Our guest in this week's episode is Alex Saric, chief marketing officer at Ivalua. He is here to share about new research that has just come out that shows how better collaboration with suppliers can help to minimize supply disruptions, improve sustainability efforts, and promote innovation. He shares details on these findings and more. Gartner's annual list of the Global Supply Chain Top 25 is out. See who is tops the rankings and what other companies have highly respected supply chain operatio...
Jun 03, 2022•21 min•Season 3Ep. 21
Our guest in this week's episode is Jim Carlisle, the head of the technology and business solutions vertical and the automation fund at Thomas H. Lee Partners. T.H. Lee has recently acquired or been a major investor in some of the supply chain industry's biggest names, including AutoStore, Fortna, MHS, FourKites, and RightHand Robotics. He speaks to why supply chain companies are so attractive to the investment community. He describes the types of investments made into companies and what the inv...
May 27, 2022•19 min•Season 3Ep. 20
Our guest in this week's episode is Mike Bush, head of communications and brand for Next Trucking, a digital freight broker. As automation and robotics continues to impact supply chains, the question remains: Where we will find the technicians and robotic engineers the industry needs to keep the technology running today and advancing to new capabilities tomorrow? Bush talks about his company's involvement with high school robotics competitions and how it helps to encourage the next generation of...
May 20, 2022•19 min•Season 3Ep. 19
Our guest in this week's episode is Zac Rogers, assistant professor of supply chain management at Colorado State University. We are hearing conflicting reports of what is going on in freight markets. Some carriers are struggling with high fuel costs and fewer shipments while others are enjoying record profits. Are we about to enter a collapse of freight markets as some analysts are predicting? Rogers shares his insights for the road ahead. Empty containers continue to sit at docks and warehouses...
May 13, 2022•24 min•Season 3Ep. 18
Our guest in this week's episode is Nicole Glenn, founder and CEO of Candor Expedite. She is the recent recipient of the 8th Annual Distinguished Women in Logistics Recognition by The Women In Trucking Association (WIT), Truckstop.com , and Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA). She joins us to talk about the current state of the transportation sector and where she believes the industry should be steering in the future. The most recent Logistics Managers Index (LMI) report is out and i...
May 06, 2022•20 min•Season 3Ep. 17
This is the 100th episode of Logistics Matters. Our thanks to our guests, sponsors, and listeners for making this a successful podcast series. Our guest in this week's episode is Michael Mikitka, executive vice president of the MHI Knowledge Center and the Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC). He discusses the roles of both organizations in education and professional development. He also highlights the WERC annual conference being held next week in Louisville, a return to an in-pers...
Apr 29, 2022•20 min•Season 3Ep. 16
Our guest in this week's episode is Susan Boylan, senior research director in logistics and customer fulfillment at Gartner. Today is Earth Day, a day each year when we reflect on our planet and the impacts that we make on the environment. Transportation and supply chains are among the leading sources of greenhouse gasses. Is the industry making any progress on sustainability goals? What more needs to be done to reduce the environmental impact of our supply chains? Fuels costs continue to rise a...
Apr 22, 2022•24 min•Season 3Ep. 15
Our guest in this week's episode is Dawn Tiura, president and CEO of SIG (Sourcing Industry Group), a membership organization of companies involved in sourcing raw materials and finished goods. She discusses the impacts of China's Zero-Covid policy of locking down major cities to slow the spread of Covid. The latest example is Shanghai, China's most populous city. Unfortunately, the lockdowns are not really stopping Covid from spreading and they cause major disruptions to lives and supply chains...
Apr 15, 2022•20 min•Season 3Ep. 14
Our guest in this week's episode is Kathy Fulton, executive director of ALAN, the American Logistics Aid Network. Logistics companies are stepping up to make a difference in Ukraine. She talks about ALAN's role in trying to bring together those logistics companies that have resources available, such as transportation, to help relief efforts in Ukraine and neighboring nations where refugees have fled. As costs continue to rise, many businesses are being forced to cut programs, including their cli...
Apr 08, 2022•25 min•Season 3Ep. 13
Today we're repeating our March 18 episode on postal reform for those who might have missed it. We'll be back next week with a new episode. We'll talk about relief efforts for Ukraine and the many refugees that are crossing into Poland and other nations with Kathy Fulton of the American Logistics Aid Network. ------------------------------ Our guest in this week's episode is former Kansas congressman Kevin Yoder. He is the executive director of Keep US Posted, an organization that has been worki...
Apr 01, 2022•25 min
Our guest in this week's episode is Mary Murphy, senior director of managed logistics strategy for BlueGrace Logistics. She discusses the rise in fuel prices caused by supply chain issues, inflation, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. How will these rising prices affect supply chains and is there any end in sight? The food and beverage industry is especially susceptible to supply chain bottlenecks. Not only does it slow processes, but much food can spoil if delayed in transit. A new report loo...
Mar 25, 2022•18 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Our guest in this week's episode is former Kansas congressman Kevin Yoder. He is the executive director of Keep US Posted, an organization that has been working to keep the United States Postal Service fiscally sound and operating efficiently. Last week Congress passed postal reform legislation designed to set a path for the postal service for years to come. What are the major provisions of this legislation, and how will it change postal operations in the United States? The White House is workin...
Mar 18, 2022•25 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Our guest in this week's episode is Lindsey Trent, president of the Next Generation in Trucking Association, an organization that works to attract young people to the trucking profession. Truck drivers are hard to find and many more are needed to drive our nation's trucks, as well as the maintenance people who make sure vehicles keep running well. Trent discusses what this industry association is doing to make the profession attractive to young people just about to enter the workforce. Several t...
Mar 11, 2022•20 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Our guest in this week's episode is Koray Köse, senior director analyst at Gartner Supply Chain and Research Advisory. He shares the impact that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is having on supply chains. Those impacts include raw materials sourced from the region, rerouting transportation around the war zone, and impacts on the costs associated with fuel. How long will these impacts continue to affect the world's supply networks? New efforts are underway to add additional capacity to the trucki...
Mar 04, 2022•22 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Our guest in this week's episode is Josefina (Josie) Blanco, legal and compliance lead with Nuvocargo. She discusses current cross-border trade issues, including whether the recent protests against vaccine mandates at the Canadian border could spread to our Southern border with Mexico. She also shares her views on other compliance issues affecting trade and border crossings between the United States and Mexico. Retailers are taking environmental and sustainability issues very seriously. We discu...
Feb 25, 2022•20 min•Season 3Ep. 8
The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and DC Velocity' s sister publication, CSCMP’s Supply Chain Quarterly , bring you a new podcast filled with deep industry discussions. The editors of Supply Chain Quarterly talk to today’s top thought innovators, spanning topics across the entire supply chain. Supply Chain in the Fast Lane fast tracks topics you need to know from leaders you want to know. Links Learn more about CSCMP Join the CSCMP community CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarte...
Feb 23, 2022•1 min
Our guest in this week's episode is Kyle Rice, chief technology officer at SAP NS2. He is an expert on cyber security and is here to discuss ways to assure supply chain security. He shares how bad actors and opposing governments are using vulnerabilities in our technologies to further disrupt our supply chains beyond those delays directly attributed to the pandemic. He also offers some best practices for making certain that our supply chains are less vulnerable to attack. Containers continue to ...
Feb 18, 2022•22 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Our guest in this week's episode is Udo Lange, president and CEO of FedEx Logistics. Lange is a member of the White House Task Force on Supply Chain Disruptions. He shares about the work of the task force and what remains to be done to clear the bottlenecks and other disruptions that cause delays in supply chains. He also discusses what FedEx Logistics has been doing to cope with the worldwide supply chain congestion. Protesters against vaccine mandates in Canada have blocked key arteries for go...
Feb 11, 2022•25 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Our guest in this week's episode is Ron Greene, vice president of business development at Overhaul. Cargo theft is on the rise as more goods are being shipped than ever before, making them vulnerable to thieves. Most of our reports in the past have covered goods being stolen from warehouses and parked trucks, but now there has been a rise in cargo being stolen from idle train cars. What can be done to secure goods on the rails? New efforts are being made to help clear the bottlenecks at our nati...
Feb 04, 2022•21 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Our guest in this week's episode is Brian George, the vice president of sales at Petrageous Designs. His company designs and sells pet clothing and feeding products, such as dog and cat bowls and water dishes. As a small company, Petrageous Designs does not have the big clout that large shippers may have in getting products through supply chain bottlenecks. George discusses the current freight situation and the various strategies his company uses to relieve some of the stress. Chinese New Year s...
Jan 28, 2022•21 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Our guest in this week's episode is Jason Haith, branch manager for OEC Group Louisville. Import congestion continues, as ships are delayed and backed up at ports, waiting to unload their cargos. The situation could get even worse soon with the triple whammy of Chinese New Year, the Beijing Olympics, and more Omicron lockdowns all about to hit China at the same time. How do shippers prepare for what's on the horizon? 2021 was a difficult year for shippers relying on less-than-truckload (LTL) ser...
Jan 21, 2022•21 min
Our guest in this week's episode is Phil Koopman, an associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and an expert on autonomous vehicle technologies and safety. Koopman discusses the current state of autonomous technologies and how soon we might expect cars and trucks that can operate without a driver on our nation's roads. He shares the limitations of the technologies and the important challenges that remain to be solved to fully automate vehi...
Jan 14, 2022•27 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Our guest in this week's episode is Dan Johnston, co-founder and CEO of WorkStep, a hiring and retention solution for the supply chain industry. We have heard about driver shortages for years, but the pandemic and the overall high employment levels have made it even more difficult to find qualified truckers. Johnston shares what can be done to attract and retain drivers in a very tight labor market. Movement towards an electric vehicle future continues to roll forward. This week there were some ...
Jan 07, 2022•22 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Our guest in this week's episode is Nikki Baird, vice president of retail innovation at Aptos. 2021 was a bit better for retailers following a very rough 2020, led mostly by consumer spending and surges in e-commerce orders. Are brick-and-mortar stores planning to rebound in the coming year and what will be the main things that retailers should focus on in 2022? The Biden Administration released its plan to help the trucking industry deal with its logjams, tight capacities, and difficulties find...
Dec 24, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 49
Our guest in this week's episode is Melissa O'Keefe, group director, product and innovation e-commerce at Ryder. Companies are looking to move their distribution closer to their customers with the aim of shortening delivery times and meeting customer expectations. But moving into urban areas with limited available land can be tricky. That's where smaller Microfulfillment sites come into play. O'Keefe discusses the advantages of a Microfulfillment strategy and what Ryder is doing to reach custome...
Dec 17, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 48
Our guest in this week's episode is Glenn Richey, the chair of the Department of Supply Chain Management at Auburn University. He discusses the product shortages and supply chain delays that most of us have experienced. Richey shares why these problems are occurring, how long it all might last, and what can be done short term to alleviate supply chain pressures. The U.S. House of Representatives this week approved new legislation to further regulate maritime shipping as a way of dealing with sup...
Dec 10, 2021•24 min•Season 2Ep. 47
Our guest in this week's episode is Mike Nervick, founder and CEO of Sleek Technologies. The recent passage of the long-awaited infrastructure bill could impact transportation and the movement of goods for decades to come. Nervick discusses the importance of the bill and how it will affect shippers and carriers. There has been a lot of coverage in the news about supply chain bottlenecks and how they could affect the holiday shopping season. Consumers have been shopping early to avoid being disap...
Dec 03, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 46
Our guest in this week's episode is Dr. Cristiano Façanaha, global director at environmental advocacy group CALSTART. He is a transportation and environmental engineer and an expert at designing and evaluating sustainable transportation systems. The world just concluded the COP26 climate conference in Scotland. Out of that meeting came several international initiatives and commitments to reduce carbon emissions. A couple of these directly affect the trucking and transportation sectors. Our guest...
Nov 19, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 45
Our guest in this week's episode is Joe Ryan, director of intelligence and response at Overhaul Group. Cargo theft is on the rise, with some fairly significant losses during the past year as more freight moves than ever before. Beyond the loss of the cargo, there are ripple effects which amount to many times the costs of the actual products that are stolen. Ryan provides some insight as to how freight is stolen and what can be done to prevent it. The U.S. Postal Service released its latest finan...
Nov 12, 2021•24 min•Season 2Ep. 44
Our guest in this week's episode is Sarah Watt, a senior director analyst at consulting firm Gartner. With much of the attention this week focused on the COP26 climate summit in Scotland, we discuss how the supply chain industry can become more of the solution rather than the problem when it comes to climate change. Ms. Watt shares how companies can build sustainable futures that meet the goals set by the world leaders in Scotland. With so much attention on the supply chain bottlenecks we have w...
Nov 05, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 43
