Tag Archives: material handling industry

Feature Utilizing the latest supply chain innovations to boost productivity, efficiency and throughput can also deliver a range of environmental benefits that enhance the bottom line while protecting the planet. BY CAROL MILLER, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, MHI As technology advances have taken supply chain management from art to science, organizations can now analyze, tweak, measure and optimize operational processes across ...

Feature With end consumers more aware of the environmental impact of online shopping and the tremendous amount of packaging waste it creates, manufacturers and suppliers are responding with a variety of design and material innovations. BY SARA PEARSON SPECTER PHOTO: STOROPACK Consumers who embraced the necessity of shopping online in 2020 due to the pandemic have continued to do so ...

Industry Focus Widespread Supply Chain Congestion Has Practitioners Looking at New Practices to Ease Delays BY TOM GRESHAM POTOWIZARD/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM Ships sit for days offshore as they wait for an open berth at their destination port. Terminals and warehouses are stacked with containers with no one to pick them up. Shippers get turned away for service by overwhelmed, understaffed carriers. The ...

BY DAVID COBURN ULY_P30/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM Container ship backlogs and other disruptions to port operations around the world can result in long and costly delays for logistics providers and their customers, but research on several fronts points to one promising technology that could help keep the supply chain moving. From Corpus Christi to Hamburg to Singapore, public- and private-sector initiatives are under ...

BY CHRISTIAN DOW, MHI EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF MEMBERSHIP AND INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP Organizational culture is increasingly recognized as a strategic and competitive advantage, both for operational performance and to attract the best talent. According to McKinsey & Company, culture “is the common set of behaviors and underlying mindsets and beliefs that shape how people work and interact.” It matters, note ...

Education BY MARIA LEGGETT, MHI DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION Recently, an executive for a global material handling company shared a story with me about his daughter. She had attended a week-long camp that culminated with an awards ceremony. Her prize for the week was the award of being the most resilient. Thrilled with the prize, she excitedly displayed it to her ...

Higher Education BY DR. MALINI NATARAJARATHINAM, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY & INDUSTRIAL DISTRIBUTION, TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY IURII MOTOV/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM The future of our work environment is going to be highly influenced by several technological advancements such as automation, artificial intelligence (AI), robots, big data and data analysis. These significant technological changes are referred to as “Industry 4.0” or the Fourth Industrial ...

MHI Solutions Community Software Subcommittee Will Help MHI Members Identify Software Solutions and Share Best Practices BY CHRISTIAN DOW, MHI EXECUTIVE VP OF MEMBERSHIP AND INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP In high school, they were sometimes called “software nerds” or “tech geeks,” but in the modern supply chain industry, software experts just might be the coolest kids in class. The digitization and automation ...

By Jason Schenker United States and global growth prospects have improved greatly since the start of the year. The rollout of COVID vaccinations has proven to be the logical antidote to the economic woes engendered by the pandemic. Yes, there are still some sectors that lag and some regions experiencing sluggish recoveries. But the labor market, the economy and the ...

By Jason Schenker Despite major challenges at the start of the year, 2021 is poised to build economic momentum in the months and quarters ahead. This is true for manufacturing and material handling, but service industries are also poised to gain ground and experience significant year-on-year growth in the months ahead as vaccinations reach scale domestically and abroad. On the ...