Workforce

Executive Viewpoint BY JAMES CABOT, PRESIDENT AND CEO, SOUTHWORTH INTERNATIONAL GROUP, INC. WE ALL KNOW that we have reached a critical moment in the material handling space. Our industry is growing and evolving at a remarkable speed, creating tremendous opportunities and fresh challenges. The pandemic and the shift in consumer behavior that led to the dramatic rise of e‑commerce have ...

Augmenting Supply Chain Talent with Intelligent Tools   BY MARY LOU JAY   COMPANIES ADOPT AI to boost efficiency, but many fall short because they overlook a critical factor: people. “People put too much focus on the technology and forget to focus on the people training, the people upskilling, on changing the process as well as the organization and the ...

BY CHRISTY DULA, CHIEF EXPERIENCE AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MHI AS SUPPLY CHAINS face ongoing labor shortages and demand volatility, distribution centers and warehouses are rethinking how they schedule workforces. The traditional model of fixed, eight‑hour shifts across two or three blocks is giving way to more adaptive approaches. Flexible scheduling—supported by digital workforce platforms—is emerging as a way to ...

Where Are They Now? Catching up with an MHEFI Scholarship Recipient EMMA GRACE WOOLSEY, QUALITY ENGINEER, APPIAN CORP. Emma Grace Woolsey is getting a change of scenery later than originally planned, but in terms of launching her career, she’s right on schedule. In July, Woolsey began her role as a quality engineer at Appian Corp., a McLean, Virginia‑based software provider ...

Inside MHI Doug Marrelli Industry Group Manager 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 ...

WERC Matters Filling a new role, Capellán leads MHI’s workforce initiatives. BY MICHAEL MIKITKA, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF MHI’S KNOWLEDGE VALUE CENTER AND WERC As the material handling and supply chain industry continues to evolve rapidly, the pressure to build a skilled, diverse workforce has never been greater. Enter Pahola Capellán, MHI’s new Workforce Development Manager. She’s filling a new ...

Higher Education BY JOANNA LEON, MANAGING DIRECTOR, COLLEGE‑INDUSTRY COUNCIL ON MATERIAL HANDLING EDUCATION (CICMHE) The material handling and supply chain industries are evolving rapidly, driven by automation, data, sustainability and global challenges. Yet one of the most pressing concerns isn’t just technological—it’s human. A significant workforce gap threatens the industry’s growth, fueled by a lack of student exposure to the ...

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 ...

Feature BY CHRISTY DULA, CHIEF EXPERIENCE & DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MHI More than 19 million Americans—8% of all adults in the U.S.—bear a felony conviction on their permanent record. That includes nearly two million people currently incarcerated. With roughly 75% leaving state prisons convicted of a nonviolent crime (drug trafficking is the most common offense), employers who haven’t yet explored ...

WERC Matters   Which credentials are the right ones for your unique role in supply chain? WERC Advisory Council President Will Sparks has the answers. BY MICHAEL MIKITKA, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF MHI’S KNOWLEDGE VALUE CENTER AND WERC Have you ever seen a LinkedIn profile with a downright comical number of acronyms following the person’s name? Something like “John Doe, ...