MHI Blog — The outlook for U.S. economic growth in 2016 and 2017 softened in the second half of 2015, as forward-looking manufacturing and material handling data reflected a significant slowdown in activity. While U.S. manufacturing has weakened, the U.S. service sector has remained solid, which bodes well for growth through at least the middle of 2016.



At the same time that the outlook for the U.S. economy has softened in recent months, the outlook for the global economy has remained modestly positive in light of accommodative monetary policy stimulus being implemented in the Eurozone and China.

Modern Materials Handling — 12 countries expected to see industrial production growth in 2016, led by Poland at the high end and the United Kingdom at the low end with 1.5% growth. Domestic demand has emerged as the decisive driver of economic activity in Europe and prospects for growth in 2016 are on the horizon, according to a report from the MAPI Foundation, the research affiliate of the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation.

Ebnonline — Will logistical services be the company's next big move? Amazon has eyed and captured many markets. Although still in infancy, visual search technology promises to be a compelling tool for electronics manufacturers, distributors, and customers alike.

MHL News — What will be the top talent trends in the material handling and logistics industry for 2016? As the president of Direct Recruiters, Inc. (DRI) and devoting much of my time to material handling executive searches, I see a number of talent trends already taking shape and continuing over the next year and beyond, including new technology, another generation entering the workforce, the need for new skill sets, the demand for hybrid talent, and high industry growth. Here are the top eight trends to follow in the coming year.

BloombergBusiness — Product delivery-by-drone in urban areas may be possible within a few years if the U.S. government and the aviation industry agree to work cooperatively on the new technology, the chief of Google Inc.'s drone cargo project said Monday.

The swift adoption of a registration system for small unmanned aircraft, begun Dec. 21 to capture holiday gift buying, is a template for how different sectors of the aviation world can work together to speed approvals for deliveries, Dave Vos, head of Google X's Project Wing, said in Washington.

Logistics Viewpoints — These days, sourcing has become a common discipline in supply chain and transportation management. There is an organizational expectation that transportation modes will be sourced and cost will be taken out of the network with some regularity. However, meeting these expectations while maintaining service year-over-year has become more challenging. To get more out of the market, we need to change the approach, as it is no longer enough to simply conduct a "bid" for transportation capacity. Sourcing professionals have to continuously push the limits of data, technology and the decision-making process to find and deliver value.

The Maritime Executive — Following up on last fall's successful campaign to include a port performance statistics program in the U.S. federal long-term surface transportation bill, the National Retail Federation (NRF) now leads a coalition of more than 100 groups in sending specific recommendations to the Department of Transportation. 

USA Today — After making moves into trucking and air freight, Amazon appears to be turning its thoughts to the sea.

Supplychain247 — The upfront purchase and installation costs of an electronic logging device results in about a 7 to 10 percent loss in productivity, but once you get up to speed and learn what you can and cannot do, the productivity loss falls to about 3 to 4 percent.

MHL News — The need for employees with skills in warehouse and distribution operations is a common concern aired by employers in the supply chain field. Employment vacancies for both entry-level and management positions are expected to grow over the next 10 years. So how do employers find the up-and-coming supply chain talent necessary to fulfill current and future requirements?

Transport Times — As capacity tightens and government regulations make drivers' time even more valuable, carriers and shippers are embracing technology to choose the most profitable and efficient shipping lanes, set rates and reduce empty miles.

MHI’s new Career Forum  enables manufacturing and supply chain professionals to view current job postings of MHI member companies. Go to http://www.mhi.org/careers to find the perfect opportunity for you.

The Wall Street Journal — Digimarc Corp., a company that creates invisible digital identifiers for everything from driver's licenses and bank notes to movies, is teaming up with GS1, which pioneered use of the UPC bar code, to bring "digital watermarking" technology to product packaging.

Logistics Viewpoints — These days, sourcing has become a common discipline in supply chain and transportation management. There is an organizational expectation that transportation modes will be sourced and cost will be taken out of the network with some regularity. However, meeting these expectations while maintaining service year-over-year has become more challenging. To get more out of the market, we need to change the approach, as it is no longer enough to simply conduct a "bid" for transportation capacity. Sourcing professionals have to continuously push the limits of data, technology and the decision-making process to find and deliver value.