Monday, May 21, 2018, will be the first ever Supply Chain Professionals Appreciation Day.

While there exists a National Truck Driver Appreciation Week and a National Healthcare Supply Chain Week, until now, there wasn't yet an official day to celebrate the majority of professionals representing the end-to-end supply chain every day.

It will be a day to post pictures and celebrate what you do every day - funny memes, photos of your colleagues in action, shout outs and just about anything that you can think of.

Just be sure to use the hashtags #SupplyChainProfessionalsDay and #CSCMP with your social media posts! CSCMP will be participating, liking and sharing your posts and celebrating Supply Chain Professionals all over the world!

With data sharing becoming exponentially more important to businesses, much of the supply chain is buzzing about blockchain.

Consumers and trading partners today have higher expectations for the completeness, accuracy and speed of the data they receive, and manual processes simply won’t support the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, and other innovations cutting wide swaths of disruption through industry. Blockchain serves as an opportunity to collaborate for improved data structure and visibility to support a number of priority supply chain initiatives, including product information transparency, unified commerce and the IoT.

Although data sharing across company lines is by no means a new concept, it is still unfamiliar for some industries. For others who have prioritized data sharing, we are at an important juncture in blockchain’s evolution where it has reinvigorated the way we advocate for breaking down organizational silos.

Because so many in supply chain are at this educational stage of blockchain awareness, it’s important to identify what has worked in other blockchains (such as those used in the financial industry) and translate it for application in supply chains. Now is the time to learn about blockchain’s perceived strengths and collaborate to create a foundation that will allow blockchain to scale efficiently and profitably.

Click on "Learn More" to download this month's CSCMP Hot Topic, "Blockchain and Data Sharing."

CSCMP Hot Topics are a member benefit and available to CSCMP members free of charge. They are available for purchase to non-members.

About the author:
Melanie Nuce, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, GS1 US, has more than 20 years of experience in retail technology. She oversees a team that investigates new technologies, partnerships and investment opportunities to increase the relevance and reach of GS1 Standards in e-commerce, mobile, social media and supply chain business processes. More information is available at www.gs1us.org.

Today's supply chain management software can't keep pace with the continuous change that's challenging business models almost across the board. Together, 10 key technologies could solve that problem and enable the cutting-edge capabilities companies will need in the future.

Supply chain management software is in need of an overhaul. Current SCM solutions are based on architectures that were created in the 1990s; these solutions, used for planning and managing assets, inventory and people to deliver products and services to customers, have been enhanced and upgraded, but their underlying architectures remain the same. As a result, they are limited in their ability to rapidly address the significant and continuous change brought on by increasing customer expectations and new competition. In fact, the speed with which enterprise SCM software adopts new ideas and technologies is significantly slower than the pace of technology changes, particularly those made available to consumers. In many cases, SCM software has contributed to the inertia preventing companies from delivering on continuously elevated customer expectations in an economic way.

Click "Learn More" to continue reading.

The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) presents its Distinguished Service Award (DSA), our highest honor, at the annual EDGE Conference to an academic, consultant, or practitioner who exemplifies significant, consistent, and career-long contributions to the development of the logistics and supply chain management disciplines.

Any individual who has demonstrated exemplary service to the profession is eligible to be nominated. The selected individual will have shown high integrity and moral principles throughout his or her professional career.

Know someone who fits the bill? Now is your opportunity to nominate him or her for the 2018 Distinguished Service Award.

Nominations will be accepted until April 30, 2018.

Click "Learn More" for additional details

Now in its sixth year, CSCMP invites you to nominate a young professional member (30 years-of-age or under) in the supply chain community who show signs of future greatness but who also are worthy of recognition now.

The final winner(s) are selected, and formally awarded live in front of 3,000 supply chain professionals at the CSCMP Edge Supply Chain Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, September 30-October 3, 2018. Winners are also interviewed and published in CSCMPs award-winning magazine Supply Chain Quarterly in addition to other promotional pieces throughout the year.

Research submissions are encouraged in the form of:
(1) Award Competitive Papers
(2) Teaching Innovation Papers
(3) Research Abstracts for Poster Presentation.

• The Award Competitive Papers should report basic findings and contributions of the research endeavor. Accepted papers will be invited to present in a full session at the ARS and will be considered for the E. Grosvenor Plowman Award.

• Teaching Innovation Papers might include reporting of pedagogical techniques or methods, applied teaching case studies, experiential description of the use of new tools, or other innovative teaching methods.

• Authors who are unlikely to have findings ready to present by the conference are highly encouraged to submit their work in progress (Research or Teaching) as a Research Abstract for Poster Presentation.

Click "Learn More" for more details.

The 28th annual Donald J. Bowersox Doctoral Symposium is held in conjunction with the CSCMP's Annual EDGE Conference. The Symposium is a highly rigorous, interactive, and informative event that offers innovative sessions that meet CSCMP's expanded scope and mission. The Symposium is specifically designed for doctoral candidates in the latter stages of their doctoral studies, specializing in supply chain management and related fields of study, who intend to pursue a career in academia.

Click "Learn More" to access the guidelines and nomination form.

Seven-day shipping is ancient history. Free two-day shipping is the new norm, with same day and "buy now, use now" poised to become the gold standard. Is this sustainable? As a supply chain professional, you’re no longer in the back office – you’re on the front lines, managing rising customer expectations and rising costs, while responsible for driving business value.

Companies like IBM, Nike and Amazon are re-imagining supply chains to make life better. Innovations in IoT, AI, Blockchain and drone technology are redefining how supply chains operate and enhance the enterprise.

With these and other emerging new technologies and processes, your supply chain can go on the offensive. You can take bold steps to create new channels, capture more market share and take on competitive challengers.

Join supply chain leaders from Amazon, IBM and Nike for an informative and mind challenging panel discussion to:
• Hear how they are embedding their values – and value – into their supply chains.
• Understand how they are betting on and leveraging IoT, AI and Blockchain to create and seize opportunities.
• Discover what they think the future holds and what it might mean for the future of your supply chain.

Register to attend at cscmpedge.org.

Please join CSCMP in giving a warm welcome to the following new Corporate Members:

• IBM
• CS-Recruiting
• Redwood Logistics
• Sysco
• ZillionSource Technologies
• TreeHouse Foods

CSCMP Corporate Memberships allow companies to provide access, insight and perspective to their entire team. Corporate members receive all the benefits of a Professional Membership, plus special pricing and exclusive services tailored to meet your specific needs and create value for your organization.

Learn more today at cscmp.org.

The March 2018 CSCMP Hot Topic, "Threat Intelligence in Supply Chain" discussed proactive threat mitigation as related to the NotPetya disruption to business.

Recent customer data breaches in the news are a poignant reminder to continue to be proactive and demonstrates the repercussions of not being vigilant in protecting user and payment data. Cyber attackers always have an advantage because it only takes one weakness along the supply chain to compromise an entire environment.

In this month’s newsletter, Mary Singh from Liberty Advisor Group discusses a few tips to help prevent, detect and respond to a PCI breach or general data threat.

The Logistics Managers Survey is a monthly study aimed at revealing the status of U.S. logistics activity.

According to a sample of North American logistics executives, economic activity across the logistics sector expanded, primarily driven by increases in price and utilization from September to December.

The report was issued today by researchers at Arizona State University, Colorado State University, Portland State University, Rutgers University, and the University of Nevada, Reno, and in conjunction with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP).

Click "Learn More" to download the January-February 2018 Logistics Manger's Index Report.

Achieving SCPro™ certification is an indication of your mastery of a well-defined body of knowledge at one point in time. To maintain certified status and to demonstrate your ongoing commitment to remain current in supply chain management, renewal of your SCPro™ certification is required every three years.

CSCMP provides several options for acquiring CEUs. In additional to CSCMP training and development, educational roundtable events and the annual EDGE Conference, CSCMP also partners with thought-leading organizations to provide even more opportunities to expand your knowledge and further your career.

This month we are pleased to announce that BluJay Solutions and The University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics Executive Education Center have partnered with CSCMP to offer professional development CEUs that can be used toward SCPro™ Certification renewal.