Blockchain, the technology that enabled the creation of bitcoins and shook up global financial systems, may one day be disrupting supply chain operations as well. Ginny Rommety, CEO and chairwoman of IBM, has predicted that blockchain has the potential to transform transactions in the way that the Internet transformed communications. That could include all transactions and movements along the supply chain.

 

During the recent ProMat 2017 event, MHI hosted a Keynote Panel on the findings of the 2017 MHI Annual Industry Report, titled "Next-Generation Supply Chains: Digital, On-Demand and Always-On." The video of this Keynote Panel is now available for viewing to provide an up-to-date perspective on emerging supply chain trends.

 

Heard the term "Smart City" yet? In researching the 2017 MHI Annual Industry Report, which was released on April 5 at ProMat 2017, Deloitte Consulting’s Patrick Salemme was surprised to discover that 50 percent of the more than 1,100 survey respondents (all manufacturing and supply chain professionals) were aware of the concept.

 

Along with 956 exhibitors featuring their material handling and supply chain solutions on the show floor, ProMat featured a supply chain conference that included keynotes and over 130 educational seminars outlining leading trends, best practices and state-of-the-art equipment and technology solutions. Webinars of these ProMat 2017 educational seminar sessions are now available for viewing online.

 

A new video on the U.S. Roadmap for Material Handling & Logistics has been released on MHI View. Unprecedented interconnectedness has changed the way we do business—and the pace is lightning fast with the exponential rate of change for technology.

 

Different sizes and promotional packaging. Changing ingredients to meet consumers’ preferences. While these trends have been changing what consumers see on the store shelves, another trend has been quietly transforming the supply chain.

 

Grocery delivery has been a well-known and widely utilized service in Europe for a while. Now, with the U.S. trending toward more dense urban centers and the rise of smart cities, grocery delivery as part of a IoT 4.0 network and shoppers purchasing from home has allowed for the rise of grocery delivery services in the U.S.

 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced a revised standard that may affect material handling companies and their customers. The standard, a revision to 49 CFR 1910.26, discusses walking-working surfaces, specifically dockboards.

 

Supply chain technicians and mechanics are estimated to number nearly 2.4 million in the U.S. By 2025, this number will grow by 11 percent. In addition to the new growth, companies are expected to replace about 22 percent of members of their current supply chain technician workforce—creating about 770,000 total technician-level job openings in the next 10 years.

 

3D printing is no longer a technology of the future. Companies are using it now to blur the boundaries between manufacturers and distributors. This technological revolution will change how supply chains deliver goods to consumers today and in the future. In this video, Alan Amling, vice president of corporate strategy at UPS, explains how partnering with other industries will help supply chains use this new technology to their advantage.

 

Walmart has recently filed a patent to use drones in stores to fetch product. The patent describes the vision of the drones being used as: "dispatching an airborne drone to an item located within a retail shopping facility, securing that item of inventory to the airborne drone, and then directing the airborne drone to carry the item of inventory to a delivery area located within the retail shopping area."

 

After receiving a record 153 submissions for this years’ awards, MHI announced the winners in three categories—Best New Innovation; Best Innovation of an Existing Product; and Best IT Innovation—at ProMat 2017.

 

No matter your age, life stage, bank account balance or career level, you can learn how to pivot strategically into your next opportunity. Career change doesn’t have to be a crisis, and plateaus don’t have to be a problem. Learn more at the May 18 MHI YPN webinar.

 

MHEDA and MHI/YPN invite you to consider "The Power of Different" this summer in downtown Chicago at the 2017 Emerging Leaders Conference.