By now, you should have a good feel for how the ProMatDX platform works, so now is the perfect time to take your adventure to the next level. If you haven't tried the Innovation Chats, the GRIP networking AI app, or the live video meetings, give them a whirl before it is too late! Don't overlook the Sponsor Showcases, either. There are over 350 of them and they take place during dedicated sponsor hours: noon-1 p.m. and 3-4 p.m.

The ProMatDX Challenge rewards the most engaged ProMatDX attendee for each day during ProMatDX. Today's prize is a $500 gift card to the attendee with the most engagement on the portal plus a $500 donation to Feeding America in their name. ProMatDX attendees are automatically entered when logging in. Winners acquire points based on their activities within ProMatDX.

Day 1 Winner: Al Batista from Gold Medal Bakery 

Day 2 Winner: Ronaldo Gruta from SPP Pumps

Day 3 Winner: Your Name Here?

During ProMatDX, participate in these conversations on buzzworthy topics with your fellow ProMatDX attendees. Topics include:

• Robotics & Automation
• AI/Machine Learning-Moderated
• Micro-fulfillment
• Supply Chain Resilience
• E-commerce Boom and Omni-channel Fulfillment

Thursday, April 15
11 a.m. – Noon (CDT)
If you’re a woman working in material handling and supply chain, we’re celebrating you for all of your hard work and contributions to such an important industry. To help support women working in our industry, MHI is powering a keynote, Women in Supply Chain: Delivering Proven Success Strategies, at ProMatDX on April 15. During this keynote, you’ll hear from a panel of women supply chain leaders who will share their career experiences and how they successfully implemented, measured and showcased operational success and sometimes challenged the status quo.
Moderator: 
Sheila Benny, President, Optricity Corporation
Panelists:
Megan Smith, CEO, Symbia Logistics
Erin Donnelly, Director Supply Chain Development, The Home Depot
Chaneta Sullivan, Esq, Director, Safety, Quality & Compliance, Chick-fil-A Supply

Each year, the results of the MHI Annual Industry Report contain some surprises, almost like the running of the Kentucky Derby, where the winner oftentimes is not the horse you expected. This year’s report, Innovation Driven Resilience follows true. While some of the results are typical and much like previous years, there are a few surprises.

 

View the full ProMatDX schedule of events including seminars, product demonstrations, roundtables and daily event recaps. You can add any event to your personal calendar as you plan out your week at ProMatDX. Here are a sampling of the education seminars going on tomorrow, April 15, but there are a lot more to choose from at promatshow.com. Pick your favorites and add them to your personal calendar!

 

Drive Smarter Operations with Mobile Robots at 9 a.m.; Data Replicas, Digital Twins, and Artificial Intelligence (Oh my!). How Technology Can Be Used to Turn Your Warehouse into a Competitive Advantage. at 9:30 a.m.; 5 Considerations in Designing Successful AMR Deployments at 1 p.m.; and Power the Future of the Digital Supply Chain at 1:30 p.m.

 

Discussions at the Tuesday keynote illustrated how companies across industries began to shift operations in early 2020, as signs pointed to changes in demand and consumer habits.

Fifteen months ago, the COVID-19 pandemic brought with it not just a severe global health crisis but unprecedented challenges to almost every supply chain. At the same time, it accelerated industrywide trends that were already underway. At ProMatDX, executives discussed some of the changes and challenges wrought by the pandemic and the lessons learned.

To highlight a variety of ways companies can incorporate mobile automation into their organizations, the chair and vice-chair of MHI’s Mobile Automation Group (MAG), Mark Longacre and Brian Keiger, respectively, shared eight game-changing automation applications during this educational session.

The concept of microfulfillment centers (MFCs) has been attracting interest among retailers, even prior to the pandemic-related shutdowns. Mario D’Cruz of Honeywell Intelligrated highlighted six industry trends that are driving adoption of MFCs. 

As autonomous mobile robots and human workers spend more and more time working side by side, safety has become front and center. New rules and new technology, such as real-time automation and sensors, reduce the possibility of workplace injuries in DCs and warehouses where robots are being used alongside people, Melonee Wise of Fetch Robotics said during an education session yesterday.

Systems integrators are providing adjustable modules and subsystems that can be fit together and be rearranged, said Michael Khodl of Dematic during an education session addressing trends in online order fulfillment. Using building blocks with pre-connected application programming interfaces (APIs) simplifies the process of plugging each node into other platforms like ERP or WMS software.

Retrofitting an existing distribution center can be tricky business. That’s because most companies want their DCs to remain operational while also making major changes to them. To make this complex operation more likely to succeed, Michael Roe of DMW&H outlined five critical steps that companies should undertake during any retrofit.

MHI is no stranger to using artificial intelligence to better tailor its content to your needs. In December 2019, MHI transitioned its weekly newsletter, Newswire, to AI. Each week, the articles contained in your MHI Newswire are selected by the AI program as ones that will be most valuable to you, based on your clicking and reading habits from previous weeks. The more articles you click, the more the program will be able to fine-tune its selections for you, giving you a truly customized reading experience. Want to see what AI has in store for you? Start your journey by signing up at the link below.

This issue of MHI Solutions focuses on the top technologies driving supply chain resilience, the steps to implement and what these technologies will mean for the future supply chain workforce. It also contains a tidy packet of information on ProMatDX and some of the opportunities available this week at promatshow.com. Some of the features include:

• Transparency: The ‘First Pillar’ of Sustainability

• Quantum Computing: The Future’s Coin Toss?

• By the Numbers: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Quick Response (QR) Codes

• Battery and Charging Innovations Support Productivity Improvements

 

Click "Learn More" below to see a summary from the Day 3 video recap.

Alex Dale of Dematic dives into micro-fulfillment—a trending topic in the material handling industry. Dematic’s micro-fulfillment solution deploys AS/RS technologies, along with existing software, directly into the customer’s existing operating model. By bringing products directly to the picker, this technology saves time by minimizing non-value adding movement. For customers who would like to manage orders within a single ecosystem, Dematic’s micro-fulfillment solution delivers an excellent end-user and customer experience.

Jim Liefer of Ambidextrous AI joins us to talk about how their solutions integrate seamlessly into a new workspace. With labor and training a concern for supply chains, many businesses are transitioning to use robotics to help maintain efficiency. Ambi Robotics uses a new simulation technology to train their robots, allowing them to get immediately to work once they are rolled out.

Supply chain solutions are more critical to business success than ever before. In this video, learn now to keep up with increasing customer demands and competitive pressures at ProMatDX.

This how-to video shows you how to navigate the ProMatDX platform and Grip Matchmaking tool to maximize and personalize your ProMat experience to power up your supply chain.