Matt Connelly

Prospects of supply chain automation have the industry abuzz. It’s even become a major sticking point in the International Longshoremen’s Association contract negotiations with the United States Maritime Alliance. The dockworkers do not want ports to automate processes out of fear they will lose their jobs to machines. Today, there are seemingly endless possibilities for optimization. Terms like generative artificial intelligence and machine learning have become commonplace in discussions about ways to gain efficiencies and reduce costs. Can man and machine work together as businesses leverage automation for optimization? Beyond the Buzz: Understanding the Automation Imperative Machine learning, a subset of artificial intelligence (AI), is described by Business News Daily as a later-stage development in which machines take in data on their own and then analyze it. Automation, on the other hand, is fixed on repetitive tasks; after a job is performed, an automation system “thinks no further.” The Business News Daily article explained that “automation involves an entire category of technologies that provide activity or work without human involvement,” while AI involves “a machine exhibiting and practicing something similar to what we describe as human thinking – that is, the ability to interact in thousands of ways with the…

  Another great week here at Supply Chain Now! Have you listened to all the episodes? If not, you can check them all out here:   On Monday, Scott and Greg chatted with Tim Dooner with FreightWaves, about working from home and how it will work going forward, brokers and owner-operators, and more!   Supply Chain Now · “What the Truck is Going On: Tim Dooner with FreightWaves”   On Tuesday we were overwhelmed by the passion for supply chain and the positivity of Jamin Alvidrez with Freight Tribe!   Supply Chain Now · “Meet Jamin: Supply Chain Vet Shows How to Unleash Positivity”   On Wednesday we welcomed Supply Chain Now vets Claudia Freed with EALgreen and Chuck Easley with the Georgia Tech Supply Chain and Logistics Institute back to the show to discuss education and the future of supply chain.   Supply Chain Now · “Supply Chain Lessons Learned from Pandemic: Claudia Freed & Chuck Easley”   Scott and Greg were joined by Cathy Morrow-Roberson with Logistics Trends and Insights for the Supply Chain Buzz, discussing the top news in supply chain for this week.   Supply Chain Now · “UPS Rate Changes & More: Supply Chain Buzz…