Over 850 manufacturing and supply chain solution providers, 100+ conference sessions and keynotes on the Industrial Internet of Things, the Future of Supply Chain Jobs and Mike Rowe on Why Dirty Jobs Matter highlight the MODEX expo.

MHI is preparing the 2018 MHI Annual Industry Report focused on innovations that are driving supply chains. By taking this survey you will help develop leading insights on the impact of emerging innovation in supply chains and find out what companies can do to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving marketplace. 

Michael J. Casey, senior advisor for blockchain research at MIT’s Digital Currency Initiative, says that the value blockchain technology offers to supply chains will come once other technologies bring major disruption to global manufacturing and delivery networks. He also says that failure to properly strategize and to consider the widest range of design possibilities could eventually prove fatal for many firms.

The U.S. automotive industry has been written off before. But today, technology, consumer demands and outdated business models are driving significant shifts—to the point where tomorrow’s car manufacturers might not look anything like they do today.

The data from Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices, including sensors and artificial intelligence (AI), is being sent in real time along expanded communications networks, connecting enterprises to their manufacturing and distribution facilities, suppliers and transportation providers. This enables faster, real-time analytics for predictive decision making, and even allows certain decisions to be made by the equipment itself based on pre-set parameters and sophisticated programming.

The outlook for material handling remains positive, as long as the outlook for the U.S. economy remains positive. In a recent analysis, we found that nominal U.S. GDP is over 90 percent correlated with material handling. This shouldn’t be a surprise. After all, if material handling is the industry that makes the supply chain work, and the macroeconomy is growing, then the demand on the supply chain—and the demand for material handling equipment and technology—should rise.

The MHI and MHEDA sponsored Women in Industry Conference left me feeling like I was on top of the world, even on a Monday morning! Here are my key takeaways from this exceptional event.

The Material Handling Education Foundation, Inc. (MHEFI) announces a call for scholarship applications for the 2018/2019 term. The deadline for application is March 31, 2018.

The MHI Career and Technical Education (CTE) program recently released a new white paper addressing the skills gap in the supply chain workforce. The paper outlines initiatives that have been launched by companies and educators to implement internship and training programs from scratch to address talent shortages in supply chain. 

The safe use and application of a hoist will go a long way to reducing workplace injuries. All too often, hoist-related accidents could have been prevented by providing comprehensive training to the operators and through proper hoist inspection and maintenance. 

The Rack Manufacturers Institute, Inc. (RMI) has launched a rack safety awareness campaign. The campaign will utilize a blog and advertising campaign to increase awareness of overall industrial steel storage racking safety and to emphasize the importance of RMI rack standards and R-Mark Certification. 

Did you know MHI helps facilitate the development of material handling related standards? The use of standards in material handling helps everyone including users, designers, manufacturers, distributors, installers, etc. deliver consistency and quality products and procedures that make an all-around better and safer industry.

Industry 4.0—incorporating the Internet of Things (IoT) into intelligent industrial machines—is set to transform the fulfillment process, greatly boosting visibility, efficiency and accuracy of shipments, and in turn, customer satisfaction and everyone’s bottom line.

When crude oil prices began rising in 2006, natural gas was seen as a cost-effective fuel alternative for members of the supply chain. The subsequent drop in oil-based fuel prices slowed the purchase of transportation that relies on compressed natural gas, but the trend toward natural gas is expected to increase for a number of reasons.

In addition to developing curriculum, MHI’s Career & Technical Education (CTE) program provides both resources and support to—as well as facilitates connections between—industry and academia at all levels: including students and instructors from high schools, trade and technical schools, community colleges and correctional institutions.

The constant moving required of workers engaged in manual material handling (MMH) can cause injury. One particularly stressful movement is reaching out or forward from the body while lifting. To reduce potential injuries from reaching out and/or translating, use a turntable. 

At the 2017 MHI Annual Conference, Dave Mattson from Sandler Training wowed us with his talk on the importance of the sales process. Mattson says that the key to success in sales (even for an introvert) is in building relationships. In other words, it’s not the most extroverted that can sell best, it’s the ones who can win the client’s trust.