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2 days ago | 
supplychainbrain.com | Robert J. Bowman
Nick Haase, co-founder of MaintainX, explains why artificial intelligence-driven automation initiatives can fall apart without a strong maintenance and data foundation. The excitement over AI has some executives assuming that it offers an instant solution to efficient warehouse maintenance and operations. But in order for AI to achieve that objective, facilities need a strong data foundation.
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2 days ago | 
supplychainbrain.com | Robert J. Bowman
"Agility" is a favorite buzzword of logistics providers, especially when it comes to warehouse operations. Ken Ramoutar, chief marketing officer of Lucas Systems, explains what the concept really entails. “Dynamic” and “agile” are two of the biggest buzzwords these days in the world of logistics and warehousing. But they also have real meaning, Ramoutar says. Distribution centers today are being hit with volatility from both the supply and demand sides, and disruptions are frequent.
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3 days ago | 
supplychainbrain.com | Robert J. Bowman
All’s quiet on the American waterfront — at least for the next few years. Dockworkers and employers on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts avoided a lengthy strike earlier this year, agreeing on a six-year labor agreement that will raise wages by 62% over that period.
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3 days ago | 
supplychainbrain.com | Robert J. Bowman
How can companies achieve the ambitious goal of a "unified" supply chain, with total visibility across functions? A perspective from two executives with EPG: Peter Bollinger, chief executive officer, and Al Rivet, vice president sales. Warehouses today are asking a critical question: At a time when the typical operation might consist of multiple facilities, companies and systems, how can they acquire the right technology to support a unified supply chain?
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3 days ago | 
supplychainbrain.com | Robert J. Bowman
There's an alphabet soup of software systems for running warehouses — WES, WMS and WCS among them. Daniel Avram, senior director of advanced software with Savoye North America, helps us sort through them. A warehouse execution system (WES) handles order and inventory fulfillment, providing visibility of those critical functions, but only within the four walls of the facility, Avram says.
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6 days ago | 
supplychainbrain.com | Robert J. Bowman
Home » Podcast | Will Tariffs Kill Mexico’s Manufacturing Boom? THE SUPPLYCHAINBRAIN PODCAST Will the Trump tariffs bring Mexico’s manufacturing revival to a screeching halt? Mexico has been the chief beneficiary of the move by American manufacturers to diversify at least some production away from China back to the western hemisphere. But with the imposition of tariffs by President Trump, will Mexico continue to see steady economic growth spurred on by the nearshoring trend?
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6 days ago | 
supplychainbrain.com | Robert J. Bowman
For all the excitement surrounding recent progress in the development of artificial intelligence, there's a dark side to the technology that can't be ignored, says Guy Courtin, vice president industry and global alliance with Tecsys. The “dark side” of AI lies in the “tremendous” amount of electricity and water that it requires in order to function, Courtin says. That has led major developers such as Google and Meta to set aside sustainability goals so that they can advance the technology.
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1 week ago | 
supplychainbrain.com | Robert J. Bowman
The U.S.-China trade war is just one development in a shift in global sourcing and production that's been underway for years, says Kevin O'Marah, chief research officer and co-founder of Zero100. The effects of the trade war currently affecting global supply chains are an extension of a trend that’s been underway for a decade or more — the diversification of sourcing away from China in favor of other parts of Asia, Latin America and, in some cases, the U.S., says O’Marah.
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1 week ago | 
supplychainbrain.com | Robert J. Bowman
Diane Coyle, Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge and author of GDP: A Brief But Affectionate History, explains why gross domestic product is no longer an adequate means of measuring the state of the economy. GDP serves as “a measure of the whole of the economy,” says Coyle. Defined during World War II, it was based on the demand-management theories of economist John Maynard Keynes.
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1 week ago | 
supplychainbrain.com | Robert J. Bowman
Did you think we were going to say no? To be sure, we’re seeing some pushback by the Trump administration against environmental regulation, as evidenced by its withdrawal (again) from the Paris Agreement on climate change. But don’t let that lure you into thinking that ESG — environmental, social and governance — is no longer a concern of international business.
