. Those companies that operate in the field have no choice but to prioritize innovation in order to keep up with a field that evolves at a blindingly rapid pace. “The consumer electronics supply ...

BY JASON SCHENKER, PRESIDENT OF PRESTIGE ECONOMICS,® CHAIRMAN OF THE FUTURIST INSTITUTE® The transition to a new presidential administration has brought with it a recalibration of federal priorities, including sustainability policies. While this administration has already laid the groundwork to relax sustainability and emissions timelines, the broader momentum for sustainability—driven by institutional investors, large public companies, rating agencies, international stakeholders ...

  BY CHRISTY DULA, CHIEF EXPERIENCE & DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MHI About a year ago, when a survey from Descartes asked supply chain leaders which diversified talent pools they were dipping into to address ongoing labor shortages, 34% said disabled persons. While companies may tie these efforts into their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) hiring initiatives, leaders may not realize that ...

With the theme “Leading with Vision,” WERC’s marquee event showcases guidance to help boost efficiency today and gain a clear vision for future success. BY KRISTI MONTGOMERY, VICE PRESIDENT OF INNOVATION AND RESEARCH, KENCO GROUP, AND WERC 2025 ANNUAL CONFERENCE CHAIR   Annually, the Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC), a division of MHI, presents the only event dedicated to ...

BY JOANNA LEON, MANAGING DIRECTOR, CICMHE Last year, the College‑Industry Council on Material Handling Education (CICMHE) was buzzing with activity aimed at strengthening the bond between academia and the material handling industry. A standout event was the Material Handling Teachers Institute (MHTI), held at North Carolina State University in Raleigh last July and led by Lauren David, PhD, North Carolina ...

  Get ready for four inspiring and eye‑catching days with the people, technologies and ideas that are shaping this industry’s future. With over 1,200 exhibits, 200+ educational seminars and four keynote talks, ProMat has all the equipment, systems and software you need to make your operations more resilient, transparent and sustainable. Nowhere else can you get hands‑on with innovative solutions ...

Feature BY MARY LOU JAY ISTOCK.COM/JAY YUNO No matter where or how you want to deploy AI in your company, there’s one element that is key to successful implementation: the quality of the data that you input into your AI models. “The path from AI’s potential to its inevitability for a company is paved with data. That’s an underlying capability ...

Feature Collaborative robots (cobots) and autonomous vehicles are increasingly finding a home in warehouses and distribution centers (DCs). The success of those deployments, however, is not assured. Industry experts shared six best practices that can help achieve an effective implementation. BY SARA PEARSON SPECTER ISTOCK.COM/ONURDONGEL Well entrenched in manufacturing processes, collaborative robots (cobots) and mobile autonomous vehicles (MAVs) have increasingly ...

Feature From charging forklift batteries and electric vehicles to running conveyors and keeping the lights on, modern, clean supply chains depend on an uninterrupted supply of power from America’s electrical grid. But demand for power and other factors are testing the grid’s reliability like never before, sending users scrambling for solutions to ensure access to the electricity they need to ...

Feature Boosting E‑Commerce Operations’ Sustainability and Efficiency BY CAROL MILLER, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, MHI PHOTO PROVIDED BY STAPLES Driven by continued growth in e‑commerce, U.S. parcel shipping volumes grew to 21.7 billion in 2023, according to Pitney Bowes’ most recent annual Parcel Shipping Index. The report, issued in April 2024, predicted continued growth reaching 28.3 billion by 2028. Its authors ...