The SupplyChainBrain Podcast

Does commercial shipping have to be a matter of life or death? Pirates continue to plague the international shipping lanes, and while vessel seizures off the coast of Somalia are down, they're multiplying in other parts of the world. Martin Murphy, senior research fellow at the Center for Foreign Policy Studies at Dalhousie University, is one of the world's leading experts on maritime pi...

All hail the omni-channel. But how can logistics providers possibly keep pace with an explosion in the number of delivery points within a city that must be served? Bob Farrell, president and chief executive officer of Kewill, has an innovative proposal. He'd like to see the construction of shared logistics centers, occupied by multiple service providers, feeding shipments into retail stores a...

It's supposed to be a trade dispute between the U.S. and China over solar cells. But that's not the real story. What's more interesting is the way in which the Commerce Department determines whether imports are being ''dumped'' in U.S. markets. The formula might be based on prices in countries that have little or nothing to do with the matter at hand. It all come...

What's eating the American transportation infrastructure? Corrosion. Even the strongest structures eventually fall victim to natural law, but the process is accelerated by human neglect. When will the next bridge collapse? Absent regular care and maintenance, ''it's not a question of whether – it's a question of when,'' says Richard Grant, a principal with Russel...

Is the reshoring trend for real? Sean Adkins, managing director and operations practice leader with West Monroe Partners LLC, a business and technology-consulting firm, talks about the factors that are making China a less attractive place to source manufacturing for consumer markets in the western hemisphere. Wages in China are on the rise, he says, and importers must shoulder additional costs suc...

The art of storytelling isn't just for movies and works of fiction. Celebrated screenwriting guru Robert McKee, whose students over the years have included more than 50 Academy Award winners, explains how the elements of story can help businesses to enact change within the organization, attract investors, market and advertise products, and cope with crises that threaten to destroy a company&a...

Why are companies doing such a poor job of retaining and attracting top talent in supply-chain management? Jake Barr, chief executive officer of Blue World Consulting LLC, and a former supply-chain executive with Procter Gamble, has some tips for how companies can hang on to their current employees, find new ones and ensure that candidates have the right skills to manage modern-day supply chains.

What do you need to know about the changes in international trade law and regulation that are coming in 2014 and beyond? SupplyChainBrain Managing Editor Bob Bowman talks to Peter Quinter, chair of the Customs International Law Group of Gray Robinson. They cover new developments in the U.S. and abroad, touching upon the many stages involved in sourcing product and getting it to markets around the...