This Week on Supply Chain Now: November 30th – December 4th

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…

Lean manufacturing is all about reducing waste and increasing efficiency. Manufacturers have been implementing lean practices for decades and have stood the test of time. Now, with technological advancements, lean methodologies can be more transformative than ever before. “Integrating automation into lean manufacturing is a powerful strategy. Unlike traditional automation, which often aims to increase production capacity without considering real needs, lean automation focuses on the smart and selective application of technologies to meet specific continuous improvement goals and eliminate inefficiencies,” the Kaizen Institute said. “Digital transformation provides an unprecedented opportunity for implementing lean,” it continued. “When applied within lean, tools like the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and data analytics can revolutionize how organizations detect and eliminate waste.” What is Lean Manufacturing? In “The Machine That Changed The World,” published in 1990, lean production is hailed as “Toyota’s secret weapon in the global car wars.” The Toyota Production System was developed following World War II from “a series of simple innovations … to provide both continuity in process flow and a wide variety in product offerings,” according to the Lean Enterprise Institute. In “Lean Thinking,” a 1996 follow-up to “The Machine That Changed The World,” authors James…