Tag Archives: emerging technology

The 14th Annual MHI Innovation Awards recognized transformational technologies across four categories at MODEX 2026. BY GREG BAER, MHI, VP OF SALES OUT OF THE thousands of supply chain and material handling solutions on display at the Georgia World Congress Center during MODEX 2026, just four earned top honors through the MHI Innovation Awards. Selected from a competitive field of ...

Supply chains are becoming more automated and complex as artificial intelligence (AI) accelerates the pace of change, but pressing workforce challenges—including a massive skills gap, chronic labor shortages and high turnover among frontline workers—threaten to limit the benefits of innovation. AI may be exacerbating those challenges, but experts say it will also be the key to solving them. BY DAVID ...

BY MARY LOU JAY HYEJINKANG/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM AI, AUTOMATION AND RELATED technologies are changing the way that people work today and altering the approach that organizations are taking to determine their future workforce needs. “Traditional operational workforce planning is focused on filling headcount and managing short-term staffing needs, as well as on the ability to run the organization in the current environment,” ...

Fulfillment networks are steadily evolving in three noticeable ways. BY CHRIS LEWIS ISTOCK.COM/ARTEMISDIANA MAKE NO MISTAKE about it. When it comes to micro‑fulfillment and omnichannel strategies, a variety of shifts are occurring. In fact, many—if not most—of these shifts will continue well beyond 2026. Why? Simply put, companies are striving to meet their customers’ ever‑rising expectations. Yet, at the same ...

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 ...

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 JOANNA LEON, DIRECTOR, WAREHOUSE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH COUNCIL (WERC) MEMBERSHIP & CHAPTERS AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, MHI‑CICMHE AS SUPPLY CHAINS become more complex, technology‑driven and essential to global economies, the demand for a skilled and adaptable workforce continues to rise. Meeting this demand requires more than traditional hiring strategies; it requires intentional collaboration between industry and academia. The College Industry ...

BY SANDY SMITH IN AN INDUSTRY crowded with autonomous mobile robots (AMRs)—and even more crowded with unmet promises—Nick Saur, CEO co‑founder of MHI member USAMR, is blunt about what’s broken in the AMR market, and equally clear about what he intends to fix. “The idea of shelf‑to‑goods and shelf‑to‑person is not new,” he said. “The technology was proven by Amazon. ...

BY CHRISTIAN DOW, EVP OF INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP, MHI   WHILE REFLECTING ON her past experiences, Amanda Vernaglia, director of target development at MHI member Rehrig Pacific Company, has found that “systems integrators know their designs and systems very well.” On the other hand, end users “know their processes and workflows” much better. When it comes to systems integration as 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 ...