In this episode, our guest is Dr. Yossi Sheffi, a professor of engineering systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics. Dr. Sheffi has written a new book called A Shot In the Arm: How Science, Engineering, and Supply Chains Converged to Vaccinate the World . He joins us to talk about the development of successful Covid-19 vaccines in record time — including the science behind them and the supply chains that enabled them. Co...
Oct 29, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 42
In this episode, our guest is Bryan Palma of Kinaxis. Retailers are in for an uncertain holiday season, as inventories are out of whack and demand is difficult to satisfy. What should retailers and consumers expect from this year's peak season? There are some new unicorns among supply chain startup companies. These are firms that have reached $1 billion in valuation. What makes them so attractive to investors? Maritime ports have all reported near-record levels of cargo passing through, and ther...
Oct 22, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 41
Our supply chains are broken. We face many obstacles that will be with us for the coming months, and possibly years. This month, our sister publication CSCMP’s Supply Chain Quarterly will launch “Top 10 Supply Chain Threats,” a new 11-episode podcast that looks at the top 10 threats currently facing supply chains. Links About CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly Subscribe to CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly Sign up for our FREE newsletters Advertise with CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly...
Oct 19, 2021•1 min
In this episode, our guest is Yatish Desai, a principal at KPMG Supply Chain and Operations. As the holiday season approaches, shippers and carriers both are preparing for a season of disruption building upon the current chaos within supply chains. Desai talks about how shippers can prepare for increased delays and how modeling and planning can smooth the rough parts of their supply chains. This week the Biden administration met with representatives from the Ports of LA and Long Beach to try to ...
Oct 15, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 40
In this episode, our guest is Steve Bell, an attorney for the law firm of Dorsey and Whitney LLC. Steve specializes in labor and employment practice and is here to discuss the ramifications of the Biden administration's new Covid-19 vaccination mandates for federal employees and companies with more the 100 workers. What are the requirements and when are they expected to go into effect? Will these mandates survive the many legal challenges they will face? Steve is here to give us his insights and...
Oct 08, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 39
In this episode, our guest is Doug Schrier, senior vice president of strategy at Transflo. While we know that automated trucks are coming someday, many may not be aware of the behind-the-scenes automation available today to keep the trucking industry moving forward. Artificial intelligence and machine learning help companies automate many of the industry's non-driving tasks. Consumers are all too aware of the shortages and supply chain problems we have all experienced and many are feeling like t...
Oct 01, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 38
In this episode, our guest is Ellen Voie, President, CEO, and Founder of Women in Trucking. She discusses how her organization works to attract women into the trucking industry. She shares what barriers remain and how the industry can help to overcome them to open their truck doors to more women drivers. As any shipper knows, tight capacity remains in the freight markets — and it looks like this situation will be with us for quite some time to come. What are some of the creative things carriers ...
Sep 24, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 37
In this episode, our guest is DC Velocity Publisher Gary Master. Supply chains everywhere are experiencing disruptions. It really is a mess out there. Gary talks about the current state of supply chains and identifies some of the trouble spots. He also discusses the CSCMP EDGE conference coming up this week in Atlanta which will provide professionals with a perfect opportunity to address many of these supply chain challenges. Labor continues to be tight right now with many job openings going unf...
Sep 17, 2021•20 min•Season 2Ep. 36
In this episode, our guest is Steve Denton, CEO of Ware2Go, a UPS company. All businesses have been affected by Covid-19 during the past year and a half, but merchants and retailers have experienced more ups and downs than many. One of the more challenging problems is the rising cost of transportation for their goods. With peak season approaching, how will merchants be able to deliver products in a timely manner while meeting other demands and challenging consumer expectations? The latest Logist...
Sep 10, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 35
In this episode, our guest is Brad Wright, CEO of Chunker. Many small to medium sized businesses feel that they are being squeezed out of available warehouse space by much larger players. Tight capacity in industrial space is to blame. What are the alternatives for these smaller distributors to find the warehouse space they need to move their businesses forward without huge financial risk or a long-term lease? Keeping on the real estate theme, a new report out shows that commercial real estate h...
Sep 03, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 34
In this episode, our guest is Dr. Emily Tucker, assistant professor at Clemson University's Department of Industrial Engineering. Most of the medicines we rely on every day come from just two key trading partners overseas. That has created shortages and vulnerabilities in our medical supply chains and has limited our abilities to assure that we have medicines when we need them. Dr. Tucker explains why we have this problem and what can be done to solve it. Ocean going vessels make up a significan...
Aug 27, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 33
In this episode, our guest is Scott Cornell, transportation lead and crime and theft specialist at Travelers. Cargo theft is on the rise compared to pre-pandemic levels. Cornell talks about where cargo is stolen and what types of products are most desirable to thieves. He also discusses ways that supply chain professionals can better safeguard their cargo. Because of strong consumer demand, U.S. ports have been setting records all year long. July was no different, as ports continued to see robus...
Aug 20, 2021•20 min•Season 2Ep. 32
In this episode, our guest is Kathy Fulton, executive director of ALAN, the American Logistics Aid Network. Hurricanes can leave in their wake many supply chain disruptions, even for those not in the direct path of the storm. We are about to enter the heart of hurricane season. Kathy shares how companies can prepare their supply chains for when hurricanes impact the movement of goods and services. And what can be done to help others recover when a hurricane hits them directly? The U.S. Senate th...
Aug 13, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 31
In this episode, we discuss the whether reshoring will take hold as one way of mitigating the many supply chain disruptions we have experienced this year. Our guest, Andrew Viteritti, commerce and regulation lead at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), shares research on the likelihood that U.S. companies will bring production back to North America. Is it a feasible solution? New economic news shows that logistics activity continues to be very strong, with solid projections moving forward. Fin...
Aug 06, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 30
In this episode, Darren Epps, senior director of advanced vehicle technology at Ryder, shares what it will take for freight companies to transition to electric fleets. It is more than just buying electric trucks. It involves decisions on infrastructure for charging them and determining which loads are best suited for currently available technologies. Many workers spent the last year working remotely and ordering many, many things online. Now they are returning to offices. But what will they do a...
Jul 30, 2021•20 min•Season 2Ep. 29
In this episode, Spencer Shute, a consultant with the supply chain and procurement consulting firm Proxima, discusses the recent executive order from President Biden designed to encourage more competition between American companies. The goal is to increase competition to better serve consumers, but what impact will these orders have on the supply chains that we currently know and how will it affect freight markets in particular? Merger and acquisitions continue throughout our industry, as invest...
Jul 23, 2021•17 min•Season 2Ep. 28
In this episode, Dr. Thomas Evans, chief robotics technology officer at Honeywell, discusses how automation can help small to medium-sized distributors compete with the big guys on the block. 5G cell technology is rolling out across the nation, but it will take a while for the infrastructure to be in fully in place to make an impact. How will it eventually affect the growth of devices using Internet of Things technology? During the pandemic, consumers stopped shopping in person and turned to onl...
Jul 16, 2021•20 min•Season 2Ep. 27
In this episode, Gary Master, president, COO, and group publisher at Agile Business Media, discusses the current state of supply chains. He explains that new challenges arise each day - almost like playing the arcade game Whac-A-Mole. Once one problem is addressed, another comes up to challenge supply chain managers. Product and component shortages, freight bottlenecks, labor issues, tight capacity, and growing complexities are just some of the major concerns we face each day in getting products...
Jul 09, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 26
In this episode, Mark Manduca, the newly appointed chief investment officer of GXO Logistics, discusses the new company and its role in the logistics industry. GXO is the result of a split in the logistics and warehousing segments of the large worldwide company, XPO Logistics. GXO has been created to assume the contract warehousing business. At its launch in a few weeks, it will become the second-largest firm of its kind in the world. Manduca shares about GXO's industry role and company vision a...
Jun 25, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 25
In this episode, Richard Sinkoff, the director of environmental programs and planning at the Port of Oakland, is our guest. He discusses a new initiative to have California fund $2.25 billion improvements in ports and infrastructure to create a zero-emissions distribution network. The network would aim for zero-emissions handling, including trucks that come into and out of the state's ports. It also would provide electric charging stations along heavily traveled freight corridors to reduce the c...
Jun 18, 2021•18 min•Season 2Ep. 24
In this episode, guest Dan Gilmore, chief marketing officer at warehouse software company Softeon, discusses how today's warehouse management software systems are being developed to handle the huge surge in robotics and other warehouse automation systems. Today's WMS and WES systems must monitor and direct many warehouse functions in real time to keep products flowing. They also must be easy to integrate with all of the technology placed into DCs today. Are these software systems up to the chall...
Jun 11, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 23
In this episode, guest Mark Stanton, general manager for PowerFleet for Supply Chain, discusses the upcoming hurricane season and how we can prepare our supply chains to better handle disruptions. We all know that hurricanes are likely to happen; we just don't know where or when they will occur. But, companies can prepare their supply chains now using technology tools and collaboration to monitor their assets and direct products and people away from areas of disruption. Amazon is changing its hi...
Jun 04, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 22
In this episode, guest Alex Wakefield, CEO of supply chain technology firm Longbow Advantage, discusses the need for better supply chain visibility. He suggests that improvements in visibility for warehouse operations can actually provide better insights into bottlenecks and challenges in the transportation of goods to and from facilities. The American Transportation Research Institute, better known as ATRI, has released a report on the most important issues facing the trucking sector. Labor, of...
May 28, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 21
In this episode, guest Mike Klage, solutions director at TOC Logistics International, shares what's happening out on the water. Ports continue to be overwhelmed with cargo and backlogs are becoming the new normal for ocean shipping. Some shippers are looking at alternative ports, such as those on the East Coast and and in the Gulf region, but will that solve their problems if capacity is scarce everywhere? We discuss the current state of ocean shipping and whether things might get back to pre-pa...
May 21, 2021•25 min•Season 2Ep. 20
In this episode, guest Jim Yarbrough, global intelligence program manager at BSI, shares the major supply chain risks from around the world. BSI recently released its Supply Chain Risks Insights 2021 report. It analyzes and assesses risks to countries and businesses globally. These include product theft, fraud, labor exploitation, and political and regulatory changes. He also shares how to make supply chains more resilient in light of these threats. As the world emerges from the Covid-19 pandemi...
May 14, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 19
In this episode, guest Paul Beavers, the chief technology officer at PCS Software, discusses why he thinks touchless transactions are here to stay. During the past year, as the Covid-19 pandemic raged, many companies turned to contactless electronic transactions as a way of promoting social distancing and reducing risks to drivers. It is just another adoption trend that the pandemic accelerated, and as with many of the changes we have undergone during the year, companies are seeing the advantage...
May 07, 2021•18 min•Season 2Ep. 18
In this episode, guest Matt Castle, vice president of air services at C.H. Robinson, discusses the tight air freight market. While passengers are starting to fly again on commercial planes, that extra belly space for cargo has not really alleviated the capacity constraints on the air freight market. Is there any improvement in sight, or is this what to expect for the rest of the year? Are there good alternatives to routing freight by air? Once again, our nation's infrastructure is being debated ...
Apr 30, 2021•20 min•Season 2Ep. 17
In this episode, guest Aaron Hageman, CEO of Delivery Drivers Inc. (DDI), discusses trends in last-mile logistics. The supply chain industry calls that final delivery to a person's home or business "the last mile" of the shipment chain. It is usually the most expensive part of logistics, as each package must be handled separately, in contrast to the aggregate handling of previous steps. Hageman discusses how drivers are found to make such deliveries and what is being done by shippers to assure t...
Apr 23, 2021•17 min•Season 2Ep. 16
In this episode, guest Brandon Coats, global product manager for robotics and vision at Material Handling Systems (MHS), discusses artificial intelligence. We have all heard of AI and its potential for improving our lives. Coats talks about some of the misconceptions about artificial intelligence and offers some practical applications where AI can improve distribution operations. We also look at this week's ProMatDX 2021. This virtual experience of North America's largest material handling show ...
Apr 16, 2021•25 min•Season 2Ep. 15
In this episode, guest Chris Jones, executive vice president at Decartes, discusses supply chain vulnerabilities. The Covid-19 pandemic changed everything in our lives, including the way goods are delivered to us. But the pandemic also exposed weak areas of our supply chains and revealed vulnerabilities for sourcing many critical goods, such as PPE, pharmaceuticals, batteries, and electronic components. How can we assure that suppliers address these vulnerabilities as we begin to recover? As bus...
Apr 09, 2021•24 min•Season 2Ep. 14
