MHI Blog—The 2017 MHI Annual Conference will feature four keynotes and 12 educational sessions over two days (Oct. 2-4) in Boca Raton, FL. Here, you’ll learn how disruptive technologies are defining new opportunities for supply chains, how to lead an organization that drives growth and what economic challenges and opportunities are ahead.

MHI Solutiions—Automation and robotics have come of age; they’ve reached the tipping point from being solutions for only the top rank of companies to solutions for firms of any size. One driving factor is the increasing sophistication of today’s robotic devices; instead of performing relatively simple, programmed tasks, they are able to assess variables, make decisions and choose the best course of action—such as changing their routing to avoid obstacles.

MHI Blog—Retailers seeking to find balance between omnichannel costs and revenue growth see supply chain capabilities as key to profitably serving customers, according to a recent report by Auburn University’s Center for Supply Chain Innovation and the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), in partnership with DC Velocity, titled "2017 – The State of the Retail Supply Chain." The report provides in-depth analysis of the front-burner issues facing America’s retail supply chains and highlights tools and leading practices to compete in an evolving marketplace.

Supermarket News—Food waste is a big issue nationally, and as much as 30% of fresh produce is lost from the farm to the table. That amounts to nearly $200 billion lost in the $600 billion fresh produce industry each year, according to Tom Schultz, CEO of FreshSurety, a tech company that hopes to put a dent in the losses.

EBN—Supply chains today are integral to building a competitive advantage. As they grow in complexity, those who manage them acknowledge that they do not have as full visibility as they should. Technological solutions can point the way to more visible, better managed, and more efficient supply chains that deliver better value for companies and their customers.

CNBC—A company based in Brooklyn, N.Y., is using robots to run the 3-D printers, with little to no human oversight, according to Voodoo Manufacturing CEO and co-founder Max Friefeld. The factory, which makes 3-D prints of any imaginable design, is staffed almost entirely by robots.

Supply Chain Dive—Supply chains are constantly changing as new rules, technologies, resources and market trends transform operations. Here are some of the more notable announcements made recently that are contributing to the changing shape of the industry.

Recode—The governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, signed a new law permitting the use of delivery robots on crosswalks and sidewalks across the state. In most places in the U.S., it’s not necessarily legal for a robot to roll around on a sidewalk. But now three states — Wisconsin, Idaho and Virginia — have passed statewide laws permitting the use of robots to deliver items to people’s doorsteps.

As part of MHI view's ongoing video program, this new episode focuses on the MHI Annual Conference.

Almost everyone knows about ProMat and MODEX, but MHI’s Annual Conference is the place to be for those looking for a deeper dive into improving the supply chain for their own business and the industry as a whole.

MHI Blog—The Protective Guarding Manufacturers Association (ProGMA), a product group within trade association MHI, has launched the first in a series of educational videos about the importance of protective guarding products in the material handling industry. The short but informative video is titled, "Essential Safety Barriers for Automated / Robotic Workcells."

The New York Times—Moving food, undamaged and unspoiled, from the warehouse to the customer’s house is the most important role in solving the biggest problem vexing the online grocery industry: It’s known as the last-mile problem. Grocers such as Peapod are addressing this challenge head on.

Inbound Logistics—Business is booming for e-commerce retailers according to a new global market study by Peoplevox, an e-commerce Warehouse Management System (WMS) provider. Peoplevox’s "The 2017 E-Commerce Fulfillment Report" found sales of 82% of the e-commerce and multichannel businesses taking part had increased in 2016, with only 6% reporting a decrease in orders. While many voiced concerns over increasing competition, Brexit and currency fluctuations, the majority (88%) expected a further increase in orders during 2017.

New Atlas—A patent filed by Amazon outlines the company's vision for vertical drone delivery hives that could be destined for urban centers. These tall, multilevel cylinders would receive truck freight at the ground level, with robots then loading up delivery drones that would leave and return through dozens of windows dotted up the sides of the structure.

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.

MLive.com—Shape Corp. and SME Education announced a partnership with the Michigan Manufacturers Association aimed at bringing manufacturing education to Grand Haven High School. The new initiative, dubbed Partnership Response In Manufacturing Education (PRIME), seeks to help educate and attract the youth with career opportunities in the manufacturing industry. Shape will invest $100,000 per year for the next three years in the partnership to help bring initiative to fruition.

Bloomberg—Terry Gou is intent on building Foxconn Technology Group’s international footprint. The world’s largest maker of iPhones is readying $10 billion or more of investment across several U.S. states, starting with a decision by July on the location for a $7 billion display-making plant. Foxconn’s billionaire chairman also vowed to press on with a bid for Toshiba Corp.’s semiconductor business -- a deal that could cost $27 billion and usher Foxconn into the memory chip business.

CSCMP Supply Chain Quarterly—Logistics firms in the ocean supply chain need to apply digitized data sharing to avoid costly inefficiencies due to poor collaboration in five key areas, a maritime industry study shows. The lack of data sharing affects importers, exporters, container carriers, terminal operators, vessel owners, and other stakeholders, all of which suffer from poor visibility and predictability around shipments, according to the study, "Competitive Gain in the Ocean Supply Chain: Innovation That's Driving Maritime Operational Transformation."

EBN—In the past, homegrown technology was the norm. Now, a plethora of applications for supply chain can be had and the biggest challenge is figuring out where to put investments in terms of business-to-business (B2B) integration to maximize supply chain performance.

International Business Times—Automation and robots are already a major part of most manufacturers, ranging from car factories to electronics production. But soon, smarter robots could shake up the market for manufacturers significantly. The venture capital firmLoup Ventures predicts a smarter sub-series of robots increasingly could become a more popular option for manufacturers.

MHI Blog—If seeing is believing, then manufacturing, warehousing and distribution facilities throughout the supply chain can expect to be taking a closer look at the latest wearable technology emerging as a viable competitive advantage in operations: smart glasses leveraging augmented reality.

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