Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY

Our guest on this week's episode is Jeannie Carpenter, senior director of global logistics at Jabil. Most supply chain managers aim to design their networks to be efficient at the lowest possible cost. But they also want to make good decisions that will help reduce their supply chain’s impact on the environment. Today's guest explains that those objectives don’t have to be mutually exclu...

Our guest on this week's episode is Pawan Joshi, executive vice president, product management & strategy at E2open. With the rebound in air travel, there are more flights available now to shippers, including cargo-only flights and belly space on passenger planes. How can shippers take advantage of that extra capacity and the lower rates now available?  We’ve seen a lot of advances in robo...

Our guest on this week's episode is Spencer Shute, principal consultant  at Proxima, a company that provides procurement services. While negotiations are ongoing, the strike by the United Auto Workers against the big three automakers is entering its second week and may expand to other plants. Of course, the longer this goes on, the more it affects supply chains. Shute discusses the current st...

Our guest on this week's episode is retired materials handling executive Mike Kotecki. He has just written a new book, Leadership for Engineers: How to Turn Perfectly Good STEM Professionals into Management . Kotecki was formerly an executive with HK Systems and Dematic. He discusses his personal journey into management and how STEM professionals have many of the tools needed to become good i...

Our guest on this week's episode is Don Hicks, CEO of Optilogic. As manufacturing is declining in China, many companies are turning to Mexico and other Latin American countries to assure a steady supply of goods while also shortening their supply chains. But will nearshoring actually resolve many of the problems supply chains have faced in the past few years?  We discuss the benefits and pitf...

Our guest on this week's episode is Patrick Soleymani, associate professor within the management area in the School of Business at George Mason University. By any measure, 2023 has been a difficult year for the trucking industry. Just how bad are market conditions and when will trucking see a return to better times? Our guest offers some insights as to what has caused the freight recession an...

Our guest on this week's episode is Kathy Fulton, executive director of ALAN, the American Logistics Aid Network. Just within the past two weeks, our nation has been rocked by two weather-related catastrophes: the wildfire tragedy in Maui and also Tropical Storm Hilary, which has brought unprecedented rain and flooding to western states. We talk about these disasters and how our logistics ind...

Our guest on this week's episode is Anne Reinke, president and CEO of TIA, The Transportation Intermediaries Association. Cargo theft and transportation fraud are on the rise.  Criminal groups and bad actors often pose as legitimate freight brokers and carriers with the aim of taking payments for services they will never fulfill. What can carriers and shippers do to be sure they are staying a...

Our guest on this week's episode is Dr. Thomas Evans, robotics chief technology officer for Honeywell. Supply chains have been roughed up quite a bit this year, with transportation in a recession and many warehouse projects on hold throughout the industry. Yet, even with the current economic climate, buyers are still making investments in warehouse robotics, but possibly smaller investments t...

Our guest on this week's episode is Caroline Chumakov, director analyst, talent and sustainability team at Gartner. Women continue to make inroads and impacts within supply chains as they are filling more executive and leadership positions in the industry. Our guest shares about the findings of new Gartner research,  2023 Women in Supply Chain Survey. Probably the biggest story in logistics o...

Our guest on this week's episode is Tom Nightingale, CEO of AFS Logistics. UPS and the Teamsters Union that represents 340,000 UPS drivers and warehouse workers reached a tentative agreement this week on a new labor deal. What will this mean for shippers? Will rates see a rise? And how will other carriers respond? Our guest has some insights on how this and other recent labor negotiations wil...

Our guest on this week's episode is Greg Tuthill, chief commercial officer at SeaCube Containers. It is estimated that 1.3 billion tons of food are lost or wasted annually worldwide — that adds up to about 30% of all food grown and more than a trillion dollars' worth annually. Much of the waste comes from food that spoils during shipping. The problem is only expected to get worse as peop...

Our guest on this week's episode is Darcy MacClaren, global chief revenue officer for digital supply chain at SAP. We keep hearing of AI everywhere these days and how it might revolutionize our supply chains. On top of that, consumers this week experienced the annual Amazon Prime Day. How are both of these affecting the supply chain industry?   It has been a rocky year in transportation, as t...

Our guest on this week's episode is Bart De Muynck, chief industry officer at project44 . The world continues to see the effects of climate change, and now it is affecting our transportation networks. Ongoing drought conditions in Central America have caused lower water levels in the Panama Canal, restricting the number of vessels and the amount of containers they can carry as they make the c...

Our guest on this week's episode is Jason Haith, branch manager of OEC Group's Louisville office. Anyone who has followed freight markets over the past year is well aware that they have undergone drastic changes.  These changes make it harder for both shippers and carriers to decide what is fair pricing as they move to sign new contracts and to find carriage on the spot markets. As a sea...

Our guest on this week's episode is Dr. Stefan Heck, CEO and founder of Nauto, a technology company that improves safety for fleet drivers. June is National Safety Month. Drivers on our nation’s roads have less than two seconds to react to most situations that can result in an accident, injury, or even death. But there are technologies available that incorporate artificial intelligence to hel...

Our guest on this week's episode is Brian Feehan, president of the Industrial Truck Association, the trade group of the forklift industry. This coming Tuesday marks the 10th anniversary of National Forklift Safety Day, the forklift industry's annual recognition of the need for ongoing operator training for forklifts. Feehan shares about the work of the industry to promote safety in and a...

Our guest on this week's episode is Craig Malloy, CEO of Vecna Robotics. With the current shortage of labor, many companies are rushing to fill the gaps in their distribution operations with automated systems. But, how do they get started and what are the barriers to achieving their goals? Our guest today has some insights. Mezzanines and work platforms are used in warehouses and distribution...

Our guest on this week's episode is Max Farrell, cofounder and CEO of WorkHound. 2023 has not been so rosy for trucking. Volumes are down, and the capacity built up during the pandemic is more than what is needed currently. What is causing the current problems for trucking and what might conditions be like for truckers during the second half of the year? Our guest shares some insights from re...

Our guest on this week's episode is Eduardo Lopez-Soriano, vice president of marketing for UPS Capital - the shipping insurance division of UPS.  Consumers want more than just speed in e-commerce delivery. They also want features like accurate parcel tracking and time-definite delivery windows. But, can shippers provide those profitably? Our guest discusses ways to personalize the e-commerce...

Our guest on this week's episode is Spencer Shute, principal consultant at Proxima. We hear talk of artificial intelligence just about everywhere these days. These new technologies hold the promise of making life better in a number of ways. But how can artificial intelligence be applied to the logistics industry? Our guest has some ideas. The logistics industry has been preparing for Mother&a...

Our guest on this week's episode is Ron Greene, SVP Intel and Fusion Center at Overhaul, a global logistics risk-management software company. Cargo theft continues to plague the industry, as millions of dollars worth of products are stolen each year from facilities as well as from trailers in transit. How serious is the problem of theft, and what can be done to prevent it? We discuss how tech...

Our guest on this week's episode is Dustin Burke, a managing director and senior partner at Boston Consulting Group. Recently BCG conducted research on how C-suite leaders feel about current business conditions. The research also looked at their attitudes toward their supply chains. Burke shares the results and how viewpoints differ depending on where respondents are in the world. Many compan...

Our guest on this week's episode is Martin Buena-Franco, automation products marketing manager for The Raymond Corporation. We have all seen the impacts that automation technologies are making in our distribution operations. But with so much new automation out there, how does a warehouse operator know where to start on the automation journey? Our guest provides some insights.  The trucking bu...

Our guest on this week's episode is Paul Brashier, vice president of drayage and intermodal for ITS Logistics. Longshoremen still don’t have a contract agreement with West Coast ports – and last week they staged a temporary work stoppage. Is this a sign of more to come, and should shippers trust their goods moving through these ports? Our guest explains the current situation and what shippers...