Associations

Our panelists, Dr. Irene Petrick, Penn State University Professor; Carl Pope, Former Executive Director, Sierra Club; Sridhar Kota, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan. Moderated by Scott Paul, President, Alliance for American Manufacturing, touch on the shift from low-cost/low-wage manufacturing, to a high-tech focus in the US.

The Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) recently celebrated its five-year anniversary. Over that time, our polling, town hall meetings, research, grassroots advocacy, and policy development have helped to make “Made in America” part of the national political conversation again, culminating in heavy exposure during the 2012 presidential election campaign—from both parties—and the past two State of the Union addresses.

Supply professionals are in a unique, critical position to impact the global supply chain and therefore should supplement their organization's work in sustainability and social responsibility by promoting sustainability and social responsibility through leadership and participation on appropriate committees, boards and panels of governmental and nongovernmental organizations.

This report—prepared by Guardian Six Consulting LLC for the Alliance for American Manufacturing—recommends 10 actions to make America less dependent on foreign nations for the vital products that enable America’s soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines to be the most powerful and effective fighting force in the world.

Results from the Deloitte Consulting, the Corporate Responsibility Officer Association (CROA), the Institute for Supply Management™ (ISM), and the American Society for Quality (ASQ) Sustainable Value Chain Survey.

The Northwest Indiana Forum (NWI Forum) and Conexus Indiana, Indiana’s statewide advanced manufacturing and logistics initiative, today announced the formation of the Northwest Regional Logistics Council (NWRLC), an industry-led initiative to identify and advance local projects and policies to strengthen the region’s logistics sector.

Manufacturers have an array of attractive options around the world when deciding where to invest, conduct research, build new facilities and create jobs, yet policymakers too often choose policies that put manufacturing in America at a disadvantage. The United States must create a dynamic environment that supports jobs and economic growth.

Logistics complexity – in the form of fragmented channels, increased product variations, and consumer demand for customized solutions – has been increasing, according to a global study published recently by BVL International, a worldwide supply chain and logistics membership organization.

A partial listing of supply chain executive educational institutions and professional associations that create highly sought-after supply chain management training and accredited educational programs.

Many organizations struggle to make use of financial data from a variety of information systems, which are often disaggregated, complex and duplicated. This makes it harder for the CPO and CFO to see the “true situation” and to skillfully manage cash, volatility and risk in the supply chain.

It is essential to identify where you want to be, perform a current state analysis, and drive the organization and supply chain toward that new vision. In many cases, the journey takes 5 – 10 years. Indeed this is a long time to be in a state of change, but when planned and directed wisely, it’s not only bearable, it can be quite liberating for employees and for the organization.

The rise of questionable ethics may be partly driven by the financial crisis that began in 2007-2008. As the global economy tanked, companies became increasingly desperate to maintain and grow their business. This could be a reason why purchasing now receives more intense gifting efforts aimed at creating implied obligations.

The report was issued today by Bradley J. Holcomb, CPSM, CPSD, chair of the Institute for Supply Management™ Manufacturing Business Survey Committee. "The PMI™ registered 50.9 percent, an increase of 1.9 percentage points from May's reading of 49 percent, indicating expansion in the manufacturing sector for the fifth time in the first six months of 2013.

Retail is about more than providing consumers with great products. In 2013, the National Retail Federation launched This is Retail to highlight the industry’s opportunities for life-long careers, how retailers strengthen communities, and the critical role that retail plays in driving innovation.

According to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ 24th annual State of Logistics Report released today, logistics and supply chain managers are continuing to drive inefficiencies out of the business transportation system.

Overall, our analysis of these use cases suggests that the broad-scale use of item-level RFID tagging in the apparel industry will yield substantial benefits to apparel manufacturers.

In the Operations and Supply Chain Management Career Paths and Patterns report, APICS The Association for Operations Management provides a collection of more than 6,000 operations and supply chain management professionals’ experiences, career directions, and educational achievements into one document to help you compare your path, consider your next steps, and establish milestones.

A recently released study from the National Shippers Strategic Council (NASSTRAC), entitled “Freight Transportation 2013,” revealed many interesting takeaways on various links of today’s supply chain operations and performance.

This report explores shippers’ perspectives of emerging trends in the freight transportation industry. It addresses issues related to business strategy, collaboration practices, carrier selection, rates, capacity, mode selection, outsourcing, advocacy issues, technology, sustainability, and more.

Having just presided over the Airforwarder Association’s annual conference in Las Vegas earlier this month, executive director, Brandon Fried shared his insights with Logistics Management's Executive Editor Patrick Burnson.