Supply Chain Monthly

The larger and more complex supply chains become, the more vulnerable they are to disruptions. Pressures such as market volatility, tightening labor, inflation, weather events, and supply shortages have a cascading effect on the global movement of goods.

 

The good news is that, thanks to the proliferation of sensors, cameras, and digital tools, many of these conditions can be captured in data—a lot of data. Artificial intelligence (AI) gives us a means of understanding that data. This technology can be used to dynamically analyze complex data sets, helping companies predict demand, identify trade-offs, and optimize delivery routes. Together with subsets like machine learning (ML), which utilizes training data and feedback to progressively improve accuracy, AI allows firms to illuminate and even predict supply chain disruptions before they occur.

 

More than anything, AI can help supply chain managers make better, more informed decisions.

While many supply chain managers are aware of the potential of AI, a common stereotype is that AI will replace humans by fully automating data analysis and decision-making. That is not the case. While AI does rely on data analysis to deliver recommendations, often the full story of what is happening in the supply chain cannot be completely captured by the available data. Instead, recognition of many issues and their causes can come only from a human’s prior experience and intuition.

 

At the Institute for Experiential AI (EAI) at Northeastern University, we have found that human involvement is an important part of getting the most out of artificial intelligence. With a human involved at all stages of the AI “training” and ongoing feedback process, the technology does a better job of increasing efficiency, yielding more ethical outcomes, and providing insights that improve bottom-line performance—better than it would without human involvement. We call this human-centric approach to AI “experiential AI.”

Season three's episodes are resonating with our supply chain audience. So far in the series, Responding to the Labor Crisis, we've learned valuable insights from Mark Baxa, CSCMP president and CEO; Claudia Knowlton-Chike, a retired global supply chain executive with companies that included IBM, GE, Motorola, Facebook, and Google; Mike Regan, chief relationship officer at logistics services provider TranzAct; Charlie Saffro, president and founder of CS Recruiting; and Shekar Natarajan, chief supply chain officer at retailer American Eagle.

 

Our series-based podcast shares more content, SCM exposure, and pinpointed, deep industry discussions with top thought innovators from the end-to-end supply chain.

 

Supply Chain in the Fast Lane, developed and hosted by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and Supply Chain Quarterly (SCQ), fast tracks topics you need to know from leaders you want to know.

Catch up on the series and tune in for new episodes each Tuesday as we continue the discussion on Labor Recruitment and Retention, sponsored by SCOPE Recruiting and Vanderlande.

When it comes to helping ALAN there’s no such thing as “just a small” donation. Each tax-deductible dollar you give allows ALAN to help provide more than $70 worth of relief to individuals and communities at a time when they need it most─and to deliver dignity, comfort and hope.

Help ALAN continue the good work they do by becoming an ALAN corporate donor or member – or by making a one-time gift today. Click here to learn more about becoming an ALAN corporate donor.Or contact comms@alanaid.org for donation inquiries.

 

ALAN also just kicked off it's fall fundraiser. This year ALAN is offering a logoed jacket for every donation of $200 or more. Give a gift today at: https://www.alanaid.org/alan-rain-jackets/ with the password alanaid.

 

P.S. Did you know you can also give to ALAN through Amazon Smile? When you shop on Amazon Smile this season use this link to select American Logistics Aid Network as the charity you’d like to give to. 

This past September CSCMP's EDGE 2022 Supply Chain Conference & Expedition honored individuals and organizations who are leaving their mark on supply chain for the betterment of the discipline.

The 2022 Distinguished Service Award was presented to Masao Nishi, principal at consultancy M. Nishi Strategic Advisory (pictured right). Masao Nishi and Beth Ford, chief executive officer and former executive vice president, chief supply chain and operations officer, of Land O’ Lakes, were inducted into CSCMP’s Supply Chain Hall of Fame.

 

The 2022 Emerging Leader Award for outstanding supply chain professionals age 32 and under was awarded to Andrii Aleksyeyev, supply chain director of Milkalliance. Andrii helped establish the industry association’s roundtable in Ukraine.

 

The 2022 Gail Rutkowski Transportation Excellence Award was presented to Mexpress, which provides transportation services between the United States and Mexico that bypass border clearance at the Mexican border.

 

The 2022 Supply Chain Sustainability Award honored Microsoft for their mission to create Circular Centers to process decommissioned cloud servers and hardware, and intelligently sort and channel the components and equipment to optimize, reuse or repurpose. The goal of Circular Centers is to reuse 90%of cloud computing hardware assets by 2025. Today, the world produces more than 11 billion tons of waste each year, with e-waste being the fastest growing waste stream of which only 20% is recycled. Microsoft saw the world’s need to decouple growth from the use of natural resources and is now on a mission to be carbon negative, zero waste, and water positive by 2030. Circularity enables this mission by creating regenerative and restorative cycles for everything we produce.

 

CSCMP's 2022 Supply Chain Innovation Award (SCIA) went to Holcim for “Crisis as Innovation Catalyst” – presented by Darren Oosthuizen, Senior Manager Transport Optimization – Corporate Logistics, Siddharth Pandey, Head – Transport Analytics Center (TAC), and Alexander Scheld, Global Head of Logistics which shared how they used data-driven analytics to transform their transportation operations. By digitally transforming Holcim's Transport Analytics Center, they were able to better respond to the growing market uncertainty that took place during the pandemic, while also increasing road safety, improving efficiency, and reducing carbon emissions.

 
CSCMP's Academic Research Symposium honored Lina Wang of Pennsylvania State University, for her paper “Platform Design and Operations in the Last-Mile of the Supply Chain” with the annual Doctoral Dissertation Award. 

 

The Bernard J. La Londe Best Paper Award went to Stefan Kurpjuweit, Christoph G. Schmidt, Maximilian Klöckner, and Stephan M. Wagner, all from ETH Zurich, for their paper “Blockchain in Additive Manufacturing and its Impact on Supply Chains.”

 

The E. Grosvenor Plowman Award went to John Bell of University of Tennessee, David Dobrzykowski of University of Arkansas, Trang (Jenny) Hoang of University of Nebraska–Omaha, Nicolo Masorgo of University of Arkansas, and Morgan Swink of Texas Christian University for their research paper, “Time is Ticking: The Role of DC Operations and Transportation in Avoiding Late Orders in Online Retailing."

CSCMP Member and DSA Recipient Dale Rogers, ON Semiconductor Professor of Business in the Department of Supply Chain Management at ASU's W. P. Carey School of Business, was honored for his lifetime impact on supply chain management as an academic at CSCMP's 2022 Academic Research Symposium (ARS) in September. He’s the fifth to receive the Academic “Giant” Award. 

New York/New Jersey Roundtable
"I joined CSCMP in July 2020 to learn more about the supply chain field. My Advice: join a roundtable, be part of CSCMP's mentorship program, and volunteer with a committee...

The most valuable membership benefit was being a mentee as I was pivoting my career objective. The most impactful connection I've made through CSCMP was working on my EQ with my mentors."

 

"I joined in 2016 because our business requires us to keep abreast of supply chain innovation in logistics, operations, and systems.

The case studies and articles are valuable to me for learning and understanding where the supply chain technology and operations are headed in the future. As a supply chain professional in a company, it is imperative to avoid working in a vacuum of one's own knowledge, and I believe it is important for new members to engage and learn from other sources."

According to the October 2022 Logistics Manager’s Index Report^®, the overall index is 57.5. After one month back above 60.0 the overall LMI has dropped back into the 50’s in October. Along with the continuing softness in the transportation market, this decline is due to a dip in Inventory Levels, and a large decline in Warehousing Utilization (upstream) as goods are filtered Downstream towards retailers in anticipation, or perhaps just hope, of Q4 consumer spending. Casting shadows over any potential spending increase is the all-time high level of Transportation Capacity growth observed in October. It is possible that goods are simply already in place and did not need to be moved, but it is still highly unusual to see so much unused capacity in what is usually the busiest time of the year. 

 

Register by November 15, 2022.

CSCMP’s EDGE 2022 On-Demand Experience shares access to industry experts and influential supply chain leaders found at the annual EDGE conference—all from the comfort of your home!

The EDGE conference is essential for every supply chain management professional to connect to the latest in industry knowledge and developments while meeting today's innovators and trend-setters. 

 

 

Register now to experience EDGE On-Demand at home. Access to EDGE On-Demand expires February 2023.

Wed., Nov. 16 ︱ 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

 

The NY/NJ Roundtable presents Supply Chain Management Job Fair and Employment Symposium in partnership with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), Kean University, and Union County Vocational Technical Schools.

 

Join the symposium to:

To learn more, contact: SSBH@ucc.edu.