This year, ProMatDX has one more thing that is different than previous years. Yes, there were LOTS of things different this year, but you've already figured out all of those after spending the last fours days exploring the ProMatDX platform at promatshow.com. What is different and still to come is Day 5.

 

This year, there are five days instead of the usual four!

 

Think of it as an extra bonus or a perk at the end of a long year (and what a long, crazy year it has been!). It is one more day to take advantage of all that ProMatDX has to offer—to power up your supply chain for years to come, to make new contacts, discover cutting-edge solutions, and learn the latest trends that are sure to give you a leg up on the competition. 
 
So, enjoy! Tomorrow will be here in a flash and we have a slighter shorter day: ProMatDX will wrap up its live portion on Friday at 3 p.m. CDT. 

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: Chuck Boyer from Precision Planting

Day 4 Winner: Your Name Here?

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 16, but there are a lot more to choose from at promatshow.com. Pick your favorites and add them to your personal calendar!

 

Virtual Reality (VR) and Gamification training in the logistics industry: Implementing it and what results to expect at 9 a.m.; Practical Uses of AI: New Approaches To Improving Warehouse Management With Data Science at 9:30 a.m.; Optimize Frontline Worker Digital Employee Experience with Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) at 1 p.m.

Being resilient is almost a given if you are a woman who has achieved success and a leadership position in the supply chain industry. So, who better to ask about achieving resiliency, especially when it comes to personal challenges, but also how they have applied those lessons to organizational resilience factors, as well? 

 

Top spending increases go to cloud computing, robotics, and inventory/network optimization tools, shows MHI and Deloitte study, the MHI Annual Industry Report: Innovation Driven Resilience.

Distribution facilities are beginning to experience what is known as the Fifth Industrial Revolution with the introduction of robotics and artificial intelligence. A key part of Industry 5.0 is robots, such as the autonomous mobile robots and picking arms found in many DCs. In particular, it’s about robots and smart machines working collaboratively with and empowering people.

Green energy and earth-friendly packaging were among the hot topics on day three, with education sessions delving into microgrids, smart electricity solutions, digital technologies, reusable packaging materials and sustainable solutions for polybagging, to name a few.

Fulfillment centers are faced-paced environments where knowing which materials are where can reduce errors in critical processes like outbound shipments. Sensor-based locating with radio-frequency identification (RFID) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies can error-proof and optimize these critical processes.

Rapid acceleration in e-commerce will have long-lasting effects on network, facility design and real estate strategies.

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:

• Industry Focus: Retail

• Preparing for the Future of Work in Supply Chain

• Turning Big Data into Actionable Insights

• WERC Matters: Progressing Toward Greater Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

Have you been joining our networking events? “The Grip networking platform, the Innovation Chats and the Roundtables following the keynote presentations have been a great way to bring that face-to-face energy to that ProMat digital experience this week,” said Randell Mauricio, our ProMatDX daily recap host. 

 

Click "Learn More" below to see a summary from the Day 4 video recap. 

Finding and keeping talented labor continues to be a struggle in the supply chain industry, especially when it comes to maintenance. With systems growing and becoming more technical, finding and retaining the necessary people to keep these systems running can be difficult. Nate Van Hekken from Dematic explains how their Life-Cycle Services can help. From simple parts replacement to providing KPI-based maintenance and operations team, their team of 800 is ready to tailor a solution to suit your needs.

Direct-to-consumer has grown exponentially over the past year with the COVID-19 pandemic driving the need. While large retailers may have a head start in the e-commerce space, all businesses have been pivoting to incorporate an online platform. Jim Barnes of enVista talks about these strategies, who can benefit from a direct-to-consumer approach and how the customer experience is key to success.

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.

During ProMatDX, participate in conversations on buzzworthy topics with your fellow ProMatDX attendees including: Robotics & Automation, AI/Machine Learning, Micro-fulfillment, Supply Chain Resilience, E-commerce Boom and Omni-channel Fulfillment.

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.