MHI Blog — This year marks 240 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, so we thought we'd bring you four fun facts for the 4th of July and how the stuff we use for the 4th gets around by using supply chain.

The Maritime Executive — The Panama Canal accounts for roughly five percent of world sea trade, and the expanded Panama Canal is estimated to generate a three percent increase in cargo volumes transiting the Canal. 



The value of insured goods transported will increase with the expanded Canal. This could result in an additional $1.25 billion in insured goods passing through the Canal per day. Risk accumulation will increase, says Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) in a newly released report on the Panama Canal expansion project.

Industryweek — When Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk proclaims that artificial intelligence is "our biggest existential threat," it makes headlines worldwide. But what goes unreported is that the very search engines people used to find Musk's comments are themselves an example of how AI has subtly but forcefully become a part of everyday, real-world life.

Industryweek — The 27th Annual State of Logistics Report, released on June 21, reveals that U.S. business logistics costs rose to $1.48 trillion in 2015, a 2.6% increase from the previous year, which represents a considerable slowdown from previous years. "Supply chain transparency continues to grow in importance for shippers and third-party logistics providers," said Marc Althen, Penske Logistics President.

Industryweek — We are still less than 24 hours after British voters legitimately shocked the world by casting their ballots to exit the European Union, and just about everyone has an opinion. Here are a variety of perspectives from and about the manufacturing world: Stephen Cooper, head of industrial manufacturing at KPMG UK: "The possibility that many manufacturers feared has come true.

MHI Blog — There have been three red f lags highlighting downside risks to growth and the U.S. economy for the better part of a year: manufacturing, energy and finance.



These red flags were the impetus behind my recent book, Recession-Proof: How to Survive and Thrive in an Economic Downturn. Interestingly, these were also three of the main down side risks to the global economy that Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), noted in an interview on April 5.

MHL News — While 71% of CEOs of consumer goods companies cite omni-channel fulfillment as a top priority for future investment, only 19% of the top 250 retailers are currently fulfilling omni-channel demand profitably, according to a new study by JDA. The third annual Walker Sands Future of Retail Report, offers insight into consumer attitudes towards different aspects of retail, including the growing importance of the supply chain.

Supply Chain Management Review — While there is widespread concern about attracting new talent to the supply chain industry, it seems especially acute in the maritime sector. Slowing growth in the size of the shipping fleet will reduce the shortage of officers over the coming years, according to the latest Manning report published by global shipping consultancy Drewry.

Industryweek — The 2016 Manufacturing & Logistics Report Card, by Conexus Indiana for the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research, shows how each state ranks among its peers in several categories that are of particular interest to site selection experts for the manufacturing and logistics industries.

Logistics Viewpoints — Public cloud B2B solutions have special advantages when it comes to transportation execution and tracking. These solutions offer a large preexisting network of shippers and carriers already connected to the platform, which means key supply chain partners are apt to find it easier to provide visibility to each other. And these solutions offer a record of marketplace transactions that greatly reduces "he said, she said" type arguments surrounding supply chain contracts.



But the problem that almost all Internet sites and web enabled applications share is ensuring that the system can't be hacked.  Building unbreachable systems is virtually impossible. It is true that software that resides on site at a company is far more vulnerable than "platform" software (public or private clouds). That is because Cloud software providers do security patching on an ongoing basis.

Ebnonline — In the long term, the global electronics supply chain should benefit from the expansion of the Panama Canal. In the long term, the global electronics supply chain should benefit from the expansion of the Panama Canal. Apple has a down quarter, and suppliers across the supply chain get concerned. Analysts say the drop may be brief and surmountable.

The Wall Street Journal — AMZN -0.73 % $130,000 for allegedly mishandling shipments of dangerous chemicals, marking three fines in less than two weeks the agency has penalized the retailer for violating rules related to shipping hazardous materials by air. In May 2014, Amazon shipped two boxes containing multiple 1-gallonjugs of a corrosive rust stain remover from Plainfield, Ill., to Davenport, Fla., the FAA said.

www.supplychainshaman.com — Today, I unpacked my bags. In the last six months, in my travels, I have presented to supply chain teams in China, Belgium, France, Germany, Peru, Mexico, Netherlands, South Africa, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. To streamline my efforts, I just kept a packed bag in the closet. I strongly feel that if I am going to cover the global supply chain that I need to experience it.

www.theferrarigroup.com — This week, The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) with the collaboration of A.T. Kearney, published its 27th Annual State of Logistics Report . As has been our annual custom, Supply Chain Matters provides our initial impressions of this year's report. Before we begin, let's take a step back.

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.

www.supplychainshaman.com — Functional silos define today's supply chain organization.  The silos compete. They lack alignment, and a result, cannot effectively collaborate. This lack of alignment is an impediment to improving balance sheet results.

I am a product of traditional, silo-based thinking. My first job was in manufacturing in the 1980's. I did not understand warehousing and transportation until reassignment to a logistics role in 1985. I needed to experience it to understand it. When I cut my teeth on early forms of supply chain planning, I began to see the bigger picture. Sell, deliver, make and source need to fit together outside-in from the channel back. Like me, the traditional supply chain leader grew up believing in functional excellence and inside-out processes.