Logistics Management—With more than 900 exhibitors, a record number, there’s sure to be plenty of innovation and ideas on hand to help attendees "Solve for X" at the materials handling industry’s premier trade show and educational conference, sponsored by MHI. Check out some of the many products to be featured at the show.

Modern Materials Handling—MHI has released the list of finalists for the 2017 MHI Innovation Award. After receiving a record 153 submissions for this year’s awards, seven judges comprised of professionals from the material handling and supply chain industry completed the initial vetting process. Four finalists were chosen as the most innovative products in each category: Best New Innovation; Best Innovation of an Existing Product; and Best IT Innovation based on concept, value and impact.

Modern Materials Handling—There’s a good chance that you and your team are putting a plan together to strategically cover ProMat 2017 (April 3-6), the materials handling industry’s leading trade show and educational conference, sponsored by MHI. Well, my first bit of advice is to make sure you’re packing comfortable shoes.

MHI Blog—The US Department of Transportation (DOT) recently announced four finalists from its Smart City Challenge that will receive funding. The grants will go to projects in Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Denver, and Portland to fund technology-driven projects to fight congestions, increase connectivity, and improve opportunity access.

MHI Blog—MHI invites you to represent the 2017 Face of Supply Chain by sharing your #iWorkInTheSupplyChain story. Let us know what you proudly do or will do in your career and how you got into the industry. Explain how a career in supply chain has influenced or will influence your company, family or community. Demonstrate the opportunity you have to make a difference and inspire us with your unique story!

MHI Blog—Much focus has been on Internet of Things (IoT) as it continues to grow and become increasingly intertwined in our everyday lives. While much of the industry has been focused on producing gear and technology made to last long term, a trend is emerging where companies will produce one-shot or temporary connectivity devices for quick consumption and discard.

MHL News—While trade is a hot-button national issue it is also an intensely local one, underpinned by local firms, local workers, and local industry clusters. This mapped data from the Brookings Institution’s Export Monitor depicts the vivid local geography of exporting among U.S. metro areas.

Modern Materials Handling—In a world built on speed, storage might be defined as the exact opposite. A product sitting on a shelf is not an asset waiting for its moment, but an expense, a pause in the flow of goods, a liability. The goal, then, is to shorten the amount of time anything spends sitting in one place, whether product, workers or equipment. Automated storage systems have spent recent decades enabling efficiency, accessibility and predictability, but many of their strengths can turn into liabilities. As solution providers and users continue to adapt, the role of automated storage is also in flux.

As part of MHI view's ongoing video program, this new episode focuses on: Transitioning to the Cloud

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Supply Chain Brain—No pharmaceutical supply chain is without its challenges. Typically, supply chains are extended, lead times are long and a thicket of government regulations combine to present some steep challenges.

IndustryWeek—Way back in December 1890, decades before it landed its first defense contracts, Newport News Shipbuilding delivered its maiden hull, a 90-foot tugboat affectionately named for the young daughter of a former Navy Secretary. Dorothy was delivered at a loss, well over budget. Big data might have helped to curb the overrun. Augmented reality might have helped, too.

CargoNet—In 2016, 1,614 records of cargo theft, heavy commercial vehicle theft, supply chain fraud, and other intelligence events across the United States and Canada were logged by analytics company CargoNet. More than 800 of those records involved cargo theft, the company said.

EBNOnline.com—The recently-released 21st Annual 3rd Party Logistics Study points to 3PLs and shippers working consistently to enhance relationships and partnerships to improve business outcomes.

MIT Technology Review—Vespa maker Piaggio’s new robot servant is yet another sign of the transportation industry reinventing itself. The robot is an experimental new way of transporting stuff. The top of the robot opens up, allowing it to store up to 40 pounds of whatever you might otherwise lug around yourself.

Global Trade Mag—Days before the height of the seasonal shopping frenzy, UPS announced a strategic alliance with reverse logistics specialist Optoro to handle an expected flood of returns totaling more than 1.3 million packages on National Returns Day (Jan. 5) and another 5.8 million more over the first full week of 2017. If you’re wondering if you’re handling returns well in house, consider that even the experts see opportunities to bolster their reverse logistics abilities.

Trade Arabia—The global logistics market is expected to reach $15.5 trillion in revenue by 2024, while investments in industrial and retail projects lead to a spur in the domestic logistics industry, according to a recent report by Al Masah Capital, an investments and market analysis company. In terms of volume, the global transportation and logistics (T&L) industry is expected to reach 92.1 billion tonnes by 2024, said the report.

GeekWire—Customers are getting their packages faster and online retailers are making more money, but what’s happening to the middle man as delivery times decrease? A new report by CBRE found that the rise in online shopping has completely overhauled the logistics industry. Companies can no longer rely on a few distant warehouses to transport their goods. Instead, they’re moving into smaller sites closer to city centers.

Confectionerynews.com—Mars will continue to invest in its U.S. operations, announcing a $900 million U.S. supply chain investment. The announcement follows a $1 billion domestic manufacturing investment and a $100 million facility upgrade in its Kansas facility, where M&M's Caramel candies are made.

EBNOnline.com—APIs have become highly instrumental in the process of digitizing and connecting supply chain operations. Most software vendors and cloud-based applications offer APIs, and while the bandwagon is very crowded, not all of them are worth considering.

MIT Technology Review—When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight, your FedEx package might someday be delivered by a robot. Rob Carter, FedEx’s chief information officer, says the shipping giant is considering small vehicles that could drive around neighborhoods and make deliveries without human drivers.

Modern Materials Handling—The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies reports that the market for pharmaceuticals and medical devices continues to grow. In total, the 2015 pharmaceutical industry produced $1.1 trillion in global sales with medical devices reaching $350 billion. PMMI explores the global expansion of the pharmaceutical and medical device market, including the impact of mergers and acquisitions in the associations’ latest infographic,"Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Market Trends."

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