Supply Chain Monthly

 

Because of you, the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2023. And because of you, we remain more energized than ever with a steadfast commitment to expanding the reach of our vision as we connect and educate the world’s supply chain professionals.
 
For 60 years, we have been connecting supply chain professionals with a community of peers and thought leaders to help them meet society’s biggest challenges. Our organization has been a living testament to the following principle: Go it alone, and you solve a problem for a day. Go together, and you solve a problem for a lifetime. Why else do the finest in professional sports have multiple coaches? Collaboration is at the epicenter of solving critical problems, improving supply chain leadership skills, and supporting the life cycle of your supply chain career development.

CSCMP's Director of Engagement, Education, and Talent Evolution, Cindy Mebruer, is a contributing author in the upcoming motivational book "G.R.I.T. Tenacity," part of the G.R.I.T. collection (Growth, Resilience, Intention, and Tenacity), set to be released on November 1, 2023.
 
Don't miss the chance to hear Cindy Mebruer's insights on CSCMP's exciting developments and the inspiring stories of more than 40 women who exemplify fearless courage, bold determination, and persistent self-motivation in their pursuit of personal success.

In an era where food products are distributed globally, the vital need to maintain food safety is increasingly complex. A collaborative effort involving all stakeholders in the supply chain—from growers to retailers—is crucial to ensure the integrity of the food supply. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plays a pivotal role in governing the movement, production, sale, and service of food products, with a primary focus on preventing and mitigating the occurrence of foodborne illnesses. Last November, the FDA introduced the Food Traceability Final Rule (Final Rule), an essential step in enhancing traceability for high-risk food categories historically implicated in outbreaks.
 
Read the CSCMP Hot Topics today written by CSCMP Strategic Partner Ryan Richard, vice president of community engagement at GS1 US to learn more about leveraging GS1 Standards and 2D Barcodes to Ensure Food Safety Compliance.

Congratulations to our recent SCPro™ Level One Certification recipients: 

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.

President of the Atlanta Roundtable
"When I started my career, I worked for a company that was a strong supporter of CSCMP. Education and interaction with industry peers provided me a much better understanding of the depth and breadth of opportunities within the supply chain industry, and enabled connections that would become lifelong friendships. Even now as someone with years of experience, I continue to learn about what is relevant within supply chain and glimpses into the future through roundtable discussions and EDGE. I continue to meet new people across the industry and learn from them, especially the next generation of supply chain professionals who bring a fresh and new perspective on the past, present, and future of our industry.
 
My advice to new CSCMP members is to be present. The most value comes from interacting with peers. In an industry that demands so much of our time and energy, it requires prioritizing and making the time. CSCMP is one of the single best investments you make in your personal and career development. It is your personal networks that you will rely upon when you're ready to transition to the next chapter on your career journey. CSCMP is the best opportunity to build your network and discover opportunities available to you in the supply chain industry. Start by regularly attending roundtable meetings. Find a mentor or veteran member who is willing to introduce you to their network. Become a board member at your local roundtable. Over time you will reap the benefits and discover the positive impact CSCMP will make on your life both personally through friendships and professionally as you build your personal brand.
 
I attended a CSCMP conference several years ago in Atlanta during a transitional time both personally and professionally. At the conference, I unexpectedly reconnected with someone who had become my friend in CSCMP, years before, while I was a brand-new young professional shortly after graduating college. This chance encounter opened a door that fulfilled my desire to create an employment opportunity which enabled me to continue working in the industry while being at home with my very young children. Although working from home is commonplace today, it was not that long ago that there were very few opportunities like this for young mothers in our industry. It was my attendance at that conference which opened that door and subsequently, opened several more doors, which led me to where I am today. I could not be more grateful for those opportunities."

"I joined CSCMP on September 30, 2022. At the time, so many things caught my eye around professional development (SCPro Certification), community involvement (mentorship programs), and networking (CSCMP EDGE) which today seems like just a portion everything that CSCMP offers. Having access to leading technologies, speakers, and connecting with the individuals that are leading the world's supply chains around the globe is truly amazing.
 
Put yourself out there and make the most of every opportunity afforded. Learning from your peers and exposing yourself to new technologies and trends through reports, conferences, and events are essential steps to your development throughout your career, regardless of where you are. While I'm still rather new to CSCMP, it's been rewarding to connect with other professionals and discuss best practices of often disparate, yet applicable, solutions to common business problems."

Vice President of Membership of Ukraine Roundtable
"I joined CSCMP in the spring of 2020 inspired by the idea of Vira Dobachevska to set up the Ukrainian roundtable of the worldwide respectful organization—CSCMP. At that time, I was working for CS Johnson company as a strategic sourcing manager. Having big international experience, I felt a big gap in connection between the local supply chain community and the international one and wanted to establish a bridge UKR-world in the supply chain. As a CSCMP member, I found infinite sources of information. I appreciate annual reports and research. It helps to complete the picture of global and local changes in the supply chain. Having comprehensive information, I can proactively build a risk response plan.
 
I enjoy staying connected with the global and local CSCMP community by having monthly meetings and actual challenging hot discussions. It benefits each member to find support and solutions in professional directions. Each connection is valuable and solves particular needs, but, I must admit the value of the mentorship program I participated in as a mentee and got a lot of useful reflection in the professional sphere. In the time of war in my country (Ukraine), we have received huge support through the CSCMP community: donations for humanitarian aid and logistic services, special conditions for Ukrainian members, and plenty of kind words and warm attention that supported those, who are working constantly in a condition of war. I do appreciate it."

A pioneer in the industry, U.S. Bank processes more than $46 billion in freight payments annually for corporate and federal government clients. Through a comprehensive online solution, organizations can streamline and automate their freight audit and payment processes and obtain the business intelligence needed to maintain a competitive supply chain.
 
U.S. Bank is a Corporate Member because they appreciate the broad industry perspective that CSCMP represents. "We’re just a piece of the puzzle and our membership enables a fuller picture of the end-to-end supply chain landscape." - Tiffany Anderson, vice president, freight payment product manager

October 24 - 25, 2023
A seat at the table, a voice in the room. Now more than ever, supply chain is on the agenda and business leaders have a chance to transform their organizations. Seize the opportunity to learn from the best.
 
At Supply Chain Europe 2023, you will be shoulder-to-shoulder with Europe’s top supply chain professionals. Thought leaders and business titans will convene in Brussels this October 24-25 to confront the year’s biggest challenges. Join this exclusive community and discover how you can be the leader to drive pivotal change in your business.

The Executive Supply Chain Leadership Academy is a unique, collaboration-based executive leadership program designed to build executive presence, leadership skills, and fluency with next-generation technologies. Built in partnership between the Council for Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and Chi Studios, the program places participants in small peer groups and surrounds them with a team of proven industry leaders, front-runners in innovation and technology, leading investors, and renowned thought leaders—as they work together to build an approach to specific challenges.

In September the Logistics Manager’s Index read in at 52.4, up (+1.2) from August’s reading of 51.2. This is the second consecutive month of expansion following three straight readings of contraction from May-July. While this is the fastest rate of expansion since February, a reading of 52.4 is still well below the all-time average of 62.9 and represents a very moderate level of expansion.

 

Inventory Levels:
Inventory metrics were a somewhat mixed bag in September. Inventory Levels declined (- 0.5) at a rate of 47.4, marking the fourth consecutive month that inventories have declined. There is some nuance to this, however, as large firms with over 1,000 employees actually saw inventories increase in September, while smaller firms saw them contract. Many firms struggled with having too much inventory over the last year and a half, and some smaller firms may be reticent to build them back up again for the fear that they would not be able to financially absorb another large overage.

 

Economic Impact:
Feelings of optimism continue around the U.S. economy as indicated by the University of Michigan’s consumer confidence measure reading it at 68.1 in September—up 16.2% from this time a year ago. When combined with the “Current Economic Conditions” reading of 71.42, it is clear that consumers are optimistic about the state of the economy. This optimism is partially due to the continued slowing of inflation. Personal consumption expenditures were up 0.4% in August due to energy and fuel prices. Core inflation rose by only 0.1% over the same period. Wall Street is not quite as confident, as the S&P fell more than 4% in September, making it the worst month for stock prices in 2023.

 

Warehousing and Transportation:
The largest contributor to September’s expansion is our three warehousing metrics. The rate of expansion has slowed for Warehousing Capacity (-3.4) while rates of expansion for Warehousing Utilization and Warehousing Prices (+3.1 and +7.9 respectively). We also observe Transportation Utilization moving from no change to expansion (+3.5) and a slight slowdown in the decline of Transportation Prices (+0.6).