Kim Winter

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…

Want to hear the latest supply chain trends and industry news? Make sure to catch up on all the latest episodes, interviews, conversations, and livestreams right here! On Saturday, Scott Luton and Vector Global Logistics’ Enrique Alvarez welcomed Patrick Nelson, a decorated combat veteran whose received the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart Medal, to hear his thoughts on what makes an effective leader in a challenging year like this.   On Monday, Scott welcomed Rod Sherkin with ProPurchaser.com back to the podcast to discuss one of our most asked topics: how to optimize the job search and truly stand out amongst the crowd.   On Tuesday’s podcast, we welcomed Sandro Natale with AT&T and Thomas Carter with TNS – Total Network Service to discuss digital engagement and digital transformations plus its role and purpose with your customers, employees, and partners.   On Wednesday, special guest Zachary Ramirez with Ally Logistics joined Scott and Greg to talk all about simplifying logistics in an ever more complex world.   On Thursday, Dale Wilkinson, Founder of goodgigs, joined us to share the trends he’s seeing among mission driven companies as the workforce remains virtual in the foreseeable future, the other media channels…