Industry Trends

During the March 25 keynote at ProMat 2015, MHI released the 2015 MHI Annual Industry Report: Supply chain innovation—Making the impossible possible. In this second report, MHI again partnered with Deloitte to conduct a survey of the decision makers responsible for one of the most critical components of business success today: the supply chain. Managers of traditional supply chains should ...

Since the dawn of time, we’ve all known that two halves make a whole. Yin and yang, peanut butter and jelly, Siskel and Ebert. It is all about synergy; igniting new ideas and partaking in unexpected debates that lead to revolutionary breakthroughs. The byproduct? Financial results. In today’s enterprise market, the two halves are the supply chain professional (or end-user) ...

Although automation and use of robots to improve efficiency, productivity and employee safety are the norm throughout the manufacturing industry, the warehouse and distribution industry has been slower to adopt automation technology. While the same benefits of automation apply, barriers such as cost justification, flexibility of systems and lack of awareness of emerging technologies are reasons for continued reliance on ...

Driverless vehicles, drones, 3-D printing and wearable technology certainly beckon for supply chains. But before moving on to the latest in whiz-bang gadgetry, a stabilizing question: Just how “optimized” are your network and inventories first? If you’re missing the connection, the recent 2015 MHI Annual Industry Report spoke of numerous emerging technologies expected to transform traditional supply chain models in ...

In the U.S. and international auto industry, the wheels are spinning. That cliché takes on multiple meanings in today’s automotive manufacturing sector. There are the new ideas that come from a technological revolution and infotainment that is common place in today’s vehicles. Then there’s the lack of traction that comes when pressure from regulators— pushing for more fuel efficiency and ...

Perhaps this article caught your eye because your supply chain strategy is not generating the results you expect and need, or perhaps it’s because you know that you need to completely transform your supply chain. Perhaps your supply chain routinely fails to deliver products on time and manage inventory and cost to the right levels. Maybe you realize that the ...

No doubt about it. The past year has been a huge one for the U.S. Roadmap for Material Handling & Logistics. Not only was it published and made available at www.mhlroadmap.org, but the Roadmap went on a tour of its own—coast to coast and internationally. Some of the cities it has visited include Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Charlotte, Trenton, Louisville ...

This year, MHI is kicking off two Solution Groups—Automation Alliance (AA) and Information Systems (IS)—as part of the association’s effort to tout more holistic solutions to end-users by positioning MHI and its member companies as authoritative resources on material handling and supply chain topics. “This represents an evolution of the market and the industry,” says Bill Leber, director, business development ...

These days, food and beverage is focused on fresh—and that’s not just in kitchens and restaurants. From farm to fork, the industry is under tremendous pressures that require new approaches. For a snapshot of the pressures on food and beverage, look to the category of non-alcoholic beverages, once dominated by a handful of carbonated beverage producers. These days, there are ...

In addition to 2015 marking the 70th anniversary of MHI, it is also the 30th anniversary of MHI-sponsored ProMat. At its core, ProMat provides attendees with access to the latest material handling, logistics equipment and technologies. But it has also evolved to become an internationally revered brand that represents the largest expo for manufacturing and supply chain professionals in North ...