Supply chain executives want to invest in powerful new technologies and business innovations to improve their supply chains, but are hampered by a shortage of qualified talent and never-ending pressure to cut costs, according to a new study by MHI and Deloitte Consulting LLP titled "The 2014 MHI Annual Industry Report - Innovations That Drive Supply Chains."

As an indicator of the strength of the manufacturing and supply chain industries, attendees registered in record numbers for the MODEX 2014 expo held March 17-20 in Atlanta's Georgia World Congress Center.  The expo attracted 23,000 key decision-makers in virtually all manufacturing, logistics, distribution and supply chain industries. 

No doubt, hiring, training and retention of workers is the most important issue facing this industry.

More than 11 million people work in the supply chain, which is 8.6 percent of the nation’s workforce. However, a shortage of skilled workers remains.

Companies continue to focus their information-technology spending on automation within their own businesses rather than their extended supply networks, a misalignment between IT and business leaders that runs counter to industry goals of advancing supply chain visibility and agility.

MHI announced the winners of the 2014 MHI Innovation Awards during the keynote presentation at the MODEX 2014 expo. The MHI Innovation Award serves to educate and provide valuable insights on the latest manufacturing and supply chain innovative products and services.

The Automatic Guided Vehicle Systems (AGVS) Industry Group of MHI announces that 2013 posted record sales of $140 million for automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) and systems – a 39% increase over 2012.

Employee turnover is costly. Losing one link in the chain of your operation can be quantified not only in the time it takes to replace that person, but that in which it takes your new hire to get up to speed. It’s a bill that can run anywhere from 50 to 400 percent of that staffer’s salary, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. Yikes!

Sure, savvy business professionals always try to anticipate the future. But few come together with leading thinkers in the industry to anticipate the next decade.

In 2013, more than 100 industry leaders did just that, holding sessions to discuss current issues and envisioning the future. The result is The U.S. Roadmap for Material Handling & Logistics, a forward-looking vision of what the industry will look like in 2025.

A recent Inc. article names the Automatic Guided Vehicle Industry as a best industry of 2014 citing the Industry’s recent growth. This growth is a result of the manufacturing recovery in the U.S., more specifically the automotive industry recovery. The article also attributes the growth to automation becoming more common in distribution facilities and warehouses where firms struggle to hire workers and look to lower operating costs.

A significant shortage of skilled supply chain professionals is prompting industry to focus on effective and inventive ways to recruit and retain talent. A growing interest in sophisticated, agile supply chains has combined with an improving economy and the graying of skilled executive ranks, among other factors, to create what one expert calls a "perfect storm" of need for supply chain talent.

Through thirty-minute episodes, MOVE IT! explains the supply chain by describing the transportation and distribution systems that make commerce possible. The most recent episode is the third in the series and features a detailed look at Cardinal Health’s Midwest distribution center, a tour of the CenterPoint Intermodal Center, a visit to a Ryder contract packaging facility’s food operations, and Desigual’s retail distribution center in Barcelona, Spain.

The value of certifications is debated in almost all industries as organizations try to quantify the benefits of certification versus college education, sometimes basing the answers on entry level versus management positions. Certifications seem to be growing in importance as the need for ongoing education that reflect changes in a global, technology-based business environment grows and as new positions are created to handle emerging responsibilities.

Sometime in 2015, the young adults of the generation born between 1980 and 2000—the Millennials, or Generation Y—will displace Baby Boomers as the largest group in the workplace. 

As the eyes of the world turn to Russia and the Ukraine through a level of tension reminiscent of the Cold War era, the business world should pay extra close attention to the Crimean crisis especially in regard to impact on supply chains.

The MHI Young Professionals Network (YPN) recently presented a funny, interesting and honest discussion about the workplace generation gap. Jeff Havens gets rid of the standard four-generation workplace in favor of a simpler structure: old people and young people.