Anyone who attended ProMat 2017 experienced it. Technology is disrupting supply chains and transforming them into more digital, connected and intelligent models. And there is no end in site. 

Consumers are driving this trend as they demand more buying options and faster service from supply chains that are always-on. 

Firms that want compete and thrive in the future must adopt strategies to address the new technologies and customer demands that are transforming the manufacturing landscape, according to a new report from Grant Thornton titled "The Future of Growth and the Manufacturing Industry." 

MHI recently announced its speaker lineup for the 2017 MHI Annual Conference, October 1-4, 2017, in Boca Raton, FL. The Conference will focus on key themes identified by the recently released U.S. Roadmap for Material Handling & Logistics 2.0 and the MHI 2017 Annual Industry Report including:

–Industry 4.0

–Building the Future Supply Chain Workforce

–The Current and Future State of Distribution Center Technology

–Marketing in the Supply Chain Industry

In large warehouses, keeping track of inventory can be very time and labor intensive. Even methods like cycle counting require a significant time investment from multiple staff members. Drones have a wide variety of applications to increase efficiency in supply chains, including cycle counting. In this video, Jonathan Evans, Co-founder and CEO of Skyward explains that business applications for drones can improve your inventory management procedures.

Unilever topped the Supply Chain Top 25 ranking for the second consecutive year in 2017, followed by McDonald’s, Inditex, Cisco and H&M. Three key trends stand out this year for the supply chain leaders that are accelerating their capabilities, separating them further from the rest of the pack.

–Digitalization of Supply Chain

–Adaptive Organizations and Capabilities

–Developing and Fostering Healthy Ecosystems

Walmart recently submitted a patent application for a drone delivery system that would drop packages into secure boxes (lockers) that communicate with the drone.

For the first time, MODEX will have exhibits in both the B and C Hall of the Georgia World Congress Center. The MODEX show floor in the B Hall will be divided into solution-specific centers: Equipment and components for manufacturing/assembly logistics solutions, fulfillment and delivery solutions, and information technology (IT) solutions. A new Solution Center will be introduced at MODEX 2018 for smart city logistics and connected supply chain solutions. This Solution Center will be located in the C Hall adjacent to the collocated Transportation & Logistics Americas and Georgia Logistics Summit events.

The Material Handling Education Foundation, Inc. (MHEFI) is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2017/2018 scholarship awards. A total of $146,100 was issued for this academic term. 

This summer, we invite you to consider "The Power of Different." An important part of being a good leader is being able (and willing!) to think differently about the world around us. Here are five reasons why the 2017 Emerging Leaders Conference is a must make event!

The Loading Dock Equipment Manufacturer (LODEM) industry group of MHI has released a new publication titled "Precautionary Label Brochure for Dock Levelers."

A recent Congressional Research Service report titled "Job Creation in the Manufacturing Revival" hits some of the harder realities of our industry – that it no longer looks like it once did. The manufacturing sector was known for being "uniquely able to provide well-paid employment for workers who have not pursued education beyond high school," but some of those jobs seem to no longer be there. However, there will always be jobs in manufacturing – they will just look different. So how do we get ahead of this curve? We train our workforce to have the base skills they need.

MHI recently announced the speaker lineup for the 2017 MHI Executive Summit. The invitation only, senior level event, held October 1 in Boca Raton,  is exclusively for manufacturing and supply chain executive leadership.  

The Material Handling Education Foundation, Inc. (MHEFI) announces a call for nominations for three awards for 2018, the Norman L. Cahners Industry Award, the Reed-Apple Education Award and the MHEFI Exceptional Contribution Award.