Mitch Mac Donald has more than 30 years of experience in both the newspaper and magazine businesses. He has covered the logistics and supply chain fields since 1988. Twice named one of the Top 10 Business Journalists in the U.S., he has served in a multitude of editorial and publishing roles. The leading force behind the launch of Supply Chain Management Review, he was that brand's founding publisher and editorial director from 1997 to 2000. Additionally, he has served as news editor, chief editor, publisher and editorial director of Logistics Management, as well as publisher of Modern Materials Handling. Mitch is also the president and CEO of Agile Business Media, LLC, the parent company of DC VELOCITY and CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly.
We are immersed in technology. Thanks to the easy availability of devices ranging from PDAs and smartphones to tablets and personal computers, we are always plugged in and connected. For the most part, it's a good thing. Sometimes, though, we're reminded that connectivity doesn't always mean connecting.
That point was brought home to us during our latest rounds on the conference and trade show circuit. The season kicked off on Jan. 21 with the biennial ProMat show in Chicago. DC Velocity had a full complement of editors on hand to cover this important show from every angle, cranking out over 50 stories and three-dozen "Supply Chain Spotlight" video interviews during the first three days of the event.
From there, members our editorial team fanned out to cover seven other conferences and shows in a five-week period—events ranging from grocery and retail supply chain shows to manufacturing, transportation, and distribution conferences. The team has covered the map—as well as the industry—with stops in Chicago, Atlanta, Orlando, Washington, and even Mumbai, India.
Traveling to all these shows and conferences is exhausting, but it's also invaluable to our editors in developing the content you rely on to help you do your job better. We often note that you can't cover a market chained to a desk. You can't get a great story via e-mail and text messaging, or even over the phone.
No, to really get the great stories—and to be able to tell these stories properly—we need to go out into the market physically.
Take the ProMat show as an example. Sure, we could all have sat back in our respective editorial offices across the U.S. and waited for the exhibitors' press releases to flow in so we could post them to our website and then stream them out to you via our e-Show Daily. Others do it that way, so why not DC Velocity?
Because you can't ask questions of a press release. You can't see the "news in action" from a Facebook post. You can't gauge the passion and excitement surrounding a new product launch or a new service announcement by scanning Twitter feeds. No, to really, truly get the story, you need personal "connection," not impersonal, technology-based "connectivity." Simply put, you need the human touch.
By traveling the world, we get to meet and talk face to face with the movers and shakers, the innovators, the thought leaders, and the emerging subject-matter experts. We not only get to learn and report it back to you, but we get to develop relationships. We are not just "friends" on Facebook, or "followers" on Twitter. We are people meeting people. We are gathering the news and building relationships. Real relationships. It is these relationships that allow us to not only gather the deliver the news, but also provide analysis and texture. What does the news mean for the market? What does it mean for the future of the logistics profession? Will it allow our readers to do things better, faster, and more efficiently? To answer all those questions, and do so in a substantive, meaningful way, we need to meet the people, face to face.
Although this is not a revelation, it is a welcome reminder of a fundamental truth that's often forgotten in our digital age: While e-mail, text messaging, Tweets, Facebook posts, and LinkedIn networking may be useful supplements to human interaction, they are by no means a replacement. To build relationships, establish trust, and avoid misunderstandings, people need to meet. People need to connect. People need to reach out, not hide behind technology-enabled "connectivity."
In an age when connectivity sometimes seems to have usurped connecting, a few weeks on the road— seeing, being, and networking with people—prove that face time still matters. It matters a lot.
The number of container ships waiting outside U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports has swelled from just three vessels on Sunday to 54 on Thursday as a dockworker strike has swiftly halted bustling container traffic at some of the nation’s business facilities, according to analysis by Everstream Analytics.
As of Thursday morning, the two ports with the biggest traffic jams are Savannah (15 ships) and New York (14), followed by single-digit numbers at Mobile, Charleston, Houston, Philadelphia, Norfolk, Baltimore, and Miami, Everstream said.
The impact of that clogged flow of goods will depend on how long the strike lasts, analysts with Moody’s said. The firm’s Moody’s Analytics division estimates the strike will cause a daily hit to the U.S. economy of at least $500 million in the coming days. But that impact will jump to $2 billion per day if the strike persists for several weeks.
The immediate cost of the strike can be seen in rising surcharges and rerouting delays, which can be absorbed by most enterprise-scale companies but hit small and medium-sized businesses particularly hard, a report from Container xChange says.
“The timing of this strike is especially challenging as we are in our traditional peak season. While many pulled forward shipments earlier this year to mitigate risks, stockpiled inventories will only cushion businesses for so long. If the strike continues for an extended period, we could see significant strain on container availability and shipping schedules,” Christian Roeloffs, cofounder and CEO of Container xChange, said in a release.
“For small and medium-sized container traders, this could result in skyrocketing logistics costs and delays, making it harder to secure containers. The longer the disruption lasts, the more difficult it will be for these businesses to keep pace with market demands,” Roeloffs said.
The British logistics robot vendor Dexory this week said it has raised $80 million in venture funding to support an expansion of its artificial intelligence (AI) powered features, grow its global team, and accelerate the deployment of its autonomous robots.
A “significant focus” continues to be on expanding across the U.S. market, where Dexory is live with customers in seven states and last month opened a U.S. headquarters in Nashville. The Series B will also enhance development and production facilities at its UK headquarters, the firm said.
The “series B” funding round was led by DTCP, with participation from Latitude Ventures, Wave-X and Bootstrap Europe, along with existing investors Atomico, Lakestar, Capnamic, and several angels from the logistics industry. With the close of the round, Dexory has now raised $120 million over the past three years.
Dexory says its product, DexoryView, provides real-time visibility across warehouses of any size through its autonomous mobile robots and AI. The rolling bots use sensor and image data and continuous data collection to perform rapid warehouse scans and create digital twins of warehouse spaces, allowing for optimized performance and future scenario simulations.
Originally announced in September, the move will allow Deutsche Bahn to “fully focus on restructuring the rail infrastructure in Germany and providing climate-friendly passenger and freight transport operations in Germany and Europe,” Werner Gatzer, Chairman of the DB Supervisory Board, said in a release.
For its purchase price, DSV gains an organization with around 72,700 employees at over 1,850 locations. The new owner says it plans to investment around one billion euros in coming years to promote additional growth in German operations. Together, DSV and Schenker will have a combined workforce of approximately 147,000 employees in more than 90 countries, earning pro forma revenue of approximately $43.3 billion (based on 2023 numbers), DSV said.
After removing that unit, Deutsche Bahn retains its core business called the “Systemverbund Bahn,” which includes passenger transport activities in Germany, rail freight activities, operational service units, and railroad infrastructure companies. The DB Group, headquartered in Berlin, employs around 340,000 people.
“We have set clear goals to structurally modernize Deutsche Bahn in the areas of infrastructure, operations and profitability and focus on the core business. The proceeds from the sale will significantly reduce DB’s debt and thus make an important contribution to the financial stability of the DB Group. At the same time, DB Schenker will gain a strong strategic owner in DSV,” Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz said in a release.
Transportation industry veteran Anne Reinke will become president & CEO of trade group the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) at the end of the year, stepping into the position from her previous post leading third party logistics (3PL) trade group the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), both organizations said today.
Meanwhile, TIA today announced that insider Christopher Burroughs would fill Reinke’s shoes as president & CEO. Burroughs has been with TIA for 13 years, most recently as its vice president of Government Affairs for the past six years, during which time he oversaw all legislative and regulatory efforts before Congress and the federal agencies.
Before her four years leading TIA, Reinke spent two years as Deputy Assistant Secretary with the U.S. Department of Transportation and 16 years with CSX Corporation.
National nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) kicked off its 2024 season this week with a call for volunteers. The group, which honors U.S. military veterans through a range of civic outreach programs, is seeking trucking companies and professional drivers to help deliver wreaths to cemeteries across the country for its annual wreath-laying ceremony, December 14.
“Wreaths Across America relies on the transportation industry to move the mission. The Honor Fleet, composed of dedicated carriers, professional drivers, and other transportation partners, guarantees the delivery of millions of sponsored veterans’ wreaths to their destination each year,” Courtney George, WAA’s director of trucking and industry relations, said in a statement Tuesday. “Transportation partners benefit from driver retention and recruitment, employee engagement, positive brand exposure, and the opportunity to give back to their community’s veterans and military families.”
WAA delivers wreaths to more than 4,500 locations nationwide, and as of this week had added more than 20 loads to be delivered this season. The wreaths are donated by sponsors from across the country, delivered by truckers, and laid at the graves of veterans by WAA volunteers.
Wreaths Across America
Transportation companies interested in joining the Honor Fleet can visit the WAA website to find an open lane or contact the WAA transportation team at trucking@wreathsacrossamerica.org for more information.