MHI Blog —Data-driven and autonomous supply chains will provide an opportunity for "previously unimaginable levels of optimization" in manufacturing, logistics, warehousing and last mile delivery, according to DHL's 2016 Logistics Trend Radar.

Bloomberg — All major North American railroads pushed through rate increases earlier this year even as freight fell the most since 2009. Limited competition and favorable regulations provide pricing power -- the envy of truckers and maritime shippers -- that's helped them reverse a share slide despite tumbling oil, coal and intermodal shipments.

Ebnonline — We used to dream about robots, write novels about robots, and make movies about robots. Now, robots are real-and showing up at home, in hospitals, in factories, and more.  The seeds of this trend can be seen in Kickstarter where campaigns bringing a variety of robotic technologies to market have invited a groundswell of support. 

Logistics Management — When it comes to pricing changes, transportation and logistics bellwethers are usually on the same page. And that was again made clear with changes each company made for additional handling charges on ground packages. 

MHI Blog —Technology plays a major role in collaboration, a role that will only grow larger in the future, according to new research from the University of Tennessee's Global Supply Chain Institute.

The Wall Street Journal — The nation's busiest ports are emerging as a key battleground in the legal fight over whether truck drivers should be counted as employees or independent contractors. Several trucking companies operating at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles have filed for bankruptcy protection in recent months, citing mounting costs to settle hundreds of legal claims.

Hartford Business —State lawmakers are currently considering a bill aimed at encouraging more middle and high school students to consider manufacturing careers.

Reuters —Global manufacturing growth almost stalled last month as rising price halted a pick-up in new orders, a survey showed on Tuesday.

Supply Chain Management Review — New high-tech outliers are adding to the complexity of todays' freight forwarding industry by nurturing a workforce eager to embrace disruptive new concepts and strategies. "The expanding definition of a freight forwarder can be attributed to the changes our industry has witnessed in the past five to 10 years," says Eytan Buchman, marketing director for Freightos, a logistics technology company that's automating online freight

MHL News — The supply chain industry has seen a shift in transportation strategies as manufacturers and retailers look for ways to satisfy their customers, overcome driver shortages and reduce overall shipping costs and environmental impact. As fuel costs increased following the recession, the cost of shipping freight via truck trended up, forcing manufacturers to review all options for getting their products from their facilities to a retail shelf.

Ebnonline — Admiral Dennis Blair shares insights into the impacts of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and rising cyber threats for American and Japanese companies and their supply chain partners. Admiral Dennis Blair shares insights into the impacts of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and rising cyber threats for American and Japanese companies and their supply chain partners.

Industryweek — In terms of products liability law, its consequences for industry and consumers injured by 3D-printed products are potentially just as far-reaching. Consider a fact pattern under which an auto parts manufacturer makes CAD files available to auto parts stores so that they may 3D print replacement auto parts on demand and on-site in response to customer needs.

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.

Industryweek — After reading the "teaser" at the end of my last column ("A Better Way to Conduct Supplier Assessments") you may have expected a detailed description here of how to replace the format of supplier assessments. If so you may be a little disappointed, at least at first. I will elaborate on that subject, but what I want to do foremost is to use the example of ongoing supplier assessments to discuss a larger, more pervasive issue.

FEI — With supply chains offering a persistent source of fraud risk, a growing number of organizations are turning to analytics to understand and mitigate their exposures.

SNL —Manufacturing companies, which depend on natural gas as a fuel and feedstock, plan to ramp up their advocacy efforts on behalf of pipeline projects, especially in the Northeast.

MAPI — Will manufacturers embrace virtual reality to transform product development, testing, layout, and assembly? It was hard to imagine just a few years ago that the advancements in hardware and software would allow for far greater use of virtual reality in manufacturing. Allowing designers, engineers, and customers to see and evaluate a design in real time will shorten product design cycles. Being able to walk through assembly line layout will reduce setup time. And providing customers with a view of the product in use will decrease the time spent on redesign and marketing material development.