MHI Blog — MHI is excited to power the largest ever MODEX Show April 4-7, 2016 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Join in the buzz about MODEX on social media, network with your peers, and learn more about the opportunities and resources available to you at MHI by following these 10 to-dos.

The Wall Street Journal — China is tightening its grip on cross-border e-commerce, imposing a new tax system on overseas purchases that form a growing business catering to Chinese consumers with an appetite for foreign goods. The changes, announced by the Finance Ministry last week, include raising the so-called parcel tax that is currently imposed on overseas retail products that e-commerce firms ship into China.

Bloomberg — The expansion of the Panama Canal, a $5.3 billion project almost two years behind schedule and plagued by cost overruns and contractor disputes, will open on June 26, Canal Authority Administrator Jorge Quijano said on Wednesday.



Contractors building the new locks, which will allow bigger ships to pass through the 102-year-old waterway, will complete works on May 31.

Ebnonline — If global expansion is on your horizon, there are the six key areas to focus on. No two countries are alike. If global expansion is on your horizon, there are the six key areas to focus on. Visibility into your organization's reverse logistics pipeline can present many added value opportunities that assist in improving your bottom line.

Modern Materials Handling — Capital expenditure plans for materials handling solutions are ebbing overall, but restrained spending on hardware is balanced by steady investment in IT solutions that tie equipment together. Investment in materials handling solutions in warehousing, manufacturing and distribution facilities has tapered for the first time in recent years, and sentiments suggest changing priorities in the near term.

MHI Blog — Although well understood within the industry, the general public has-by and large-failed to recognize the significance of supply chain jobs to business and to the overall economy. The story needs to be told that supply chains are led by a diverse group of professionals who utilize innovation, creativity and smart thinking to keep the economy moving.



Last quarter, MHI launched the #iWorkInTheSupplyChain awareness campaign to start telling that story. The goal of the campaign is to promote manufacturing and supply chain as an innovative and rewarding career choice-and to change the perception of jobs in the industry.

Supply Chain Management Review — Increased U.S. engagement with Cuba may boost trade and investment, but democratic political system reform remains unlikely, according to new analysis from Diego Moya-Ocampos, senior analyst at IHS Country Risk located in London.



Although Obama's visit to Cuba is unprecedented and hugely symbolic, of greater significance were the latest round of measures to ease the U.S. embargo he announced before departing for Havana.

Reuters — Japan's manufacturing activity contracted in March at the fastest pace in more than three years as new export orders shrank sharply, a business survey showed on Friday, adding to fears the world's third-largest economy is sliding back into recession.



The Markit/Nikkei Final Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) fell to 49.1 in March on a seasonally adjusted basis, unchanged from a preliminary reading and below the final 50.1 in February.

Bloomberg — After heading as far as Israel and China, unrestricted U.S. crude oil exports are set for another first since a 40-year ban on overseas sales was lifted three months ago: crossing the Panama Canal.



Trafigura Group Pte., the trading house, is shipping a cargo of West Texas Intermediate oil via the 50-mile (80-kilometer) waterway linking the Atlantic and the Pacific en route to a refinery on Nicaragua's western coast.

Modern Materials Handling — According to the latest market research study released by Technavio, the global material handling robotics market is expected to exceed $20 billion by 2019, growing at a CAGR of more than 8% during the forecast period. The report segments the global material handling robotics market by end-user and can be divided into five broad categories: automotive, chemical, industrial machinery, food and beverage, and electrical and electronics.

Supply Chain Management Review — One of the main issues facing supply chain managers is that low- cost, efficient supply chains are very attractive when things are going well, however, they make it very hard to predict major disruptions. And, because these supply chains are so reliant upon this method, they are often caught flatfooted by predictable trends.

The Guardian — The fourth industrial revolution is underway as 'thinking machines' transform the workplace - job losses may follow but many sectors will thrive says a panel of experts Britain is on the brink of a robotics revolution. Advances in technology are unleashing a new age where computers handle many tasks previously carried out by humans.

Ebnonline — As much as IoT is the buzzword of consumer electronics, it will quickly become a critical part of the electronics supply chain as companies use sensors to maximize efficiency of various business tasks and integrate that information into a strategic advantage.



In fact, by 2020, more than half of all new business processes and systems will incorporate some element of the Internet of Things (IoT), according to Gartner.

The Wall Street Journal — As Wal-Mart Stores Inc. prepares to expand its online grocery business, 27-year-old Peapod Inc. is working to shore up customer loyalty and improve fulfillment and operations with technology. That includes what is for Peapod an untried combination of warehouse management software, scanners, robotics and seven miles of conveyor belts.

Modern Materials Handling — Focused on gaining efficiencies, maximizing available space and keeping workers safe while they're up in the air, companies are integrating more rack, shelving and storage into their facilities.

The Washington Post — A drone, on its own, has delivered a package to a residential location in a small western Nevada town in what its maker says is the first fully autonomous, federally approved urban drone delivery in the United States.



Flirtey CEO Matt Sweeney announced Friday the six-rotor drone flew itself about one-half mile and lowered the package outside a vacant residence in Hawthorne, about 140 miles southeast of Reno.

Orlando Sentinel — The robots at Amazon's Central Florida facility get to work the minute a local customer puts in an order on the company's website.



The response time was part of the logistics that Amazon showed off in a rare tour inside its Ruskin "fulfillment center" Wednesday. Nearly 18 months after opening the 1 million-square-foot facility, the center employs 2,500 people year-round.

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.

Automation World — The recent Paris climate-change summit notwithstanding, fewer manufacturers seem to be talking publicly about their sustainability programs these days. Has the sustainability movement fizzled in manufacturing, or is sustainability just becoming a standard part of doing business?

Modern Distribution Management — The manufacturing sector, a traditional driver of overall productivity, has seen its pace of productivity growth slow over the last 15 years, according to a new report produced by the MAPI Foundation and sponsored by Rockwell Automation. Part of this is due to slowing productivity growth in the computer and electronic products industry, which has played an outsized role in driving manufacturing productivity growth in recent decades.