MHI Blog — In response to the floods that devastated Southern & South-West Louisiana in August, Feeding America is in need of material handling equipment donations to replace what was lost at the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank.



This critical partner in feeding hungry people throughout the Greater Baton Rouge area usually operates from a 172,000 square foot warehouse with a 6,000 square foot freezer. 

Modern Materials Handling — The material handling industry has been fortunate to experience steady growth in the last few years. Yet, our global customers want more in their material handling solutions - more efficiency, big data, technology and sustainability. Where are those innovative and dynamic solutions going to come from, and, how can those of us in the material handling industry keep up with technological change?

The New York Times — The docks at the Port of Oakland are a tangle of cranes, shipping containers, railroad tracks and snaking lines of trucks waiting to load and unload cargo.



Streamlining this kind of traffic is one of the few ideas Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton agree on.

Supply Chain Quarterly — Amazon and Google's efforts to use drones to deliver small packages may get all the press, but the case for using drones is actually stronger further upstream in the supply chain, says one expert.



Google and Amazon may grab all the headlines with their pilot projects for unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as drones, to deliver small parcels (or even burritos) directly into the hands of consumers. But the more interesting story-and the stronger business case-actually exists further up the supply chain, argues Bob Barr, managing director of Accenture Interactive, a division of the consulting firm Accenture that focuses on digital business.

MHI Blog — We recently wrote about how the FDA is testing milk-based films for food products, and the technology, if it becomes widely used, would have a beneficial impact on the environment. But many large companies are also continuously working on becoming more environmentally friendly.



Whole Foods and Target have recently been highlighted for their refrigeration systems becoming super climate-friendly. Whole Foods recently opened a store in Santa Clara, California that has a refrigeration system that is said to be the most environmentally advanced in the United States. 

MHI Blog — Modern business is changing, and our industry is no exception. Transportation and logistics, specifically, is transforming as businesses look to improve speed and efficiency.

Ebnonline — This year, some automakers started offering semi-autonomous driving under certain circumstances. In the not too distant future, these same types of technology will likely be part of every electronic OEMs logistics planning.



Automation of cars and trucks have the potential to increase safety and affordability of transportation, and will allow more cars to navigate the roads. In the next five years, the number of self-driving features will increase. However, some roadblocks, including potential liability, the need for regulation, and the practicalities of legislation still remain.

Supply & Demand Chain Executive — During the just-completed back-to-school season, retail sales were forecast to be flat to slightly up from 2015, presenting another test to merchants already facing a host of industry challenges. Traditional brick-and-mortar retailers face rising competition from online sellers like Amazon and Staples, in addition to other pressures being put on their profit margins. Challenges include omnichannel operations, supply chain costs, inventory visibility and customer acquisition.



But there are new technologies and solutions-related to the Internet of Things (IoT)-that are creating opportunities for retailers to improve omnichannel operations, better manage inventories, reduce logistics costs, and retain and acquire customers. 

MHI Blog — Foodborne illness outbreaks are always a little nerve-wracking for me because I'm a bit of a wreck, to be honest. When you hear on the news that there's been a huge recall because it's making people sick, the paranoid part of me freaks out a little and catalogues my entire pantry/fridge to see if there is anything that could possibly make me sick. I don't have time for getting sick. I've got to write these blogs.



In cool news that will calm my panicked self and, you know, be good for the general well-being of the public, IBM researchers are using data from grocery store scanners and mapping it over data from confirmed foodborne illness cases to help speed investigation and prevent more people from getting sick.

As part of MHI view's ongoing video program, this new episode focuses on: Keeping your Business Moving by Updating your Automation Systems.

 

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO.

DC Velocity — Wearable computing vendors such as Honeywell International Inc. and Zebra Technologies Corp. could see a steep jump in sales by 2021, as retailers and logistics providers are on track to triple their spending on wearable scanners for fulfillment work, a report says.



Led by demand from the warehousing, manufacturing, and transportation industries, global shipments of wearable scanners are forecast to reach nearly 22 million units by 2021, up from seven million units in 2016, according to the London-based analyst firm ABI Research.

Ebnonline — For a number of years I viewed 3D printing as a solution looking for a problem. I visited the Consumer Electronics Show and saw people printing accurate 3D chocolate renderings of their heads, which whilst being very clever, is largely useless.  I wondered to myself where the technology was going, but in the last year or so things have changed and 3D printing seems to be finding its feet in terms of technology and applications, confirming its place in our future.

MHI Blog — When it comes to keeping businesses secure, some business owners only focus on the more obvious customer-facing areas. They protect windows and doors that face outwards to the street and storefronts where customers shop. They might take steps to secure merchandise that is on shop shelves. These are obviously good ideas, but they're not the only locations that require security.



Warehouse security is important for a number of reasons. Loss, theft and damage at warehouses costs businesses a great deal of money each year. Merchandise stolen from warehouses is almost always in its original packaging, which increases its resale value on the black market, and thus increases the likelihood of theft.

Industryweek — IoT enables the robot to learn and adjust in the production of J&J Consumer products in France. The Internet of Things (IoT) has been widely celebrated as a game-changing technology for field service and maintenance applications because it allows one device to "talk" to another, communicating when a machine or system could potentially degrade or fail.

CCJ Digital — The regulatory swath barreling toward the trucking industry - highlighted by electronic logging devices and greenhouse gas emissions standards - combined with likely increases in fuel costs and an uptick in freight could push the trucking industry into a full-fledged capacity crisis as soon as late next year, says FTR economist Noel Perry.

Supply Chain Management Review — If automation, optimized digital networks, and changing consumer habits come to fruition as some experts predict, it could completely upend trucking as we know it today.

MHI Blog — Did you know that MHI has a Young Professionals Network (YPN) for those working in supply chain and material handling? Well, we do, and it's a great way to get involved and get information target directly towards you. This post is going to talk about what the YPN is and how to can get involved.

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.

MHL News — E-tailing is taking the retail industry by storm, putting some retailers in a tough spot. Last year, internet sales rose 23% and will only continue to grow in the years to come.



It's no surprise that Amazon is king of the e-tailing hierarchy with most of the market share in its court. And as Amazon continues to skyrocket, other retailers are pressured to keep up with similar prices, convenience and speed-but getting on Amazon's level proves to be a challenge.

Industryweek — Classified supply chain threat reports to critical U.S. telecommunications, energy and financial businesses, will soon be shared by the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC), as reported by Matt Hamblen ofComputerworld. NCSC leads the integration of the U.S. government's counterintelligence and security activities for the common purpose of countering foreign intelligence threats to information and assets critical to the nation's security. 

Ebnonline —Millennials are immature, lazy, narcissistic, selfie-posing, disrespectful, job-hopping, and entitled employees who demand their work to be personally rewarding no matter the job or business need. They want to quickly rise through the ranks without paying their organizational dues or gaining the proper experience. "We're here now and we're smarter than you are so you have to listen to us" might be their generational theme song. Some in the workplace find them self-serving and even lazy. That's what some people say.



Me? I think they are one of the best things to hit the workplace in years.

MHL News — Big-box distribution centers are back in fashion, with a record number of facilities now under construction nationwide, as reported by Robert Carr in National Real Estate Investor. The reason for the comeback is the rise of eCommerce. Almost 100 big-box facilities, totaling about 60 million sq. ft., were delivered to the market in the past 12 months, according to a recent report from Colliers International.