Tag Archives: material handling

BY THE NUMBERS LEADERS SEE SUPPLY CHAIN SUSTAINABILITY AS A GROWING PRIORITY Despite the economic shock and supply chain disruptions from the pandemic, most companies continued their efforts to become more sustainable last year, according to the 2021 State of Supply Chain Sustainability report. Researchers from the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics and the Council of Supply Chain Management ...

More materials suppliers than ever are disclosing the environmental impact of their operations and their efforts to offset them, according to the Consumer Data Platform (CDP). Despite pandemic-related disruptions, 8,000 suppliers disclosed their environmental data through CDP in 2020, an increase of 16%. Those suppliers are addressing requests for transparency from 154 major buyers that are members of the CDP ...

Feature Companies are realizing the benefits of environmentally friendly warehouses and DCs and are embarking on both new builds and renovations that are earning LEED accreditation. BY SANDY SMITH ISTOCK.COM/GWYCECH The idea of environmentally friendly warehouses took off a few years back. Big brands announced plans—and many of them have since come to fruition. The United States Green Building Council, ...

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 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 ...