Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY AGiLE Business Media

Our guest on this week's episode is David Correll, a research scientist with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Transportation and Logistics. This coming Monday, April 22, we celebrate Earth Day. Begun in 1970, this is a worldwide event designed to recognize the importance of preserving our environment. Due to its basic role of moving goods worldwide, our supply chains are among the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases. While we can’t totally eliminate our environmental footprints, there are things we can do to lessen their impacts on the environment. Each year, the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals and the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics produce a State of Supply Chain Sustainability report. Correll is the project lead for this ambitious research. He shares about the progress being made for sustainability with in supply chains.
 
Members of the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) Women in Motion (WIM) group met with federal government leaders in Washington this week to advocate for policies that support women drivers and that will encourage recruitment and retention of more women in the industry. We look at the specific legislation they are promoting to improve the lives of women truckers.
 
Freight company Yellow Corp. went out of business last year. It was one of the largest trucking companies to declare bankruptcy in history. Yellow blames its demise on contract negotiations with the Teamsters, while the union says the company spent more than it could afford to acquire other companies and expand. Regardless, the bankruptcy court has been selling off the company's remaining assets. We look at those assets and what other trucking firms have been buying them in order to expand their own operations at bargain prices.
 
 
 
Supply Chain Xchange  also offers a podcast series called Supply Chain in the Fast Lane.  It is co-produced with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.  Go to your favorite podcast platform to subscribe and to listen to past and future episodes.


Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Transportation & LogisticsState of Supply Chain Sustainability Report (2023)Women truckers take their case to WashingtonEstes to open wave of new freight terminals acquired from bankrupt Yellow Corp.Get episode transcriptsVisit Supply Chain XchangeListen to CSCMP and Supply Chain Xchange's Supply Chain in the Fast Lane podcastSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.comPodcast is sponsored by: Travero Logistics
Other links
About DC VELOCITYSubscribe to DC VELOCITYSign up for our FREE newslettersAdvertise with DC VELOCITYTop 10 Supply Chain Management Podcasts

Our guest on this week's episode is  John Paxton, CEO of MHI. Supply chain professionals gathered just a few weeks ago in Atlanta for MODEX 2024. It is one of the most exciting stops on a professional’s calendar, as there were three large halls filled with the latest in supply chain technologies to explore. MHI is the industry trade group responsible for organizing and presenting MODEX. Paxton shares key takeaways from the show as well as discusses in detail some of the important findings from the MHI Annual Industry Report. Released during MODEX, this research gives a snapshot of the current state of the industry.
Transportation industry leaders have shifted their priorities in 2024, with cost concerns taking a back seat to climate issues that can cause major supply chain disruptions. This is according to the 2024 State of Transportation Report from transportation management technology provider Breakthrough. Respondents said extreme weather events—such as the months-long Panama Canal drought—are their number one transportation challenge this year. They also said such issues are pushing environmental sustainability initiatives to the top of their companies’ agendas.
The U.S. manufacturing sector has emerged from the pandemic on a strong growth trajectory, and continued growth is expected over the next 10 years. That’s according to a report from the National Association of Manufacturers and Deloitte, the consulting firm. The report says the sector is growing in response to three trends, as companies work to meet evolving customer demands, de-risk their supply chains, and leverage government incentives and policies 


Supply Chain Xchange  also offers a podcast series called Supply Chain in the Fast Lane.  It is co-produced with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.  Go to your favorite podcast platform to subscribe and to listen to past and future episodes.


Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:
MHIManufacturers could see job shortage as growth acceleratesGet episode transcriptsVisit Supply Chain XchangeListen to CSCMP and Supply Chain Xchange's Supply Chain in the Fast Lane podcastSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.comPodcast is sponsored by: Travero Logistics
Other links
About DC VELOCITYSubscribe to DC VELOCITYSign up for our FREE newslettersAdvertise with DC VELOCITYTop 10 Supply Chain Management Podcasts

Our guest on this week's episode is  Stephen Dyke, principal solution advisor at FourKites. It has been more than a week since the cargo ship Dalia struck and brought down Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. Supply chain managers are working hard to adjust to limited operations at the Port of Baltimore, and shippers are shifting cargo to other ports and road networks. Our guest shares the latest from Baltimore and the current impacts to supply chains. 
Economic activity in the logistics industry grew for the fourth straight month in March and marked a continued return to more “healthy and normal” growth levels. That’s according to the latest Logistics Managers’ Index (or LMI) report, which was released this week. 

Ever since ChatGPT came out a little more than a year ago, people have been playing around with these chatbots that are powered by generative artificial intelligence, better known as GenAI. But while these tools can definitely do some impressive things in terms of holding natural language text conversations with humans and instantly researching the internet to provide unique answers, how that can actually help us get our work done better and faster is a harder question to answer . We got a little more information this week with the news that KPMG is expanding its relationship with Google Cloud, with the goal to apply GenAI in practical ways in business.


Supply Chain Xchange  also offers a podcast series called Supply Chain in the Fast Lane.  It is co-produced with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.  Go to your favorite podcast platform to subscribe and to listen to past and future episodes.


Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:
FourKitesThe logistics economy expanded in MarchKPMG and Google Cloud expand efforts to roll out GenAIGet episode transcriptsVisit Supply Chain XchangeListen to CSCMP and Supply Chain Xchange's Supply Chain in the Fast Lane podcastSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.comPodcast is sponsored by: Travero Logistics
Other links
About DC VELOCITYSubscribe to DC VELOCITYSign up for our FREE newslettersAdvertise with DC VELOCITYTop 10 Supply Chain Management Podcasts

Our guest on this week's episode is  Crystal Parrott, chief operating officer at Plus One Robotics. Retailers have always had to deal with seasonal peak periods. However, those fluctuating volumes make it difficult on distribution operations. But now, there are technologies that make it easier to smooth out the peaks. Our guest shares how those technologies can bring huge benefits for retail distribution.
The major story we’ve been covering this week has been the collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore Harbor when it was struck by a container ship leaving Maryland on its way to Sri Lanka. Investigators and rescue workers are still trying to figure out how that tragedy happened, and it could take years to ultimately rebuild the bridge, which carried traffic on I-695. In the meantime, the closure of the Port of Baltimore has forced supply chains managers to adapt. We look at how ships and trucks are being rerouted to other ports and roads and what overall effects this disaster may add to supply chain disruptions and complexity.

We take a sneak peek at a story in the April issue of DC Velocity that looks at how drones are impacting middle-mile freight movement. There is a European company that is very close to making commercial delivery operations with larger drones a reality. Dronamics has developed a Cessna-sized aircraft called the Black Swan. It’s a middle-mile drone that can deliver 770 pounds of cargo up to about 1,500 miles. 


Supply Chain Xchange  also offers a podcast series called Supply Chain in the Fast Lane.  It is co-produced with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.  Go to your favorite podcast platform to subscribe and to listen to past and future episodes.


Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:
Plus One RoboticsBaltimore port closure could trigger freight rate hikes and delaysPort of Baltimore closure could clog nearby ports as freight is divertedCargo drones tackle the middle mileGet episode transcriptsVisit Supply Chain XchangeListen to CSCMP and Supply Chain Xchange's Supply Chain in the Fast Lane podcastSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.comPodcast is sponsored by: Aptean
Other links
About DC VELOCITYSubscribe to DC VELOCITYSign up for our FREE newslettersAdvertise with DC VELOCITYTop 10 Supply Chain Management Podcasts

Our guest on this week's episode is Anne-Marie Michel, a photographer based in London who has just completed a photographic book on female truckers. Women drivers make up a growing percentage of our nation’s truck operators. Michel captured the lives of these women and the special bond they share as "Sisters of the Road."
This week we heard that that warehouse construction boom that resulted from Covid supply chain delays and customer demand is finally cooling off. That comes from a report from Cushman & Wakefield, which found that construction starts in the industrial sector have slowed dramatically this year for two reasons:  tenant demand has waned and hurdles to new construction activity have grown. 

We all know that due to climate change we have to eventually wean off of fossil fuels to power the nation’s transportation fleets. But, a new report shows that there are lots of hurdles to jump and a huge cost to embracing our electrical future. We share the details and expected costs of the needed infrastructure that will be needed. It may require a more common-sense approach to electrification.


Supply Chain Xchange  also offers a podcast series called Supply Chain in the Fast Lane.  It is co-produced with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.  Go to your favorite podcast platform to subscribe and to listen to past and future episodes.


Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:
Sisters of the Road websiteUber FreightConstruction starts slow down dramatically for industrial real estateReport pegs cost of electrifying US commercial truck fleet at $1-trillionGet episode transcriptsVisit Supply Chain XchangeListen to CSCMP and Supply Chain Xchange's Supply Chain in the Fast Lane podcastSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.comPodcast is sponsored by: Aptean
Other links
About DC VELOCITYSubscribe to DC VELOCITYSign up for our FREE newslettersAdvertise with DC VELOCITYTop 10 Supply Chain Management Podcasts

Our guest on this week's episode is Breanna Herbert, senior product manager at Orbis Corp. One way that companies can meet their sustainability goals is to transform the way they package goods. That’s where reusable packaging can help to create greener supply chains. Our guest offers some insights and also shares about packaging products that are made from recycled materials gathered from shorelines of the world's oceans.
We have all seen  those Amazon or UPS trucks pull right up outside our driveways and watch a delivery driver carry a single box to our doorstep to make a delivery. But that type of delivery is not practical in urban areas where the trucks cannot easily navigate. Instead, they often use e-bikes in cities, but that can also present some problems. We discuss some ways that New York City is utilizing technology to make bike-based deliveries more practical.

Shippers are turning to logistics services providers more and more in the wake of the pandemic economy to get a better handle on costs and improve their supply chain operations. One company that is working with a 4PL is Core Health & Fitness, which makes commercial fitness equipment and related digital solutions. We talk about the benefits they have gained with this logistics partnership.


Supply Chain Xchange  also offers a podcast series called Supply Chain in the Fast Lane.  It is co-produced with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.  Go to your favorite podcast platform to subscribe and to listen to past and future episodes.


Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:
Orbis, Corp.NYC launches battery swapping plan for e-biles used in last mile deliveryLogistics service provider to the rescueGet episode transcriptsVisit Supply Chain XchangeListen to CSCMP and Supply Chain Xchange's Supply Chain in the Fast Lane podcastSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.comPodcast is sponsored by: Aptean
Other links
About DC VELOCITYSubscribe to DC VELOCITYSign up for our FREE newslettersAdvertise with DC VELOCITYTop 10 Supply Chain Management Podcasts