Tag Archives: supply chain innovation

Higher Education A logistical challenge for retailers and a business opportunity for the material handling industry BY JENNIFER PAZOUR AND JOYJIT BHOWMICK, RESEARCHERS, RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE In 2020, about 40% of Americans tried an online grocery service, resulting in a year-over-year increase of 193%.1 While not all these customers kept shopping this way, many people did. Consequently, omnichannel services, such ...

Transforming Last Mile Delivery with Real-Time Visibility, Technology and Data Integration BY SARA PEARSON SPECTER In supply chain, perhaps no question is asked more often than “where’s my stuff?” From ocean freight aboard transport ships, ports and inbound logistics via rail or tractor trailer, to receiving at the warehouse or distribution center for crossdocking or put away into stored inventory, ...

After years in development, autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles continue to tantalize with their potential to keep supply chains moving in the distribution yard and on the highway. That alluring promise appears closer than ever to being fulfilled, but how humans will figure into the equation remains to be seen. BY DAVID H. COBURN When MHI member Phantom Auto began developing ...

Of about 807,000 MILES of track worldwide, about 233,000 MILES are electrified. The U.S. freight industry is an $80 BILLION INDUSTRY, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. Source: Association of American Railroads. 1% Percentage of U.S. railroad tracks that are currently used for electrified rail. 140,000 Miles of railroad track that are privately owned by railroads in the U.S., the ...

For Grocers and Other Online Retailers, Dark Stores Offer Pros and Cons BY NICK FORTUNA Are dark stores here to stay, or are they just a supply chain experiment spurred on by a singular event and destined to fizzle out? That’s a question grocery chains and other online retailers will grapple with over the next few years as they continue ...

The Role of OpenAI and ChatGPT in Fostering Creative Solutions BY MOHAMMAD MAYYAS, PH.D., STUDENT DAY ORGANIZER, MEMBER OF CICHME, PROFESSOR OF ROBOTICS ENGINEERING AT BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY OpenAI, established in December 2015 by a group including Elon Musk and Sam Altman, has become a key player in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Through a blend of sophisticated machine ...

Glimpse into the future of the supply chain by watching the next season of “Jobs of Tomorrow” (JOT). MHI has now made all 12 episodes of this docuseries available to stream for free on MHIview and Tubi. As part of MHI’s commitment to education, this series offers the perspectives of supply chain leaders and academics about the future of the ...

CEO Update The focus on technology in supply chains is undeniable. We are now a tech-forward industry that uses tech to make operations more efficient, transparent and sustainable than ever before. This tech adoption has put our industry at the center of innovation and productivity. But supply chains are run by people, and this human-centricity is the key to continued ...

Executive Viewpoint BY JASON MINGHINI, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS, KENCO GROUP Back before COVID, our company, Kenco Group, was making investments in robotics and automation. We had an AutoStore Robotics Shuttle system. We had LocusBots. But we were just slowly adopting the technology. With COVID, we learned what many others did: We had to accelerate its use. We had to ...

BY KATIE KUEHNER-HEBERT The members of MHI’s Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems industry group, or ASRS, can help warehouses and distribution centers become more efficient, improve safety and better manage their workforces. To meet the ever-increasing demands of consumers and businesses, warehouses and distribution centers must constantly evolve their operations to accomplish these endeavors, said Mark Hasler, business development manager at ...