MHIsolutionsmag.com—Sustainability is providing a competitive edge and adding value well beyond its environmental benefits – especially for companies involved in material handling. It has become a key theme at venues and some companies are reporting that consumers are willing to pay a little more for products from a company that has consideration for the environment.

MHI Blog—MHI, in collaboration with Deloitte Consulting LLP, is preparing the 2018 MHI Annual Industry Report focused on innovations that are driving supply chains. By completing the survey you could be the lucky winner of the iWatch Series 3!

ATA—The industry needs to hire roughly 90,000 new drivers annually to meet demand, per a report from the American Trucking Association released in October.According to the report, ATA’s first in-depth examination of the driver shortage since 2015, the driver shortage eased in 2016 to roughly 36,500 – down from 2015’s shortfall of 45,000.

MHI Blog—The demand for supply chain management talent continues to be an issue for many organizations, including consumer products and goods, transportation, manufacturing, logistics and services.

CSCMP’s Supply Chain Quarterly—Truck driver turnover—the rate at which drivers voluntarily and involuntarily leave their jobs—and motor carrier safety are big concerns for the trucking industry and shippers who use trucking services. However, relatively little is known about the effect of turnover on safety.

Fortune—A three-old-old robotics startup, Kindred, is embarking on a trial run with Gap Inc. at one of its Tennessee warehouses. The robots will sort items on conveyor belts.

Modern Materials Handling—Survey shows just how critical the pallet continues to be in the smooth running of warehouses and DCs nationwide.

Medium—People in New York City are the first to take advantage of the new delivery experience offered by Latch: delivery not only TO your doorstep but INSIDE your door. The concept was realized with the help of smart locks, which can be opened by the delivery person using a unique credential.

As part of MHI view's ongoing video program, this episode focuses on the Industrial Internet of Things and Industry 4.0.

Industry 4.0 and the Internet of things is one of the most pervasive technologies identified by the 2017 MHI Annual Industry Report. Industry 4.0 signals the arrival of IT on the shop floor, and stands to be as big a disruptor of the industry as the steam engine, linear assembly and automation were before it. 

This is episode four of our 2017 Annual Industry Report Update Series. Find the previous three episodes here. 

 

Perishable News—New container solutions are becoming lighter-weight, more sustainable and customizable. The new characteristics are helping low-weight container solution to the US market. The new containers maximize food safety, reduce product spoilage and damage with airflow control and include fully customizable point of purchase branding.

Reuters—Wal-Mart Stores Inc is rolling out shelf-scanning robots in more than 50 U.S. stores to replenish inventory faster and save employees time when products run out.

BusinessWire—Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined DHL for the opening of its new $10 million global gateway facility at O’Hare International Airport. The investment in Chicago by DHL Express was driven by the company’s current and forecasted shipment growth from U.S. businesses trading internationally as well as the continuing growth in e-commerce shipping.

Fortune—Over the past year, Amazon has quietly won regulatory approval from multiple states to become a wholesale pharmaceutical distributor, according to public records cited by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. According to the Post-Dispatch, Maine’s state pharmaceutical board is currently considering Amazon’s application.

EBN—Now, IoT is enabling smarter solutions, and rapid-application development (RAD) platforms make it faster and easier to implement effective waste management.

Transport Topics—Scott Mugno, vice president of safety, sustainability and vehicle maintenance at FedEx Ground, was nominated to be the next Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

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.

IndustryWeek—Many understand that to be competitive five to 10 years from now, they need to start building their digital capabilities today. They also know that investing in digital operations is no longer just about improving efficiency.

The Wall Street Journal—United Parcel Service Inc. plans to spend more on bigger package-handling facilities, planes and other capacity upgrades next year, efforts to keep up with an e-commerce boom that shows no sign of slowing.

EBN—In August of this year, the federal government approved the use of DocuSign, effectively communicating to the masses that e-signature technology is here to stay. This technology is now a "must have" for business leaders, not a "nice to have" like it was just a few years ago. So, what’s coming next in the world of digital transformation?

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