MHI Blog — The modern, global economy has exponentially increased supply chain complexity, making it a challenge for firms to adapt, increase efficiency and maintain profits. As a result, some firms have turned to Platform Life Cycle Management (PLCM) to drive new supply chain capabilities and work processes.



A new White Paper by Mike Burnette, director of the Global Supply Chain Institute at University of Tennessee (UT), describes this phenomenon. Titled "Platform Life Cycle Management Best Practices" the paper discusses how firms are using Platform Life Cycle Management (PLCM) to cut through supply chain complexity and drive profits.

The Wall Street Journal — Retailers are leasing warehouse space at a record-setting clip, as e-commerce drives companies to locate closer to population centers and keep more products on hand to meet customers' speedy delivery expectations.



Firms leased 70.1 million square feet of industrial space in the second quarter of 2016, the most in over 30 years of data and up 6% from the same quarter last year, real-estate brokerage Cushman & Wakefield Inc. said in a report Monday. In a separate report, brokerage CBRE Inc. said warehouse availability declined for a 25th consecutive quarter to 8.8%. 

Bloomberg — The first cargo of liquefied natural gas set to pass through the newly expanded Panama Canal locks will be American.



Royal Dutch Shell Plc's Maran Gas Apollonia vessel is scheduled to pass through the canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans on July 25 after loading LNG from the U.S. Gulf Coast, according to the Panama Canal Authority, which oversees the locks' operations. BP Plc's British Merchant LNG tanker is expected to become the second to pass through the canal the following day and a third tanker is slated for early August, the agency said late Monday.

Modern Materials Handling — MHI recently announced the speaker lineup for its 2016 Annual Conference, held in Tucson, AZ October 17-19. This year, the conference will feature six educational topics and two solutions group education sessions that focus on key themes identified by the US Roadmap for Material Handling & Logistics.

MHI Blog —  We’re returning to our series featuring the education tracks that will be held at the 2016 MHI Annual Conference. This is part three of a six part series (read the first part here). Each conference topic has two available tracks – a "class track" and a "lab track." Attendees can choose only one session or grab both for added depth. The six topics this year are:

The Wall Street Journal — Norwegian ocean carrier Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics AS agreed to plead guilty to felony charges of price-fixing and bid-rigging, the fourth company specializing in transporting automobiles internationally to be charged in a global dragnet into the automotive shipping industry. From 2000 to 2012, WWL and several unnamed co-conspirators conspired to fix prices for the shipment of automobiles to and from the Port of Baltimore, the U.S.

MHI Blog — With everything happening in the world (looking at you Brexit) the economy continues to shift a bit unpredictably, which can be hard to keep up with as companies try to please customers and turn a profit. While China has been in a manufacturing recession for the last year and a half, Europe has had an improvement in their manufacturing economy. The Chinese Manufacturing PMI now sits at 48.6, which is down from May's index of 49.2 and shows indicators of the condition continuing to worsen.

There is a demand today for companies to have more sustainable practices. In most cases, this shift is projected to actually cut costs. But before taking any steps towards sustainability, there needs to be a complete understanding of where improvements are feasible.

 

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Ebnonline — Automated and connected driving technology is changing the automotive industry and the way we drive. This has been made evident at the recent Connected Cars World in London, England, where cross-interaction between OEMs, automakers, and service providers agreed with TNS' research that eight in 10 new cars will be connected by 2020. 



However, connected and autonomous features are not car-exclusive. Motorcycles, taxis, and trucks are going through the transformation toward connectivity and the self-driving vehicle future as well.

Modern Materials Handling — For the first time, ProMat will have exhibits in both the South and North Hall of McCormick Place. The ProMat show floor in the South Hall will be divided into solution-specific centers: Equipment and components for manufacturing/assembly logistics solutions, fulfillment and delivery solutions, and information technology (IT) solutions.

Air Cargo World — Tentative approval for scheduled airline services from ten U.S. cities to Cuba may have implications for air cargo movement between the two countries. The news comes months after the U.S. Airforwarders Association (AfA) urged the country's Department of Transportation (DOT) to assign routes to U.S. airlines that also offer cargo services. Tentative awards have now been granted to Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines.



U.S. DOT has proposed eight U.S. airlines to begin scheduled flights, as early as 3Q2016, between Havana and the following cities: Atlanta, Charlotte, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York City, Orlando and Tampa.

Industryweek — As Britain's recent Brexit vote underlined, shifts in the political landscape can create risk for supply chains. This type of risk can also arise from seemingly benign political changes that turn out to be more harmful than envisaged. An example here in the U.S. is government efforts to spur growth in the craft brewing industry.

Ebnonline — In the race to get consumers their orders at ever-increasing pace, shippers and retailers try to mitigate the financial impact. In the race to get consumers their orders at ever-increasing pace, shippers and retailers try to mitigate the financial impact. Finding the right person for the job requires more than simply posting a job opening. Supply chain recruiter Rodney Apple shares his insights.

Supply Chain Management Review — Was the Panama Canal expansion indeed the game changer it was meant to be? And have container carriers finally come up with a strategy to restore rates while still providing their promised standards of service? In an exclusive interview, Jonathan Gold, vice president, supply chain and customs policy for the National Retail Federation shares his views and forecasts.

The Guardian — As Adidas announces a new robot shoe factory, an ILO report says up to 90% of workers in south-east Asia could face unemployment due to automation The jobs of nearly 90% of garment and footwear workers in Cambodia and Vietnam are at risk from automated assembly lines - or "sewbots" - according to a new report from the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Ebnonline — In theory, free trade opens up entirely new markets for U.S. companies. In reality, trade with some countries isn't easy and it definitely isn't free. Take three of the biggest players in today's world: Brazil, China and Russia. Before rushing to enter these challenging markets, read these tips that could help you avoid costly mistakes.

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.

Supply Chain Management Review — In the July issue, we published a survey of readers of SCMR and members of APICS Supply Chain Council to create a portrait of today's supply chain manager: How he or she entered the profession, have advanced through their careers and fight the good fight each day. As part of that survey, we also asked a few open-ended questions and invited verbatim responses.