Supply Chain Now

“According to an article from Kathyrn Moody at Supply Chain Dive: companies will need to pay more for talent, especially in the warehouses across the country. E-commerce is exploding as we all know, and that requires key talent in positions such as warehouse & logistics managers – – and assemblers Pay rates in those roles could rise by as much as 3.5% due to the demand, according to market research conducted by Randstad North America .” -Scott Luton, Host In the January 29th edition of the Business Buzz, host Scott W. Luton tackles a variety of developments ranging across industries such as automotive, F&B, pharma, retail and more. And in a new Faith in Humanity segment, Scott shares a neat story of extraordinary healthcare professionals doing what they do: help & inspire others.

“Autonomous trucks will help stop the churn and burn (turnover) in trucking…” -Wayne Cragg, Professional Truck Driver   Wayne Cragg is a professional driver, photographer and social media influencer. In this lively conversation Jeff Miller (Supply Chain Is The Business) and Jamin Alvidrez (Logistics and Beyond!) get Wayne to open up on these experiences as well as share lessons learned from his adventures on the open trails of Alaska. Enjoy getting to know one of the most unique and diverse people of Supply Chain…

“Even though we’ve got some fantastic numbers, which show how quickly things have begun to recover, we’re still not where we were even two years ago when we were flying like mad in 2018 and early 2019.” – Bobby Holland, VP/Director of Freight Data Solutions at U.S. Bank   U.S. Bank processed $29.7 billion in freight payment transactions in 2020. Those payments and the data that accompanies them are analyzed quarterly by Bobby Holland VP/Director of Freight Data Solutions at U.S. Bank and his team. The FPI report includes quarter over quarter, year over year, and full year data and analysis. According to the official report released by U.S. Bank, “The freight market wrapped up 2020 on a positive note with solid improvements in both full-truckload and less-than-truckload shipments – in part due to the growth of e-commerce purchases and single-family-home construction. And with a tight market, shippers paid significantly more during the fourth quarter.” In this interview, Bobby is joined by Frank Hurst, President of Roadrunner Freight, to share the results of the on the Q4 2020 report with Supply Chain Now Co-hosts Greg White and Scott Luton, interpreting what they may mean for the economy and the shipping…

“I advise people to have a different perspective on what selling is. It’s really about learning to influence people in a positive way, not just by strong arming them or forcing them into your position.” – Mario Rivera, Vice President of Development and Innovations with ID Logistics   Mario Rivera describes himself as intense, high energy, and hard working. But when asked questions about what really makes the difference in creative problem solving, it all comes down to one thing: listening. As the Vice President of Development and Innovations with ID Logistics, he has plenty of opportunities to listen to others, and he is often surprised by what he hears. If we listen – really listen – to the people we are speaking to and working with, we are likely to hear a number of important things. We hear their personal successes and struggles, we hear what they are actually looking for in a deal, and most importantly, we can hear opportunities for mutual long-term gain. In this interview, Mario shares his point of view on creative, real-world problem solving with Supply Chain Now Co-hosts Greg White and Scott Luton: · Why almost everything we do in life is actually…

“There is a place for autonomous trucks in the next 10 years, but I don’t think that place is widespread adoption on our highways.” – Lee Klaskow, Senior Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence   The Supply Chain Buzz is Supply Chain Now’s regular Monday livestream, held at 12n ET each week. This show focuses on some of the leading stories from global supply chain and global business, always with special guests – the most important of which is the live audience! In this livestream, recorded in collaboration with a live audience on February 1st, Lee Klaskow, Karin Bursa, Greg White, and Scott Luton discuss and engage in real time about: · The different trends being seen in intermodal costs v. demand for capacity and what that will mean for incremental margins in the short to medium term · Opportunities for carriers to manage costs by investing in high sustained equipment and operator safety · The likelihood of the proliferation of autonomous trucks and trains on our roads and railways, and what operational and regulatory hurdles may stand in their way

“Samsung & Austin haven’t just met, as the company already has an existing chip plant in Silicon Hills, a nickname that has caught on since the 1990s in Austin due to all the tech & development growth. Samsung is looking at creating 1800 jobs to staff the potential 7M square foot facility.” -Scott Luton In the February 4th edition of the Business Buzz, host Scott W. Luton tackles a variety of developments including the computer chip shortage, a changing of the guard at Merck, Godiva makes a big change in the U.S. market & more. And in a new Faith in Humanity segment, Scott shares an intriguing story of one education professional going the extra mile or two in order to support his students. We should all strive to be as good as one Mr. Henry Darby.

“No matter where you are in the organization, you can start a movement and, and begin to push for the right things to happen.” – Amir Ghannad, Founder of The Ghannad Group Since earning a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, Amir Ghannad has worked all over the world for companies like Procter & Gamble, Sunny D, and the Campbell’s Soup company. Although he has held nearly every imaginable role in manufacturing and supply chain, he has most recently been focused on organizational effectiveness, serving as a sort of ‘internal consultant. As the founder of The Ghannad Group, Amir and his team guide leaders in creating extraordinary cultures through results and unprecedented fulfillment. He recently gathered many of the insights from his work and experiences in the book, “The Transformative Leader: Boldly Declare, Courageously Pursue, and Abundantly Achieve the Extraordinary.” In this conversation, Amir speaks with Supply Chain Now Co-hosts Greg White and Scott Luton about: · The change management best practices that he has found to be ‘timeless’ · The ties that bind people and communities together, across race, gender, and creed, and why setting aside our differences is the best way to appreciate them · What he sees as…

“If your business plan isn’t solid, if your market isn’t solid, you’re still going nowhere. You’re just spending somebody else’s money and you’re going to fail.” – JP Wiggins, 3Gtms Beyond their common focus on supply chain innovation and digital transformation, JP Wiggins, Will Haraway, and Scott Luton share another passion: baseball. Whether it is the mechanics of the game, the statistics, or the written/unwritten rules, they follow the game closely. But even JP, a certified umpire, couldn’t read the ‘industry pitch calls’ in 2020. JP Wiggins manages channels and partnerships for 3Gtms and Will Haraway is the Chief Content Officer for Lead Coverage and the Founder & Lead Evangelist at Backbeat Marketing. In this conversation, JP and Will share their points of view with Host Scott Luton: · Why the speed of innovative transformation is accelerating from years to months and what that means for companies and industries · Why transportation management systems (TMS) are the fastest growing segment in supply chain management · The geopolitical complexities that are not only increasing costs, but they are also making export container capacity hard to find