What a start! Who could’ve predicted that 2020 would bring unforecasted pivots, unimaginable challenges, a global impact on supply, demand, and people, with a simultaneous influx of new technologies?
 
2020 delivered another year of change, innovation, and growth for supply chains. The COVID-19 pandemic has lasted longer than anyone could have imagined, and throughout it, our supply chains, I believe, have shown resilience. Here in the U.S. there were shortages of many different products early on, as millions of Americans shifted to working and learning from home. Instead of consuming food and paper goods in schools and restaurants, they began shopping differently and fulfilling these needs from home. That huge shift in demand was met by our supply chains, exhibiting the resilience to get back in business and minimize disruption.
 
As we look ahead, the past nine months are undoubtedly shaping how organizations and professionals alike are planning for the year ahead. Savvy supply chain professionals are learning from the past to prepare for events in the future. 2020 certainly provided opportunities for learning and improvement, even for all of us that have been in supply chain for decades. We've never seen anything like this, but certainly we will learn from it. We will develop new partners, and we will move ahead with even more resilient, flexible and agile supply chains all around the world.
 
What are the lessons I take away from last year? First, all the professionals in supply chain management know they need to be ready for the unexpected, to prepare for scenarios that are unlikely, and to respond with agility and flexibility to ensure our customers are served. And yes, at the lowest possible total delivered cost, which is one of the main foundations of modern-day supply chain management. Together, as we start 2021, look at your supply chains and the magnificent people who lead and manage them. Review takeaways and lessons from the past year, explore the unique opportunities and ways of serving customers that were born out of necessity and determine if they can be employed and leveraged in the new year. The creativity that responded to the unpredictable may have resulted in a new way of doing business.
 
A new year allows for reflection. Take the good and start with optimism, remember that people are the most important aspect in any supply chain. Tools and technology will also be evolving and available, but leadership is difficult to replace. We have seen significant leadership throughout this pandemic. It is always the people that make it happen. Stay connected with your teams, industry peers, and the supply chain community. Tap into CSCMP, your professional association, for a network of peers that can support and inspire you through good times and bad. Invest the time to engage and make the most of opportunities like EDGE, CSCMP's annual conference, or local roundtable events. You will make contacts that will be there when you need them; you will be a friend, peer and business resource for others.
 
Stay connected with your professional association, CSCMP. We remain unwavering and dedicated in our mission to advance our discipline and your career. We wish you well.

The supply chain is essential to business; it must continue to function despite uncertainty, disruption, and tight budgets. Unfortunately, the freight market—worth roughly $800 billion annually to the U.S. economy—is still reliant on legacy systems and methods of operation.
 
In fact, an overwhelming 80% of carrier invoices contain some kind of discrepancy, according to American Shipper. And 15% to 20% percent of the freight invoice inaccuracies were overcharges by the carrier.
 
Thank you Cara McFarlane, Solution Marketing Manager at Hyland for contributing this CSCMP Hot Topic.

CSCMP Hot Topics are enjoyed across the supply chain industry. We've selected our 5 top reads of 2020 for your skimming pleasure. Take a look inside today!

The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and Supply Chain Quarterly have released the next annual salary survey for supply chain management professionals.

This collaborative survey focuses on collecting data to analyze the current state of salaries and overall compensation for professionals working in supply chain.

Survey questions will review data that includes:

Thank you in advance for participating.

Take your supply chain career to the next level and get SCPro™ Certified. SCPro™ Certification is a three-tiered program that assesses progressive knowledge and skills across integrated supply chain activities. This process validates an individual’s ability to strategically assess business challenges and effectively implement supply chain improvements through the analysis of real-world case studies and developing a comprehensive project plan to achieve results such as a positive ROI. 

CSCMP is happy to announce that Weber State University’s Department of Supply Chain & Management Information Systems has partnered with the CSCMP SCPro™ Level One Certification program. Weber State students not only have access to this one-of-a-kind certification but also at a special discounted rate. Weber State University’s SC & MIS programs foster leaders by developing a knowledge base on which to build future careers. Their programs equip students with the tools and specialized skills vital for success in the workforce.

 

If you are interested in pursuing an SCPro™ Certification or your university or college is interested in partnering with CSCMP, contact us at scpro@cscmp.org or Alison Hiller, Senior Education Coordinator, ahiller@cscmp.org.

"I joined CSCMP as a student in 2019 because of the abundant resources it provided me to enhance my education. I was able to take the things I learned in an academic setting and see how those principles applied in real-world professional settings. I was also able to learn from people who had careers in different aspects of supply chain by networking with other CSCMP members, which has helped me as I've chosen and begun my own career as a supply chain consultant. Now, I choose to stay engaged because of the timely, thoughtful insights into modern supply chains that CSCMP provides. Network. Do it early and do it often. Reach out to other CSCMP members, get involved in events, and make new friends. There are few organizations in supply chain with the strength of CSCMP's network. Members come from all walks of life and work in myriad industries. Find someone who sees things differently than you do or works in a field that's unfamiliar to you and get to know them. You'll not only make a new friend, but learn something new that may change the way you think about supply chain for the better."

"I've heard a lot about CSCMP and the networking and education opportunity it provides. Then I saw the opportunity to be a mentor via the mentorship program on Linkedin. Mentoring is a passion of mine and so I joined CSCMP to be a part of that with the hopes to help fellow Supply Chain professionals and students especially those emerging and just getting into the field. Though I am new to CSCMP, I can easily say network, network, and network. It’s so critical to build a strong network within supply chain, not just for knowledge sharing, but also to help each other in a tough and volatile job market."

Honor Foods, a Burris Logistics company that purchases food and beverages from manufacturers and sells exclusively to foodservice distributors, is preparing for a Monday, January 11 opening of a new warehouse. The $50M project in Philadelphia will enable Honor Foods to increase its business significantly and will create more than 100 new jobs through its first 10 years at the new location. Honor Foods just celebrated its 70th year in business.

Retailers have raced to keep up with the sudden drastic shift to online sales as physical stores closed down in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19. Artificial intelligence can help companies analyze how to make that move profitably.
 
BY GANESH RAMAKRISHNA
 
2020 HAS BEEN QUITE A YEAR FOR ALL OF humanity. We’ll likely be recounting stories about the pandemic in the same way that we talk about World War II, September 11, and other life-altering world events.

 

Presented by Softeon
Thursday, January 21 │ 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM CST

The era of the “smart warehouse” is here.
 
Advances in Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and especially newer Warehouse Execution Systems (WES) are breaking the existing distribution center mold and ushering in a new generation of intelligent DCs that will bring significantly improved levels of efficiency and performance.
 
Warehouse Execution Systems have been around in various forms for a number of years, but they are not yet well understood. WES has also most often been associated with heavily automated systems, and less so for more manual or hybrid DCs.
 
This webinar will demystify WMS, Warehouse Control Systems (WCS), and WES, focusing on the new capabilities advanced WMS+WES solutions bring to distribution in automated, non-automated, and mixed DC environments with “always on” processing.
 
Add in artificial intelligence and machine learning, and we are on a path to greatly improved resource management and product flow—or what we might call “Flow Distribution”—and the realization of the truly smart distribution center.

COVID-19 has introduced even greater complexity into the already difficult work of supply chain planning—and has changed supply chain from a practitioner-focused topic to everyday dinner table conversation. Companies around the world are urgently seeking ways to better plan around supply chain demand volatility and improve how they source materials and products from suppliers.

In this new setting, supply chain digitization seems to have taken on a sharper focus and more pragmatic purpose. To what degree has the pandemic reshaped digital supply chain planning roadmaps? What expectations do companies have for their planning transformations and what is hampering their efforts? In a post-COVID-19 economy, what challenges are top-of-mind for executives, and what technologies are they looking to to meet organizational goals?

Launching later this month, CSCMP and ToolsGroup are excited to announce the kick-off of a crucial new survey, “Supply Chain Planning Digital Transformation: Post-COVID Benchmark”, which will reveal supply chain leaders’ digital goals and strategy in a year when the stakes are higher than ever and the rewards of customer loyalty will go to the supply chain victors. Stay tuned for more information.

According to December's Logistics Managers Index Report®, the overall LMI index is 66.7, down from November’s reading of 70.8. This breaks a streak of three consecutive readings above 70.0. This is driven by a slight decline in every LMI metric in December 2020 and may indicate that logistics networks are taking a slight “exhale” after the escalated crunch observed in Q4. It should be noted that a reading of 66.7 is significantly higher than the index-average LMI score of 62.3. While the rate of growth has declined, there remain significant levels of growth, and tight capacity, across the broader logistics industry. With a record-breaking volume of returns inbound and the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines just beginning, it seems unlikely that this rate of growth will significantly slow down anytime soon. 

 

CSCMP designed the Supply Chain Exchange Exhibition to provide a platform for companies and organizations to meet and partner with the right solutions provider. Become an official EDGE 2021 Supply Chain Exchange Exhibitor today to position your brand as a global innovator and leader in the end-to-end supply chain. Showcasing your products at the Supply Chain Exchange will expose you to the decision-makers from the organizations you target like Amazon, Home Depot, Lowes, Walt Disney, Nike and many more, who attend EDGE, in Atlanta, Georgia, September 19-22!

 

Don’t miss out on showing off your products and services to the right folks. Sign up today before we sell out of premium exhibit space!

January 27, 2021 | 4pm PST / 6pm CST / 7pm EST
 
Join your fellow Young Professionals (age 21+) in a virtual happy hour! While 2020 was challenging, we’ve all gained valuable experience and it’s time to share it!
 
The virtual event will feature a mixologist and an ingredient list will be emailed to you after you register. The meeting will be hosted on the Remo platform featuring virtual “tables” with a variety of Supply Chain topics.
 
Come meet YP's outside your Roundtable, share your experience, learn from your peers, and enjoy the “social” atmosphere.
 
We look forward to seeing you there!