MHI Blog — MODEX 2016 will feature several tours of Atlanta-area facilities. The Scanfil tour will provide an inside look at the electromechanical assembly of a number of products from the energy and automation, networking and medtech industries and showcase unique solutions for supply chain optimization, after sales and service and scalability.

The Wall Street Journal — The appetite for large warehouses is growing as retailers in North America adjust their distribution networks for online sales, a new report says. Building of new "big box" warehouse space, or facilities over 300,000 square-feet with 28-foot ceilings or higher, increased almost six times in four years to 61 million square-feet in 2015, according to Colliers International Group Inc. An additional 74 million square-feet are set to be complete in 2016.

USA Today — Spanning the length of four football fields and rising 20 stories, the giant container ship that tied up here is an awe-inspiring sight. The CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin - yes, the name seems as long as the ship - is one of a new breed. Container ships are growing ever larger, testing not only the limits of naval architecture but the infrastructure of the ports at which they would call.

PBS — Two weeks ago, a 32-container train from Wuyi, China arrived in Tehran, Iran. You might think the arrival of cargo by rail would be no big deal, but in this case you'd be wrong. This was the first journey of its kind between the two cities, and it shortened the typical ship-based travel time by 30 days. This new connection is among the first visible signs of a massive trade network that China is currently constructing across Eurasia. The Silk Route is being rebuilt.

Bloomberg Business — It's long been common practice for Americans to head north for bargains whenever the Canadian dollar falls meaningfully below the greenback. During the current slump, they're doing so from the comfort of their homes by shopping online from small-time Canadian merchants. The Canadian dollar -- the loonie -- has fallen about 18 percent against its U.S. counterpart over the past two years after flirting with parity several times in the last decade. At the same time, spending by U.S. shoppers using PayPal on Canadian websites jumped 20 percent in 2015 from the year before.

Supplychain247 — By project44 How project44 Works project44 is an Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) that uses cloud-based freight APIs to instantly connect shippers and 3PLs to capacity. Our solution integrates into the Transportation Management System (TMS) that you already use, replacing unreliable EDI connections with fast and accurate web service APIs.

Logistics Management — UPS said today that it has made additional expansions to its UPS Worldwide Express service, adding 23 additional countries and territories ,which it said will result in earlier guaranteed-delivery options for shippers that only previously had end-of-day guarantees. This service provides customers with guaranteed delivery on the next possible business day by 10:30 a.m., 12 noon, or 2 p.m., based on destination.

Industry Week — Yesterday, four senators rolled out a bipartisan bill that, if passed, would form an Internet of Things (IoT) working group at the Department of Commerce. The legislation, the Developing Innovation and Growing the Internet of Things (DIGIT) Act was introduced by Sens. Deb Fischer (R-NE), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Brian Schatz (D-HI). The bill would require Commerce to create a working group that would give Congress recommendations on how best to encourage IoT growth. 

Ebnonline — Everyone has data, but real success is about insights. It's important to understand how to effectively leverage data for measurable success. Everyone has data, but real success is about insights. It's important to understand how to effectively leverage data for measurable success. Simulation is a very powerful tool that is underused in the supply chain.

Supplychain247 — Offshoring, reshoring, nearshoring - manufacturing and supply chains around the world are undergoing some seismic locational shifts, many of which the conventional wisdom did not see coming, and for reasons that may surprise you.

Philly.com — They're the switch hitters of retail - players with a growing presence on the other side of the selling field. Online juggernaut Amazon.com opened its first brick-and-mortar store in November in Seattle. Around the same time, retail heavyweight Macy's announced it was shutting nearly 40 stores this year to beef up its online presence. Same with Sears, JC Penney, and the Gap - all closing stores.

Logistics Viewpoints — Negotiating truckload rates has always been a key element to transportation relationships and budgeting-and it always will be. But lately, I've seen what feels like a trend: corporate procurement leaders either assuming control of truckload negotiations or partnering with transportation teams to conduct negotiations. Procurement professionals may not have transportation operations experience, so they may not realize that employing certain strategies can produce far better results during negotiations. Here are some market and research insights that could help in these discussions at your company and bring more stability to trucking service and price, regardless of the economic and supply/demand cycle.

MHL News — Sometime this year, a fleet of new-generation AGVs will begin zipping through the lanes of the John Deere's Horicon, Wis., plant assembly line, hauling parts and materials across the plant in an efficient, automated buzz. On the face of it, there is nothing too exciting about this news. Automated Guided Vehicles are nothing new to the market; they have been scurrying around plants in one form or another for decades already.

Industryweek — Operating in today's global economy can wreak havoc with your supply chain. If you can identify the major risks and come up with mitigation strategies, you should be able to navigate your way through things successfully. Sounds good, but the problem is that with there being so many types of risk, how do you identify and plan for them all with your limited resources?

Supplychain247 — The infographic data is based on Digital Transformation Market Drivers survey taken by over 300 manufacturing professionals across multiple industries. 

Ebnonline — Slackening demand for Apple's iconic iPhone is putting pressure on electronics suppliers, while the shortfall in sales growth could also affect component prices. Slackening demand for Apple's iconic iPhone is putting pressure on electronics suppliers, while the shortfall in sales growth could also affect component prices.

Plastics Today — It's well known that the economic reach of manufacturing is very long, but new research by Chief Economist Dan Meckstroth of the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation Foundation shows that the manufacturing footprint is much larger than originally perceived. Using analysis of national input/output tables by Interindustry Forecasting (Inforum) at the University of Maryland, Meckstroth shows that two measures commonly used by the government to quantify manufacturing's overall footprint significantly underestimate the impact of the factory sector. The MAPI Foundation is the research affiliate of the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation.

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.

Logistics Viewpoints — Big Data has led to a discussion of predictive analytics in supply chain management.  I'm not sure we have a good understanding in the field of how predictive analytics differs from forecasting. Here is how I would differentiate the two.

Industryweek — With the rise of labor costs in China and elsewhere, American wages have become more competitive, making it possible for more companies to at least consider manufacturing their products in America. At Big Ass Fans, we go to great lengths to make our fans here, because we're patriotic, of course, but more so because we're control freaks, and having production nearby is the best way to control what gets shipped with our name on it.