Today is the day to learn something new -- well, actually,  you can turn "something new" into "insane amounts of new" if you explore the expo floors, talk to the vendors and, when resting your feet, take in a couple of the hundreds of education sessions. In addition, today we have Andrew McAfee getting us all off on right foot with his 8:45-9:45 a.m. keynote about Harnessing Our Digital Future. So, make sure your walking shoes are on, you have a fresh pack of business cards, an old-fashioned or digital notebook and an open mind!

Also, be sure to check out the Expo Guide or the Conference Brochure so you can plan your day.   

Tuesday, April 10 • 8:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
HARNESSING OUR DIGITAL FUTURE

Andrew McAfee, Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Initiative on the Digital Economy and a Principal Research Scientist at the MIT Sloan School of Management

How will digital technologies such as robotics, machine learning, artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles impact business moving forward? In this fascinating keynote, Andrew McAfee demonstrates how technology is rewriting the business playbook, and how a great deal of standard business practice is now dangerously out of date. Best practices are changing rapidly in this time of astonishing technological progress. This fast-paced, lively, and content-rich talk explains why this is, and delivers smart guidance for the next generation of business leaders.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday • 7 a.m. - 11 a.m. Tour leading manufacturing and distribution centers in the Atlanta area. Tours will be conducted Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Departure from the Georgia World Congress Center will be at 7 a.m. with a return by 11 a.m.. Seating is limited on a first-come first-served basis. Tour cost is $50.

Tuesday, April 10, 2018 • 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. NEW Student Days Project Showcase and Networking Event Rooms B401 & B402 This event, in collaboration with the Georgia Logistics Summit, will showcase schools, their industry based programs and emerging workforce. Logistics and Supply Chain student exhibitors will be showcasing their projects allowing attendees a firsthand look at the learning experiences of the next generation workforce. This is a perfect time for students to network with future employers and other students committed to the industry.

This year at MODEX we’re introducing the MODEX Backyard. Basically, the concept is to bring some of the outside inside. It’s gonna be a backyard! It will be populated with entertainment like games, giveaways, music and more. There will also be real fake grass and food trucks! Outside inside, all day long. Plus you could win a $1,000 American Express gift card! Also, check out the options at the on-floor MODEX Bistro.

Get the answers to some frequently asked questions about MODEX 2018.

See where everything is located at the Georgia World Congress Center for MODEX 2018 and the Georgia Logistics Summit, being held April 9-12, 2018. Check out the Show Floor Map too!

EXPO HOURS: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
ON-FLOOR EDUCATION SEMINARS: Starting at 10:30 a.m.   

TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS SOLUTIONS THEATERS 
CONFERENCE SESSIONS, located in C Hall

10:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.:  How to Weigh Vehicles without Stopping: WIM Applications 
11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.:  Efficiency Through New Tech in Trailers
12:45 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.:  How to Reduce Small Parcel & LTL Transportation Costs in a Challenging Economy
1:45 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.:  Clean Technologies for Mobile Port Equipment
3:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.:  Logistics Technology Disruptions
3:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.:  Beyond Borders (Theater 2)

Sponsored by Georgia Logistics Summit. 

SMART CITY LOGISTICS & CONNECTED SUPPLY CHAIN SOLUTIONS THEATERS 
CONFERENCE SESSIONS, located in C Hall

10:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.:  Total CRM: Combining CRM Software with ERPs and Beyond 
11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.:  Creating the Connected Warehouse (Theater 2)
11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.:  The Final 50 Feet of the Urban Goods Delivery System: Reduce FFAs and Truck Dwell Time
12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.:  Last Mile Fulfillment’s Impact Upstream (Theater 2)
12:30 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.:  Smart Glasses and Augmented Reality: The Future of Humans in the Automated Supply Chain
1:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.:  Digital Supply Networks: Digital Disruption (Theater 2)
1:30 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.:  How IoT is Revolutionizing the Supply Chain and What That Means for You 
2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.:  Connected Freight: Ensuring Near Real-time Visibility of Freight in Transit (Theater 2)
2:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.:  IoT Panel Discussion 
3:00 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.:  Supply Chain Cyber Risks - Why Robust Acquisition Strategies Are a Must (Theater 2) 
3:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.:  Panel: IoT in the Manufacturing Process 
4:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.:  Visibility that Delivers: Leveraging Location Solutions to Advance Operational Effectiveness (Theater 2)

Wednesday, April 11 • 8:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
2018 MHI ANNUAL INDUSTRY REPORT KEYNOTE PANEL
George W. Prest, CEO, MHI
Scott Sopher, Principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP’s Supply Chain Practice

This is your opportunity to be the first to have access to this new report on the supply chain trends and technologies that are transforming supply chains. Scott Sopher, the principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP’s Supply Chain practice will join George W. Prest, CEO of MHI in presenting the findings and moderating a panel of manufacturing and supply chain leaders on the report’s findings. They will be joined by a panel of manufacturing and supply chain professionals to discuss the real-world significance of the report findings.

Wednesday, April 11 • 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
WHY DIRTY JOBS MATTER
Mike Rowe, Founder of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation

In this talk, Mike Rowe gives an illuminating account of the true nature of skilled labor, and why it’s being devalued by the media, advertising, and even the government. What lessons can we learn about teamwork, determination, efficiency and our definition of success? With conviction, humor and humanity, Mike Rowe reminds us of the enormous but forgotten benefits of hard, honest work and how it affects everything from our national identity to our infrastructure to the economy.

 

Wednesday, April 11 • 4:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
MHI INDUSTRY NIGHT CELEBRATION
with Jim Gaffigan, Comedian

Join us for a live show with music, food, drinks and entertainment by comedian Jim Gaffigan. Tickets are just $50 which will include beer, wine and heavy hors d’oeuvres. A portion of ticket sales will be donated to the Material Handling Education Foundation, Inc. (MHEFI).

Door Prize: Trip of a Lifetime!
The door prize for this event will be a luxury package vacation to a location of the winner’s choosing.
Value: $30,000. See official rules at MODEXShow.com/rules.
Visit MODEXshow.com/IndustryNight to learn more and purchase tickets.

 

The Q2 2018 issue of MHI Solutions focuses on the supply chain workforce, including finding, retaining and unleashing the talent that is out there. To tackle the growing challenge of securing the right talent to effectively implement new technologies, firms must collaborate with industry associations, universities and career and technical education programs to develop the next generation supply chain workforce. This workforce will look very different as supply chains increasingly require purple people—those with business acumen (blue) and technical (red) skills—to leverage digital technologies and take full advantage of the business opportunities they offer.

With 900 exhibitors, four keynotes, 100 educational sessions and nearly 30,000 attendees, MODEX is a big show, so start planning your time now. Here are 10 things you won’t want to miss at MODEX 2018.

This year at MODEX 2018, 900 exhibitors from industry, commerce and government will display their supply chain solutions and innovations on the 280,000-square-foot show floor. To help you get to know the MODEX exhibitors, we’ve given them one minute to connect with you! These one minute to connect videos range from serious to comical, each with their own personality and strategy to get you to visit their booth. The video with the most votes wins!

Connect with other MODEX attendees, and get the lastest show news, information and developments. Use the hashtag #MODEXShow when tweeting and follow @PoweredbyMHI for show information, photos and specials.

Innovation cannot stop. Ever. It is an integral part of the competitive, disruptive, relevant and technology-driven culture that should be part of every company. And, after listening to Juan Perez’s keynote speech, "Anticipating Tomorrow’s Support Chain Challenges — Today," during which he succinctly and precisely outlined and illustrated this point, the attendees had pages of proof – first-hand experiences shared by Perez. "We have to remain competitive and relevant," he stressed, even in how they innovate. If we didn’t change, we would have been out of business years ago, said Perez, who is the chief information and engineering officer at UPS. "We have had to change our approach to innovation."

The Honorable Governor Nathan Deal, governor of Georgia for the past eight years, welcomed attendees and exhibitors to MODEX 2018 and the Georgia Logistics Summit with a callout to everyone in the room: "That progress, in large part, is due to many of you!" The progress he referenced was an achievement proudly shared by Pat Wilson, commissioner at the Georgia Department of Economic Development, just prior to introducing Gov. Deal to the stage. "For the fifth year in a row, Georgia is the number 1 state to do business," according to a ranking by Site Selection.

Engaging and supporting veterans and the overall military community is an important goal of the Georgia Logistics Summit Executive Committee, which is one of the reasons a new initiative was launched this year for the Summit. The idea was to present the opportunity for veterans to participate in the Summit, particularly veterans looking to gain jobs in the end-to-end supply chain industry or are business owners here. To that end, the Georgia Logistics Summit (which is co-locating with MODEX 2018) had a special reduced registration rate for veterans and complimentary admission for around 100 veterans/current service members. It was called the "Veterans Initiative." Summit Executive Committee member Scott Luton, who headed up this initiative, gave a little insight into how this initiative got started, its goals and how it is a win-win for everyone involved.

"Overcoming Obstacles to Modernizing Supply Chain Technology" was the rather broad topic and title for a session held at the Smart City Logistics & Connected Supply Chain Solutions Theaters on Monday. But, the solutions offered during the session by Trevor Blumenau, CEO, Voodoo Robotics, were anything but broad or generic. His insights were specific, targeted and based on real-life scenarios, and brought a bit of levity to what can be a daunting task: modernizing your supply chain.

Jay Kim, Chief Strategy Officer, Upskill, and Alec Hicks,, Group Director Solutions Design, Ryder System Inc., bantered back and forth in a Q&A-styled session, "How Augmented Reality Can Optimize Supply Chain and the Seasonal Surge," at the Smart City Logistics & Connected Supply Chain Solutions Theater. The banter was not only informative, as the questions were related to real cases, but it enabled the sharing of some first-hand, enlightening experiences.

If seeing is believing, then there will be a lot of truth being shared during the course of MODEX. Each day, a video crew will be interviewing keynotes, talking to exhibitors, getting feedback from attendees and sharing their view of the action at MODEX.

The videos will be emailed out daily or you can access this link to catch up on what you missed or to see the latest clips.