Supply Chain Monthly
Current News
  
Thank you Susie Bodnar, EDGE Chair, and, Director of Operations and Client Srategy at FourKites for this special message about EDGE 2019.
 
CSCMP’s EDGE is coined Supply Chain's Premier EventTM for a reason. As Conference Chair, I am looking forward to welcoming you to Anaheim and am proud to offer a sneak peek into what to look forward to.
 
What did we keep?
• Community focus – CSCMP is a work family. It's a strong network of supply chain industry professionals whose bond goes beyond business interests and professional commonalities. Mentorship, career sustainability, connections, being part of a community – all terms that describe CSCMP EDGE. To ensure you receive this value out of your EDGE experience, and based on your feedback, we made sure to allow for more networking time in Anaheim and shortened our sessions a bit.
 
What will be different?
  
By Lori Webber, Chief Marketing Officer, IBM Watson Supply Chain. Thank you Lori Webber for this fascinating Hot Topic.
 
Some technologies cause ripples, others cause waves of transformation. Artificial intelligence (AI) is perhaps the most transformative of our era. AI technologies like IBM Watson can understand, reason, learn, and intereact – and do so at enormous speed and scale. As these systems continue to learn from your data and processes, they get smarter, delivering greater value. Discover how you can apply AI - today – to build a modern, faster, more efficient B2B network.
 
A smarter supply chain, enabled with AI and blockchain, gives you unmatched insights and trusted, end-to-end visibility. Learn how to evolve to an intelligent, self-correcting supply chain at the IBM Booth #601 at EDGE 2019.
  
CSCMP Hot Topic provided by TQL.

Logistics services providers are faced with finding a balance with technology and live customer service. The industry has become ripe with automation, however, you can’t automate complicated logistics processes and issues. In this article, you’ll discover the sweet spot between high touch and high tech service.

About TQL
At Total Quality Logistics (TQL), we create greater supply chain efficiencies for our customers by combining industry-leading technology and unmatched customer service. Customers and carriers turn to us daily to solve their transportation needs with competitive pricing, continuous communication, and a commitment to do it right every time. We move more than 1.6 million loads across the nation annually through our broad portfolio of logistics services and our network of more than 75,000 carriers. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, TQL is the second-largest freight brokerage firm in the nation, founded in 1997, with more than 5,500 employees in 57 offices across the U.S.
  
Hot Topic contributed by Kevin Otto, Senior Director, Community Engagement, at GS1 US. He leads the GS1 US Blockchain Discussion Group, a cross-industry collaboration of industry stakeholders working to better understand the transformative qualities of blockchain in the supply chain, and prepare for blockchain implementations using GS1 Standards.  
 
With blockchain fatigue setting in, it’s difficult for supply chain professionals to determine an effective path forward for implementation. GS1 US collaborates with brands, retailers, and technology providers to better understand blockchain in these early stages of development, and have offered tips for those committed to doing their due diligence. Read how GS1 Standards can help increase the chances of blockchain implementation success, and how they can help companies achieve supply chain visibility for key use cases such as traceability without blockchain.
 
GS1 US®, a member of GS1® global, is a not-for-profit information standards organization that facilitates industry collaboration to help improve supply chain visibility and efficiency through the use of GS1 Standards, the most widely used supply chain standards system in the world. Nearly 300,000 businesses in 25 industries rely on GS1 US for trading partner collaboration that optimizes their supply chains, drives cost performance and revenue growth while also enabling regulatory compliance.

Join GS1 September 12 at 1 PM ET on their Twitter account, @GS1_US, for a live Twitter chat where GS1 US experts, Melanie Nuce and Kevin Otto, will be available to provide insight and answer your questions surrounding blockchain/distributed ledger technology and why standards are an imperative to implementation. Twitter Chat Hashtag: #GS1USChat
Article provided by Brian Straight, FreightWaves.
 
Maritime interests have certainly heard about, and are preparing for the IMO 2020 regulations that go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. But those without direct interest in ocean shipping may not understand the potential impact these regulations could have on global trade.
 
To counteract this lack of information, the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ (CSCMP) upcoming EDGE 2019 Conference, to be held September 15-18, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA, will feature a panel discussion on this topic. “The Cost of Clean Air: Complying with the IMO 2020 Sulfur Cap,” will feature the following experts from the space: Paul Bingham, Economics & Country Risk, Transportation Consulting, IHS Markit, John Janson, Director, Global Supply Chain, SanMar, Inc., Jack Mahoney, Head of Automotive Industry, North America, Maersk, Matt Muenster, Senior Manager, Applied Knowledge, Breakthrough, and Mark Murphy, District Sales Manager, Pacific Northwest NAM Western, APL. These thought leaders will be providing updates and guidance for beneficial owners of freight and other stakeholders affected by IMO 2020.
 
“That is one of the intentions [of the panel], to find the issues that shippers may not be paying attention to,” explained Gail Rutkowski, executive director of the National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council (NASSTRAC). Rutkowski is responsible for organizing the panel discussion, which will take place on last day of the conference, the morning of September 18.
 
Paul Bingham, Director of Transportation Consulting for IHS Markit, will serve as moderator. 
 
You can visit the EDGE 2019 conference website www.cscmpedge.org to register.
   
Logistics Services (Panama) S.A.
      
RateLinx
   
CSCMP Awards and Recognition
Full of ideas? Now is your chance to join the EDGE 2020 volunteer team!*
 
EDGE Track Chairs build and organize the educational sessions that make EDGE a valuable source of innovations and ideas. Each track (C-Level Discussions, Transportation and Logistics, Technology and Innovations, etc.) is built by a dedicated CSCMP member volunteer who selects topic ideas and sources talented speakers that engage, excite and educate EDGE attendees.
 
If you're attending EDGE this September, ask a Track Chair about their experience.
 
Apply by October 1 and let us know how you'd take EDGE content to the next level!
 
Please note, this is an important role that requires time and commitment – serious applicants only please!
 
*EDGE Track Chairs must be CSCMP members at time of selection. Applicants must have attended at least two EDGE conferences by Oct. 1, 2019 in order to be eligible.
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CSCMP’s Mentorship Program* is back for the 2019-2020 edition. The mentorship program is designed to foster knowledge and connection through learning partnerships. Developed by CSCMP's Young Professionals Committee, the program helps to evolve and bridge future supply chain leaders from one generation to the next.
 
Whether you’re looking to learn critical knowledge and skills to advance your career, or you are seeking to share your expertise and strengthen your leadership skills, apply to participate! The YPC will review your application and try to find the match that best fits your criteria. The *application period is open from Aug. 26 – Sept. 30, 2019. The program will launch October 2019 and last through the end of March 2020.
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.
CSCMP's happy to welcome FreightWaves as a new Enterprise Member.
 
FreightWaves is the industry-leading provider of 24/7 news, data and market analysis for the freight and logistics markets. The company’s news site, freightwaves.com, is the No.1 freight and logistics news site globally and receives 2.7X more on-site engagement than any other freight-related news site. The company’s SaaS product, SONAR, is the industry’s first and only data and analytics platform providing participants with visibility to millions of aggregated freight market data points. FreightWaves is partnered with Nodal Exchange and DATⓇ as the commercialization partner for Trucking Freight Futures, the first-ever futures contracts settled on trucking spot rates. FreightWaves' customers are market participants with direct and indirect exposure in the trucking, maritime, air cargo and intermodal freight markets. For more information visit www.freightwaves.com.
 
For more information on our corporate memberships please visit us at cscmp.org.
CSCMP & NASSTRAC Joint Membership
Join today and give your entire team access to members-only perks, networking opportunities, education and exposure for your entire organization. Your entire team needs to be aligned to deliver the best results. Give them access to today's trending supply chain management topics, strategies and best practices with a joint membership with CSCMP and NASSTRAC.
Training and Development
Penn State Abington will be providing a SCPro™ Level One Certification Test Prep course this fall.  The course will be held in-person on Tuesday evenings for three hours per night beginning on Sept. 24, 2019 through Dec. 3, 2019 at the Penn State Abington Campus. SCPro™ Level One is the only industry certification that covers the comprehensive supply chain, from end-to-end, and requires candidates to demonstrate their knowledge of the eight Cornerstones of Supply Chain Management via a multiple-choice exam.
 
CSCMP will again be offering the SCPro™ Bridge Exam and review session at EDGE! The SCPro™ Bridge Exam leverages the knowledge and credentials already earned by supply chain professionals by incorporating previously achieved professional credentials with CSCMP's SCPro™ Level One Certification. Eligible participants must have either an advanced degree or a related supply chain or logistics credential. Those that pass the exam will leave conference with the SCPro™ Level One designation.
 
CSCMP is accepting proposals for new research providing insight, perspective, and best practices in all areas of global supply chain addressing strategy, operations, analysis and decision making.
 
CSCMP welcomes research addressing e-commerce and omni-channel, last mile delivery, impacts of emerging technologies (blockchain, additive manufacturing, etc.), sustainability, ethical considerations in supply chains, food safety, humanitarian logistics, supply chain risk management and urban logistics. Research with a financial focus is preferred.
 
Research should focus on placement in a global setting or consideration of unique dynamics in a particular industry (e.g. healthcare or 3PL). Deadline extended to Aug. 23, 2019.
 
Winners will be announced on Sun., Sept. 15, 2019 at the Academic Research Symposium at EDGE in Anaheim, CA.
Edge Conference
Thank you to Mary Holcomb, Professor at the University of Tennessee, for the opportunity to share the 28th Annual Study of Trends and Issues in Logistics and Transportation survey.
 
The Annual Study on Trends and Issues in Logistics and Transportation is one of the longest running research studies in the field. Over the past 27 years, there have been significant changes in logistics and transportation practice that have disrupted business as usual. Taking the ‘pulse’ of the state of transportation continues to be a primary objective for the 28th Annual Study through the examination of various trends including budget expenditures by mode, performance metrics by mode, domestic and international supply chain visibility, and primary tools and methods used to manage transportation and distribution. The longevity of the study enables a multi-year comparison to determine short- and long-term trends in the industry.
 
In addition to determining logistics and transportation trends, a key part of the annual study involves exploring current industry issues. The 28th annual study continues to investigate the progress (or lack thereof) that shippers and carriers are making in their digital supply chain transformation. Last year’s study results suggested that while shippers and carriers are assessing new technologies to better manage operations both internally and with external supply chain partners, new tools and technology alone will not facilitate the changes that are needed.
 
Over the history of the annual study, respondent companies have represented a broad and diverse set of 15 industry sectors ranging from retail to food. Since the beginning of the study, the core group of participants has been in the manufacturing sector. Over the past several years, an increase in the participation of transportation providers has allowed us to more fully understand this perspective, permitting a comparative group analysis to shippers.  
 
The research team includes:
Mary C. Holcomb, Professor, University of Tennessee
Karl B. Manrodt, Professor, Georgia College and State University
Chris A. Boone, Associate Professor of Practice, Texas Christian University
  
The overall LMI index is 57.2 in the July 2019 reading, up very slightly from June’s index score of 56.0. This is also down considerably from a year ago when the LMI overall score was 70.8. It has trended down since then, with rates of growth decreasing in every period since October 2018 to June 2019, with this month’s reading being the first increase in 2019. That being said it is still the third-lowest overall score in the history of the index, and lower than the historical average of 64.1.
 
While the overall LMI scores in 2019 have been lower than 2018, they have all still come in above 50.0, the threshold indicating growth. So the logistics industry is still growing, just at a much slower pace than last year. This slowdown is demonstrated by the trend-line in the figure below.
 
Looking forward, respondents predict the overall LMI will continue to grow over the next year, predicting an overall index score of 59.7. This indicates an expectation of similar levels of steady, if unspectacular growth, in the logistics industry through early 2020.
 
Get the latest issue of the Logistics Manager Index (LMI). The LMI is calculated using a diffusion index, in which any reading above 50 percent indicates that logistics is expanding; a reading below 50 percent is indicative of a shrinking logistics industry.
 
The LMI score is a combination of all of the other components that make up the index including inventory levels and costs, warehousing capacity, utilization and prices, and transportation capacity, utilization, and prices.
   
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Roundtables
The Port of Wilmington is one of the few southern ports with readily available berths and storage areas for containers and cargo. Specifically, it offers terminal facilities serving container, bulk, breakbulk and ro-ro operations. It offers a deep 42-foot navigational channel, nine berths with 6,768 feet of wharf frontage and four post-Panamax container cranes. Modern transit and warehouse facilities and the latest in cargo management technology provide a broad platform for supporting international trade to the fast-growing Southeast U.S. market. Located on the Cape Fear River, the Port of Wilmington’s general cargo terminal offers excellent service for bulk, breakbulk, project and ro-ro cargoes. The Port’s 42-foot channel allows customers additional vessel capacity. The Port has direct interstate access to Interstates 95 and 40 and daily train service from CSX Transportation. The Port is also a C-TPAT Certified location and is designated as Foreign Trade Zone 214.
 
Date: Fri., August 23, 2019   
Time: 10:30 AM – 11:45 AM EDT
Please join CSCMP's Atlanta Roundtable for breakfast and a panel discussion with Ben Harris - Director of Supply Chain Ecosystem Expansion for Metro Atlanta Chamber; Annie Baxter - Vice President, Advisory & Transaction Services for CBRE, and Matt Markham, Director Center of Innovation for Logistics for Georgia Department of Economic Development. The panel will discuss how Metro Atlanta came to be and will be known for generations to come as “The Supply Chain City.” Topics include what attracts talent to Atlanta, our thriving ecosystem and functionality as one of the nation’s largest logistics hub.
 
Date: Wed., Sept. 11, 2019
Time: 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM EDT
We are excited to welcome Steve Szilagyi, SVP at MSC Industrial Supply, a passionate and engaging leader, known for service and commitment to excellence. His high energy and infectious enthusiasm for leadership, growth, and improvement have helped lead his teams to achieve world-class levels of safety, engagement, service, quality and performance. His message about Practicing Leadership has been learned and earned during a career of seeking, listening and, most of all, practicing. Steve has more than 35 years of supply chain experience. In 2017, he joined MSC Industrial Supply Co. as Senior Vice President, Supply Chain. If you are interested in strengthening your current leadership and management skills with a powerful, more distinguished dimension this is a can’t miss event. Leadership is built on solid management skills. This foundation provides the essentials necessary for supporting and sustaining your management qualities and performances. Maintaining a balance between achieving results and developing your people is the key to successful management.
 
Date: Thur., Sept. 19, 2019
Time: 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM EST