Supply Chain Monthly

As regulators strive to decarbonize the maritime transportation sector, shippers need reliable emissions monitoring now more than ever. In this article, we'll delve into the evolving regulatory landscape and the pivotal role that effective Greenhouse Gas CO2 Monitoring plays in the transformation.
 
Thank you to CSCMP Corporate Member Ben Tracy, VP of Strategic Business Development at Vizion for sharing this Hot Topic!

From consumer devices to national security systems—the technology, operational capabilities, and sophisticated processes impact every supply chain ecosystem.
 
The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) unveiled a new, extensive research report during the EDGE Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition's Wednesday Mega Session in Kissimmee, Florida on October 4, 2023.
 
CSCMP President and CEO Mark Baxa emphasized the importance of the findings stating, “This report is critical to shaping the conversation supply chain professionals at all levels in their organizations need to have about this most critical component of all things digital. Anything digital, directly or indirectly touching your supply chain begins and ends with the semiconductor. How much must you know about the risks to delivery depends on your business, but you can’t escape these essential questions…What do I need to understand about the semiconductor global supply chain and further, what level of risk to my supply chain do I have if suppliers don’t understand their risks, as well?"

What do young professionals think about working in the supply chain field? Why are they attracted to the business? What are they looking for in a career?
 
In the fourth edition of CSCMP's Biannual Young Professionals in Supply Chain Report, authored by Korn Ferry and presented by Penske Logistics, the 2023 survey results provide insights on the motivations and perspectives of the next generation of supply chain leaders. Gain insights into how young supply chain professionals want to develop their careers, how they uncover supply chain jobs, and if they will relocate for the right opportunity.

MIT CTL and CSCMP's Annual Insights - Evolving Practices, Net-Zero Challenges, and the Call for Global Collaboration
 
The State of Supply Chain Sustainability 2023 report, published by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL), reveals that the pressure on firms to enhance supply chain sustainability continues to intensify in 2023.
 
“The value of this report to supply chain executives and practitioners alike cannot be overstated,” said Mark Baxa, President and CEO of CSCMP. “Worldwide, the findings and supporting commentary found in this report continue to demonstrate the criticality of the supply chain ‘doing the right things right’ for society.”

Congratulations to our recent SCPro™ Level One Certification recipient, Ahmed Tohmeh! 
 
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.

Cleveland Roundtable
"I joined CSCMP in July 2022 to broaden my supply chain & logistics education and network with peers and prospects across the industry, both regionally and nationally. Joining your local roundtable will help establish local connections, and attending the national Edge conference will provide excellent education and even more national associations. Beyond that, I am also still learning."

Education Chair for the Benelux Roundtable
"As a Supply Chain Professional, my interest is always and foremost in global supply chains. The first CSCMP conference I attended was the European Conference in 2019 in Barcelona, and after that I attended the EDGE conferences in Anaheim, Nashville and Orlando. Since 2019 I am a member of the BENELUX RT, and I am also closely connected to the RT Germany. As a member of the RT, it is my objective to connect people, and to show the value of a network like CSCMP. This year I am the Education Lead of the RT, and I want to attract more students to the BENELUX RT. I am working on a student challenge, in which Inchainge's immersive game-based learning solutions will play a role, focused on the important challenge that we are facing: the transformation to more circular and sustainable global supply chains.
 
For new CSCMP members, I would recommend attending the conferences, and the RT meetings. Meet new and interesting people that share similar challenges and learn and develop yourself. The most impactful connection I have made through my CSCMP membership are those business partners who have become friends throughout the years. Attending a conference for me is meeting new and old friends, and luckily it also enables me to create a positive outcome for my company Inchainge."

Using the strengths of their knowledgeable people, proven processes, and state-of-the-art technology, Prosponsive Logistics helps their customers work smarter, not harder. Prosponsive's premier suite of transportation and supply chain services allows its team to seamlessly deliver the products and goods that drive the North American economy. Whether you need Full Truckload, temperature-controlled, LTL, Flatbed, Expedited, Intermodal, or Drayage, the possibilities are endless with Prosponsive Logistics.
 
Every day they find new, innovative ways to match their customers with the services they need through the use of data-driven analytics to deliver smarter solutions. As one of North America’s Top 3PL providers, their employees put the Prosponsive® approach to work, as they strategically improve supply chains for small businesses and Fortune 500 companies alike.
 
Prosponsive Logistics is a Corporate Member because they believe CSCMP is a valuable forum for continued education, collaboration and communication with other industry thought leaders. The organization helps Prosponsive to stay in tune with industry developments and offers beneficial networking opportunities that drive the industry forward. They believe in and support CSCMP’s mission to promote discussions that lead to innovation around the future of the supply chain. You can learn more about Prosponsive Logistics here. 

Manifest is the largest global supply chain & logistics tech event in the world, bringing together Fortune 500 global supply chain executives, logistics service providers, cutting-edge startups, venture investors and technology leaders under one roof.

In October the Logistics Manager’s Index read in at 56.5, up (+4.1) from September’s reading of 52.4. This marks three consecutive months of expanding rates of growth, which come on the heels of three consecutive months of contraction. This is the fastest rate of expansion since January and only a point (1.0) off from last October’s expansion rate of 57.5. We had wondered whether last month’s shift from contraction to expansion was a one-time aberration or the start of a new trend. This second consecutive month of expansion provides some evidence for the latter.

 

Inventory Levels: The Inventory Level value for October is 53.4, showing a increase of 6.0 points from September's 47.4. This marks a significant shift in Inventory Levels, as they had been decreasing for five consecutive months. However, this value is still 12.1 points lower than last year and 8.4 points lower than two years ago. This change suggests that firms have largely depleted excess inventories from the past 18 months and are now returning to the expected expansion for this time of the year. The rebuilding of inventory is particularly noticeable in specific sections of the supply chain.

 

Economic Impact: While the U.S. economy is continuing to boom, weakness in the other economic engines of the global economy could cause some headwinds—particularly in sectors like agriculture that are heavily reliant on exports. That being said, the divide between the U.S. and Chinese spheres of economic influence is growing as the world’s two largest economies continue to disentangle from one another. Despite the increase in jobs in October, Transportation and Warehousing jobs were down 12,000 positions—perhaps suggesting somewhat muted spending on goods in Q4.
 
Warehousing and Transportation: Despite the slight move back towards expansion in inventories, two of our three warehousing metrics remain fairly consistent with September’s readings. Warehousing Capacity is down slightly (-0.3) to 57.0. Warehousing Prices are also down (-0.5) to 70.7—although it should be noted that any number above 70.0 is still a significant rate of growth. The biggest move we see is for Warehousing Utilization which is up (+6.0) to 66.9, which is its fastest rate of expansion since February when firms were still winding down their excess holiday inventories. At this point it seems likely that the warehousing market will avoid any type of recession that would be similar to what we saw in transportation markets.