MHI Industry News
   
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Investment in supply chain innovation is at a critical inflection point, with a trend of declining investment from 2015 to 2018 being more than countered by a 95% increase in projected spending for 2019, according to the 2019 MHI Annual Industry Report, “Elevating Supply Chain Digital Consciousness.” The new issue of MHI Solutions focuses on the adoption of digital solutions from best practices in robotics and artificial intelligence to getting your supply chain data house in order to measuring and tracking your Supply Chain Digital Consciousness Index or DCI.
Innovation. Quality. Service
The Raymond Corporation
It takes a lot to be a global leader. It takes a proud history of engineering material handling solutions that lead the way in innovation. It takes skilled and talented people committed to constant improvement. It requires a level of service that offers end-to-end solutions that anticipate customers’ needs.
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MHI Updates
MODEX 2018 was recently honored by the Trade Show News Network (TSNN) as a Top 25 Fastest Growing Trade Show Attendance winner. The Top 50 (25 in square footage and 25 in attendance) are selected based on the show’s growth rate from 2016-2018. MODEX 2020 will be the largest supply chain expo in 2020 and will be held March 9-12 at Atlanta's Georgia World Congress Center.
Whether an industrial steel storage rack is comprised of structural or roll-formed steel components, the welds created in their fabrication are critical to the system’s safe and reliable performance. That’s because a variety of conditions could increase the risk of a weld failing when the rack is abused or loaded at its rated capacity, possibly leading to a collapse.
Attaining elevated digital consciousness means identifying and implementing the technology and processes that will enable cost reduction, risk mitigation and improved customer experience. Attend the 2019 MHI Annual Conference this October and take the first step toward transforming your supply chain. 
As a safeguard against the industrial steel storage rack falling down, anchor bolts are used to secure column base plates to the facility floor. Critical to the structural integrity of the rack, the anchors prevent the rack uprights from sliding out of position should they be impacted, as well as a measure to prevent the system from tipping.
   
J-tec Industries
      
FOX IV Technologies, Inc.
   
Technology and Innovation
  
After six consecutive years of conducting a survey of 1,000-plus industry leaders about their awareness of and investment in ground-breaking supply chain innovations, MHI and the Deloitte Consulting LLP research team have conclusively determined that the age of the digital supply chain is here. The report confirms that digital technologies and innovations continue to fuel increasingly demanding customer expectations for better, faster and more transparent service.
Prior to April’s installment of ProMat 2019, exhibitors were invited to submit entries for consideration in the MHI Innovation awards across three different categories: Best New Innovation, Best Innovation of an Existing Product and Best IT Innovation. MHI received 108 total submissions spread among the three groupings. This year’s winners were selected by representatives from Covenant Transport, Canada’s Department of National Defense, Framebridge, IKEA, PharmaLink and Steelcase Inc. based on their ability to deliver quantifiable and sustainable return on investment (ROI), cost savings and customer satisfaction.
Manufacturing and supply chain operations continue to invest heavily in innovation, but even the most successful companies are still struggling to understand how and when to adopt digital supply chain innovations.
Remember when taking inventory meant manually counting everything in the warehouse? Or when fast delivery was counted in weeks instead of hours? Pressures on the supply chain have changed over the years, but it is partially because of these pressures that the supply chain industry has evolved as much as it has—and continues to do so. Learn how top firms are turning new supply chain pressures into inspiration to adopt digital technologies that are boosting efficiency and performance.
When the doors are open
Berner International Corporation
Keep it cozy this winter with Berner Air Curtains. Do your clients struggle with keeping costs down and productivity up when it’s cold outside? Learn how Royal Wine in New Jersey saves energy and provides warmer working conditions in the shipping area of their food processing and distribution center using Berner.
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Transportation
Amazon is testing delivery robots in real time—and with a digital twin. Scout is a delivery robot that Amazon is testing in a Seattle neighborhood, but before physical Scout takes to the streets, a digital Scout has already rolled through the digital version of the neighborhood thousands of times in different scenarios. This allows Amazon to test without severely disrupting the neighborhood, as well as lower the risk for Scout.
Education & Professional Development
Educators are acutely tuned in to their students’ (and their parents’) perceptions of supply chain and the careers it offers. And even though they can easily explain why supply chain is “cool,” these instructors also recognize the need to both raise awareness of the field and reshape the industry’s image. Learn about the innovative ways they are doing just that.
   
Karcher Industrial
      
Lean Factory America, LLC
   
Protect Vulnerable Rack Ends
SlowStop Guarding Systems®
Turning points at the end of rack aisles are prime for impact with repeated impacts causing catastrophic damage. SlowStop’s all-new design is compact and cost effective, providing superior rack end protection to last a lifetime. 
Be sure to visit us at ProMatDX for more.
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Supply Chain Trends
  
Artificial intelligence is the ultimate evolution of business intelligence and analytics. Today’s supply chain has to satisfy consumers who want lower costs for goods, faster response times and free delivery, and supply chain executives are aware of AI’s potential: 88% of those surveyed for the 2019 MHI Annual Industry Report believe that AI will allow an organization to manage risk and improve predictability, while 79% said that AI will become a core competency within three years.
Robotics, flexible automation, autonomous vehicles and the like are no longer just something “everyone else” must be doing. Offerings and awareness have continued to increase, especially as the perceived shortage of qualified and affordable labor continues.
Shipments for production, distribution or sale must be the right stuff, at the right place, at the right time, in the right condition, with the right information. Simple to say. Not so easy to do consistently in a constantly changing environment that challenges your ability to meet customer expectations. More information from a greater range of data gathering and sharing tools doesn’t always help—rising data flow volumes might slow decisions rather than enable them.
Sometime in early 2020, Obamacare will turn 10. But that does not mean anyone is finished talking about health care—or healthcare reform. Given that the U.S. currently expends 18% of its gross domestic product on health care, this system is expected to deliver high-quality, affordable and convenient patient care—yet it often fails to achieve that goal. No surprise then that pharmaceutical companies, medical suppliers and equipment makers all are feeling the pinch and are looking to their supply chains for solutions.
   
Baumfolder Corporation
      
HMS Industrial Networks
   
Workforce
With presentations from industry professionals and tours of the show floor, Student Days at ProMat is the ideal place to explore the supply chain industry. Students Kevohn and Natalie were able to see supply chain equipment in action and picture what a future career in the industry might look like. View the full video and stay tuned for news about Student Days at MODEX 2020.
Safe + Sound Week is a nationwide event to celebrate the successes of businesses that have implemented safety and health programs in the workplace. Throughout the year, businesses show their commitment to safety by focusing on management leadership, worker participation and a systematic approach to finding and fixing hazards in workplaces.