Industry Trends

SUPPLY CHAINS HAVE never been more powerful—or more exposed. Over the past decade, digitization has transformed how goods move, how data flows and how decisions get made. Warehouses operate on interconnected sensor networks. Inventory systems communicate with suppliers in real time. Artificial intelligence (AI)‑driven platforms forecast demand, flag disruptions and optimize routes before a human ever looks at a dashboard. ...

BY KATIE KUEHNER‑HEBERT MEMBERS OF THE MHI Industry Group Advanced Energy Council (AEC) are actively promoting the safe adoption of advanced energy technologies in material handling, with a particular focus on motive power: lithium‑ion batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, chargers and the accessories that tie those systems together. The group brings together manufacturers, equipment OEMs and suppliers under one roof to ...

BY SANDY SMITH WITH THE RAPID changes in warehouse automation, The Robotics Group is a place where competitors work together to move the industry forward. The group’s leaders say that role is more important than ever as robotics adoption shifts from novelty to necessity. Chris Lingamfelter, co‑founder and managing partner of Robot Advisory Group and current TRG chair, has watched ...

The supply chain for the apparel and textile industry is vast and reaches across a wide spectrum of interested parties ...

When MHI and Ware‑housing Education and Research Council (WERC) member company Takt’s founders first walked into a warehouse in 2021 ...

BY TOM GRESHAM ISTOCK.COM/NVS NO INDUSTRY IS closer to the ultimate end‑user than the consumer goods industry. “They have a real finger on the pulse of what the consumer wants and needs and uses every day,” Tom Madrecki, vice president of supply chain and logistics for the Consumer Brands Association, said. The consumer goods industry encompasses all products bought by ...

The event was held April 13‑16 in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center MODEX, THE LARGEST event for manufacturing and supply chain professionals in 2026, concluded its most successful edition to date, breaking records for attendance, exhibition and global participation. The 2026 event, sponsored by MHI, welcomed 50,000 registered visitors from every U.S. state and 132 countries, alongside 1,057 ...

Member Stories: How Changing MHI Event Demographics Are Shaping Exhibitor Strategy BY CHRISTY DULA, CHIEF EXPERIENCE OFFICER AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MHI WALK THE AISLES at any recent ProMat and MODEX, and one thing is immediately clear: the audience is changing. Exhibitors are engaging with a more diverse mix of attendees than ever before—from first‑time visitors and early‑career professionals to ...

BY RICK FOX, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, FOX IV TECHNOLOGIES, AND MEMBER, MHI BOARD OF GOVERNORS   AT FIRST, I didn’t see the value of trade associations. Early in my career, a colleague invited me to join him at a trade association meeting. I was dubious, but he insisted that I would learn a great deal and quickly understand how a ...

Building high‑performing supply chains and achieving other key business objectives starts with a clear strategic vision, but even the most brilliant strategies often fail due to poor execution, stranding organizations short of their goals and leaving billions in unrealized value on the table. Experts see potential in leveraging artificial intelligence to overcome barriers to implementing strategy and close the strategy‑execution ...