The 2:00 Minute Warning

Folks, we have seen the future—or at least the future for the next couple of years—and it is amazing!

Last week, ProMat hosted their annual conference in Chicago and showcased record numbers—over 1,300 exhibitors and 45,000 attendees. While manufacturing automation and robots were again the main focus of the show, I was fascinated by the sessions on machine learning, blockchain, and drones.

Truth be told, it can be a bit overwhelming to contemplate how all of this “stuff” is being deployed to help companies gain an edge in managing their supply chains. And it underscores if your company is standing still when it comes to managing your transportation and supply chain areas, you’re going to get run over!

During ProMat, I was invited to be interviewed by a good friend and industry veteran, Mitch MacDonald, the President & CEO at AGiLE Business Media, the publishers of DC Velocity.

To briefly recap the interview, we discussed how shippers are rebuilding from the Perfect Storm that hit the transportation marketplace in 2018. We then highlighted some important things to watch out for going forward (i.e. the International Maritime Organization requirement for ocean carriers to use low sulfur fuel beginning in 2020—something that may significantly increase fuel costs not only for ocean carriers, but motor carriers as well, or increase transit times as ocean carriers “slow steam their vessels”).

But the highlight of the interview centered around TranzAct’s recently released Transportation Spend Management Plan eBook.We spent the bulk of our time focused on the fact that when it comes to controlling their transportation costs, a lot of shippers are focused on the wrong things! Specifically, Mitch wanted to address how companies can turn their supply chain challenges into competitive advantages by changing their focus to the issues that really matter. If you’re interested in what that means, we encourage you to read our Transportation Spend Management Plan eBook.

We invite you to watch our conversation here. And we’d welcome your thoughts about the types of things your company is focused on in building a supply chain that provides a sustainable competitive advantage.

As always, please reach out to us if you have any questions since we’re on your team, here to help, and passionate about seeing you be successful.