Kelly Barner

Special Guest Blog Post written by Gary Smith, CPIM-F, CSCP-F, CLTD-F, Author of “The Bridge,” Supply Chain Engineer, and Educator   1. Do Supply Chains exist in the public sector? The short answer is “YES!” I spent the first 25 years of my career in the private sector where I worked in warehouse operations, industrial engineering, and consulting, all in the logistics andsupply chain area. I cut my teeth on retail, automotive, chemical, food and beverage, publishing, and manufacturing. During that time, I also completed projects for the public sector in education and for the Department of Defense. In 2005 I was named Director of Supply Chain Operations for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). We operated a 200,000 sq. ft. warehouse that shipped repair material to 335 developments in New York’s five boroughs. In 2013, I was named Vice President of Supply Logistics for New York City Transit, the largest public transportation organization in North America. We operated over 1.5 million sq. ft. of warehouse space covering all of New York City. Several years ago, I was on a national committee for the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM). We created this elevator speech to describe Supply Chain…

The U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index for 3Q 2021 has been released, and one thing remains clear: spend is up. More specifically, year over year, quarterly freight spend showed the second largest increase ever – rising 32.6% from 3Q 2020. What’s driving the dollars, and what can this increase tell us about the state of the supply chain across the country? Supply Chain Now co-hosts Scott Luton and Greg White recently sat down with Bobby Holland, Director, Freight Data Solutions at U.S. Bank, and Patricia Gabriel, Vice President US Customer Service & Logistics, at Mondelez International, to find out. Let’s review highlights from their discussion of the report – and take a look at what you need to consider moving forward. But first, what is the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index? The U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index is a free report you can download each quarter to keep your finger on the pulse of freight shipping volumes and spend from both a national and regional perspective. The report uses actual transaction payment data, de-seasonalized and calendar adjusted for maximum comparability. How do I use it? When you’re asking the question, “What happened last quarter?” the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index…