Industry Trends

Outsourced logistics services have shifted into overdrive. Also known as third-party logistics, or 3PL, market research firm Armstrong & Associates tags it as a $161.2 billion industry in the U.S. alone. It is a behemoth of an industry. According to Armstrong, revenues were up in 2015, thanks to lower fuel prices compared to the previous year. A number of mergers ...

What does your supply chain need? Is it automation? A new process? A breakthrough technology to enhance efficiency? Find your “X” at ProMat, the manufacturing and supply chain industry’s largest trade event. At ProMat you’ll see the latest innovations from 850+ solution providers. You can also network with your peers and learn from industry thought leaders in keynotes and over ...

Today’s transportation landscape has been infused with technological innovations that are both disruptive and ripe with possibilities. Driverless vehicles, 3D printing, cyber security advances, artificial intelligence and other developments will impact this industry in yet-to-be-seen ways. Ask those in the trenches now, however, and the current “trends” that come to mind are the everyday challenges: dealing with regulations, fuel prices ...

It doesn’t take much to uncover the biggest issues facing the healthcare sector. It’s likely something covered in today’s news. Price pressures have trickled down throughout the sector—leaving no aspect of the vast system, which accounted for 17 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product in 2015, untouched. Skyrocketing costs and reductions in government reimbursements have created challenges throughout the ...

If the sharing economy came to supplier/vendor-customer relations, the speed of product development based on rapid information transfer would dramatically rise. The typical approach to research and discovery by those seeking a clear path towards a procurement decision is often built on existing relationships and less on spreading a wide net for thought leaders, and much less on collaboration opportunities. ...

Consumer electronics used to be limited to radio and TV, but in a few short decades, it has expanded to include computers, tablets, phones—and yes, that refrigerator. At the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, attendees were able to see refrigerators that used a built-in camera to take pictures of its contents, or provided the capability to order groceries via an ...

Connected. Intelligent. Scalable. Nimble. These are the words used to describe the anticipated outcome of the current transformation of traditionally linear supply chains in the third edition of MHI’s Annual Industry Report, “Accelerating change: How innovation is driving digital, always-on supply chains.” As evidenced by the title, the report examines the concept of the always-on supply chain, defined as: “An ...

For the fourth year, MHI honors the most innovative products and solutions in our industry. At MODEX 2016 exhibitors were invited to submit entries in three different categories: Best New Innovation, Best Innovation of an Existing Product and Best IT Innovation. We received 95 entries between the three categories—an increase from 84 entrants at MODEX 2014. It’s a clear demonstration ...

Collaboration has always been a pillar of MHI’s commitment to enhancing and improving the supply chain, material handling and logistics industries. Not just by creating opportunities for connections among our members, but also externally. For decades, we’ve built relationships with other industry associations, including (but not limited to): the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA), the Warehousing Education and Research ...

There is a sea change coming, one that will require retailers to respond. And when they do, they’ll no doubt be leaning heavily on companies throughout the supply chain to assist. “Right now, Baby Boomers are providing the large proportion of sales for retailers,” said Sue Yasav, vice president, research insights leader at Synchrony Financial. But it won’t stay that ...