Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY

In this episode, guest Shawn Winter, vice president of Mobility Solutions at Descartes, talks about the concept of the Super Peak Season and how shippers can prepare for it. With the growth of online shopping, shippers and carriers find that there are times when they struggle to keep up with demand, such as the recent holiday season. Winter discusses some strategies for thriving during peak demand challenges. The food service industry was especially hard hit at the beginning of the Covid-19...

In this episode, guest Dwight Klappich, research vice president at Gartner, discusses the growing interest in robotic goods-to-person systems. Robots are hot right now. What makes them the cool technology to have for distribution operations, and in what ways are they being deployed? Klappich shares the latest research Gartner has done into these fascinating and quickly-evolving technologies. Many companies held on to their cash during the pandemic, and now there is more incentive to move...

In this episode, guest Tim Pajak discusses a new initiative from the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP). Pajak serves as the organization's member engagement manager and shares about the new worldwide partnership between CSCMP and Junior Achievement to bring information to young people about the role of supply chains in our lives. One primary goal is to encourage these young people to consider supply chain careers. The Covid-19 pandemic has greatly disrupted the retail...

In this episode, guest Melinda McLaughlin, vice president, global head of research for Prologis, discusses the market for industrial real estate. The lack of new construction last year, especially during the early phases of the pandemic, has left capacity very tight and rental costs high. What is the outlook for 2021, and how are trends such as e-commerce and urban fulfillment designs affecting the real estate market for warehousing? Walmart is partnering with three industrial suppliers to...

In this episode, guest Joe Ruddy, chief innovation officer at the Port of Virginia, discusses how the maritime industry survived the rough seas of 2020 trade. Demand was light even before the pandemic, then fell off the cliff when Covid-19 struck, only to return with a vengeance in the latter part of the year. How did our nation's ports handle those changes, and what infrastructure is in place to keep goods flowing well in 2021 and beyond? The trade war with China is not expected to go away...

In this episode, guest Tony Sciarrotta, executive director of the Reverse Logistics Association, shares how retailers are handling the deluge of holiday returns. Because of the ongoing pandemic, many purchases were made online instead of in-store during the holidays, so now retailers are faced with a deluge of returns this month. What are some of the strategies that are being used to process them and how can retailers reduce the number of returns they receive in the future? New Gartner...

In this episode, guest Zac Rogers, assistant professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management at Colorado State University, discusses the current state of logistics, including capacity and pricing for transportation and warehousing. He also shares the latest Logistics Managers' Index figures and how they relate to what is happening in the market. Capacity remains tight in all aspects of transportation, including air, ocean, and trucking. What is driving this tight capacity and how are...

In this episode, guest Kristi Montgomery, vice president of Innovation, Research & Development at Kenco, discusses the need for innovation. She heads up the Kenco Innovation Labs, an internal think tank and testing center that develops new technologies and methodologies to help solve customer problems within the supply chain. She discusses why innovation is so critical to a company's future. While vaccines are being rolled out, we learn about new research that shows how inefficiencies and...

In this episode, guest Kevin Paramore, emerging technology commercialization manager at Yale Materials Handling Corp., shares new technologies that promote social distancing within facilities. As we continue through the pandemic, it is important to safeguard our workers while still remaining productive. These new technologies alert workers whenever they get within six feet of distance with another co-worker. They also provide data for contact tracing. We knew that shipping volumes would be...

In this episode, guest Phil Rich, chief supply chain officer and senior VP of Sweetwater, talks about being an online retailer during a very different holiday season. Sweetwater is the nation's largest e-tailer for musical instruments and audio equipment. Increasing inventories and gaining better visibility with suppliers were key steps the company has taken. He also is preparing for a higher level of returns in January. Transportation continues to be a very volatile sector of the supply...

In this episode, guest Kevin Doucette, North American Director of Trade Policy and Compliance for C.H. Robinson, discusses global trade in light of tariffs, the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. presidential election, and the stagnant worldwide economy. What areas should supply chain managers focus on when looking at global markets? Industrial real estate continues to be in demand, especially in urban markets, as companies look to move their supply chains closer to end customers. Automation is...

In this episode, guest Colin Yankee, chief supply chain officer at Tractor Supply, shares how his company has been able to thrive in the midst of the pandemic. As an essential business, this retailer offers the goods that people need. But beyond that, the company made some strategic changes in its supply chains to meet changing customer requirements and the different ways goods are sold and distributed today. There is a lot looming for the new Biden administration once the president-elect...

In this episode, guest Rebecca Brewster, president and COO of the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), shares the findings of her organization's recent study, the 16th Top Industry Issues Report. This report from the trucking industry's research association shows that executives are concerned about driver shortages, insurance rates, parking availability, and more. Listen to find out what issues impact the industry the most. Prop 22 passed in California on Tuesday. It defines...

In this episode, guest Steven Horwitz, an economics professor and director of the Institute for the Study of Political Economy at Ball State University, joins us to discuss the upcoming holiday shopping season. We already know it will be a season like no other in history, due to the pandemic. But how will this affect supply chains, and will the community mall survive? We also look at recent reports on warehouse utilization and the tightening of the market for available warehouse space. Will...

In this episode, guest Drew McElroy, chairman and co-founder of Transfix, a digital freight matching system, discusses freight markets and the challenges of last-mile deliveries. We are already entering the peak holiday shopping season, and it will be a year like no other, with omnichannel sales dominating in ways never before seen. How are retailers preparing their supply chains to handle the surge? And with more online shopping, retailers expect an avalanche of returned merchandise. We...

In this episode, guest Dr. Yossi Sheffi, a professor of engineering and director of the Center for Transportation and Logistics at MIT, discusses his new book, The New (Ab)Normal. Dr. Sheffi looks at which companies have been successful during the pandemic and which have failed, as well as what the future holds for our supply chains. We also examine the growing demand for warehouse automation. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated automation projects. What's driving the demand and how are...

In this episode, guest Gillan Hawkes, VP of product management and analytics at 6 River Systems, discusses how autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) help distributors meet surging demand, while offering other benefits during the pandemic and beyond. The new Logistics Managers' Index is out, and it shows a huge spike in logistics growth. Does it foretell a busy and possibly chaotic holiday peak season this year? And we look at how retailers are relying on marketplaces to handle their online sales...

In this episode, guest Ron Dutt, CEO of Flux Power, discusses lithium-ion battery technology, which is growing in use as a power source in fork lifts and other industrial trucks. Amazon's Prime Day is just around the corner. Why was it postponed from its normal summer schedule and what will it mean for shippers and customers? And environmental sustainability is becoming a greater focus of supply chain managers. What is driving all of the attention? Articles and resources mentioned in this...

In this episode, editors from DC Velocity and CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly share their experiences at CSCMP EDGE, which was held this past week. This year's conference was completely virtual and marked the largest such virtual event ever held in our industry. We discuss the format and environment used to present more than 100 educational sessions, keynote addresses, and a virtual trade show known as The Supply Chain Exchange. Our editors also discuss some of the major topics and themes...

This is National Truck Driver Appreciation Week in the United States. In this episode, guest Randy Guillot, chairman of ATA (American Trucking Associations) shares about the vital role truck drivers play in keeping goods moving during trying times. Everyone knows that e-commerce shopping continues to surge, but now we have the numbers to prove just how much growth this sector has experienced with in-home shopping. And our nation's ports have made a nice rebound following a couple of very...