Up and coming leaders in the supply chain management field now have an opportunity to be recognized by their mentors or established leaders.
CSCMP is proud to announce its inaugural Young Professionals Emerging Leader Award. The award is designed to recognize active CSCMP members age 30 or under for their early and substantive contributions to the industry.
Nominees will be evaluated based on three criteria: Recognition as an up-and-coming leader; contribution to the supply chain management profession; and their potential future impact on the practice of supply chain management.
Nominations should include a descriptive summary of the nominee's achievements and contributions in 500 words or less. The summary should describe specific aspects of the nominee's business and professional experiences and include specific examples. The submission must also include one letter of recommendation written by someone who is involved in the supply chain management discipline. Letters written by current members of CSCMP's board of directors are not admissible.
The award recipient will be recognized at CSCMP's 2013 Annual Global Conference and will be invited to speak at a Young Professionals session at that event. In addition, the award winner will be spotlighted in CSCMP publications, including CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly magazine, the CSCMP membership newsletter, and the YPC Bulletin.
Nomination forms and supporting materials for the 2013 Emerging Leader Award must be submitted no later than April 15, 2013.
The nomination form and instructions for submission can be found here.
Got 75 minutes or less? Then swing by CSCMP's website—maybe during your lunch hour or before your workday starts—and expand your knowledge of core supply chain topics through the organization's Quick Courses.
Quick Course consists of: an instructional Web-based video running from 45 minutes to 75 minutes; teaching notes, which include terminology and definitions; test questions; an answer key; and recommended materials for further study. All of the Quick Courses are designed for entry-level to mid-level supply chain professionals.
Current course topics include: demand management, finance fundamentals, inventory management, materials requirement planning (MRP), operations environments, performance measurements, physical distribution systems, quality, reverse supply chain management, sales and operations planning (S&OP), risk mitigation, and master planning and capacity management.
Quick Courses cost US $64.95 for members (US $94.95 for nonmembers). Each course qualifies for 1 SCPro continuing education unit (CEU). New topics are added frequently, so check back often to see what's new.
CSCMP Hot Topics: Store-level distribution resource planning
A good way to keep on top of emerging trends and research in supply chain management is through CSCMP Hot Topics, a series of two- to four-page briefs written by subject-matter experts.
Traditionally, this type of forecasting has been based on historical shipments. Today, however, retailers can use point-of-sale data to calculate demand three levels up the supply chain. Accordingly, replenishment plans for all nodes of the supply chain can be constantly updated from such "bottom-up" forecasts. Adopting this approach, the authors say, could lead to a "supply chain revolution."
CSCMP Hot Topics, a member-only benefit, can be downloaded at no charge from CSCMP's website. Other recent issues include "Designing Supply Chain Organizational Structures," "Offshoring Trends of American Corporations," and "Supply Chain Risk Identification Structure."
CSCMP is accepting nominations for several of its most prestigious annual awards. These awards will be presented at the 2013 CSCMP Annual Global Conference, scheduled for October 20-23 in Denver, Colorado, USA.
The Distinguished Service Award is given to an academic, consultant, or practitioner who exemplifies sustained, consistent, and excellent service to the development of the discipline of supply chain management. The selected individual will have shown high integrity and moral principles throughout his or her professional career. The deadline for nominations is April 26; click here for nomination forms and more information.
The Doctoral Dissertation Award is for doctoral students whose work demonstrates significant originality and technical competence in any supply chain function. The deadline for submission is May 1. Click here for application forms and more information.
The Supply Chain Innovation Award highlights and recognizes organizations that have successfully developed and implemented an innovative supply chain program or project. The finalists will present their projects at the annual conference, and a panel of judges will vote for a winner. The deadline for submissions is March 11. Click here for application forms.
Specifically, the new global average robot density has reached a record 162 units per 10,000 employees in 2023, which is more than double the mark of 74 units measured seven years ago.
Broken into geographical regions, the European Union has a robot density of 219 units per 10,000 employees, an increase of 5.2%, with Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Slovenia in the global top ten. Next, North America’s robot density is 197 units per 10,000 employees – up 4.2%. And Asia has a robot density of 182 units per 10,000 persons employed in manufacturing - an increase of 7.6%. The economies of Korea, Singapore, mainland China and Japan are among the top ten most automated countries.
Broken into individual countries, the U.S. ranked in 10th place in 2023, with a robot density of 295 units. Higher up on the list, the top five are:
The Republic of Korea, with 1,012 robot units, showing a 5% increase on average each year since 2018 thanks to its strong electronics and automotive industries.
Singapore had 770 robot units, in part because it is a small country with a very low number of employees in the manufacturing industry, so it can reach a high robot density with a relatively small operational stock.
China took third place in 2023, surpassing Germany and Japan with a mark of 470 robot units as the nation has managed to double its robot density within four years.
Germany ranks fourth with 429 robot units for a 5% CAGR since 2018.
Japan is in fifth place with 419 robot units, showing growth of 7% on average each year from 2018 to 2023.
Progress in generative AI (GenAI) is poised to impact business procurement processes through advancements in three areas—agentic reasoning, multimodality, and AI agents—according to Gartner Inc.
Those functions will redefine how procurement operates and significantly impact the agendas of chief procurement officers (CPOs). And 72% of procurement leaders are already prioritizing the integration of GenAI into their strategies, thus highlighting the recognition of its potential to drive significant improvements in efficiency and effectiveness, Gartner found in a survey conducted in July, 2024, with 258 global respondents.
Gartner defined the new functions as follows:
Agentic reasoning in GenAI allows for advanced decision-making processes that mimic human-like cognition. This capability will enable procurement functions to leverage GenAI to analyze complex scenarios and make informed decisions with greater accuracy and speed.
Multimodality refers to the ability of GenAI to process and integrate multiple forms of data, such as text, images, and audio. This will make GenAI more intuitively consumable to users and enhance procurement's ability to gather and analyze diverse information sources, leading to more comprehensive insights and better-informed strategies.
AI agents are autonomous systems that can perform tasks and make decisions on behalf of human operators. In procurement, these agents will automate procurement tasks and activities, freeing up human resources to focus on strategic initiatives, complex problem-solving and edge cases.
As CPOs look to maximize the value of GenAI in procurement, the study recommended three starting points: double down on data governance, develop and incorporate privacy standards into contracts, and increase procurement thresholds.
“These advancements will usher procurement into an era where the distance between ideas, insights, and actions will shorten rapidly,” Ryan Polk, senior director analyst in Gartner’s Supply Chain practice, said in a release. "Procurement leaders who build their foundation now through a focus on data quality, privacy and risk management have the potential to reap new levels of productivity and strategic value from the technology."
Businesses are cautiously optimistic as peak holiday shipping season draws near, with many anticipating year-over-year sales increases as they continue to battle challenging supply chain conditions.
That’s according to the DHL 2024 Peak Season Shipping Survey, released today by express shipping service provider DHL Express U.S. The company surveyed small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to gauge their holiday business outlook compared to last year and found that a mix of optimism and “strategic caution” prevail ahead of this year’s peak.
Nearly half (48%) of the SMEs surveyed said they expect higher holiday sales compared to 2023, while 44% said they expect sales to remain on par with last year, and just 8% said they foresee a decline. Respondents said the main challenges to hitting those goals are supply chain problems (35%), inflation and fluctuating consumer demand (34%), staffing (16%), and inventory challenges (14%).
But respondents said they have strategies in place to tackle those issues. Many said they began preparing for holiday season earlier this year—with 45% saying they started planning in Q2 or earlier, up from 39% last year. Other strategies include expanding into international markets (35%) and leveraging holiday discounts (32%).
Sixty percent of respondents said they will prioritize personalized customer service as a way to enhance customer interactions and loyalty this year. Still others said they will invest in enhanced web and mobile experiences (23%) and eco-friendly practices (13%) to draw customers this holiday season.
That challenge is one of the reasons that fewer shoppers overall are satisfied with their shopping experiences lately, Lincolnshire, Illinois-based Zebra said in its “17th Annual Global Shopper Study.” While 85% of shoppers last year were satisfied with both the in-store and online experiences, only 81% in 2024 are satisfied with the in-store experience and just 79% with online shopping.
In response, most retailers (78%) say they are investing in technology tools that can help both frontline workers and those watching operations from behind the scenes to minimize theft and loss, Zebra said.
Just 38% of retailers currently use artificial intelligence-based prescriptive analytics for loss prevention, but a much larger 50% say they plan to use it in the next one to three years. Retailers also said they plan to invest in self-checkout cameras and sensors (45%), computer vision (46%), and RFID tags and readers (42%) within the next three years to help with loss prevention.
Those strategies could help improve the brick-and-mortar shopping experience, as 78% of shoppers say it’s annoying when products are locked up or secured within cases. Part of that frustration, according to consumers, is fueled by the extra time it takes to find an associate to them unlock those cases. Seventy percent of consumers say they have trouble finding sales associates to help them during in-store shopping. In response, some just walk out; one in five shoppers has left a store without getting what they needed because a retail associate wasn’t available to help, an increase over the past two years.
Additional areas of frustrations identified by retailers and associates include:
The difficulty of implementing "click and collect" or in-story returns, despite high shopper demand for them;
The struggle to confirm current inventory and pricing;
Lingering labor shortages; and
Increasing loss incidents.
“Many retailers are laying the groundwork to build a modern store experience,” Matt Guiste, Global Retail Technology Strategist, Zebra Technologies, said in a release. “They are investing in mobile and intelligent automation technologies to help inform operational decisions and enable associates to do the things that keep shoppers happy.”
The survey was administered online by Azure Knowledge Corporation and included 4,200 adult shoppers (age 18+), decision-makers, and associates, who replied to questions about the topics of shopper experience, device and technology usage, and delivery and fulfillment in store and online.
Census data showed that overall retail sales in October were up 0.4% seasonally adjusted month over month and up 2.8% unadjusted year over year. That compared with increases of 0.8% month over month and 2% year over year in September.
October’s core retail sales as defined by NRF — based on the Census data but excluding automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants — were unchanged seasonally adjusted month over month but up 5.4% unadjusted year over year.
Core sales were up 3.5% year over year for the first 10 months of the year, in line with NRF’s forecast for 2024 retail sales to grow between 2.5% and 3.5% over 2023. NRF is forecasting that 2024 holiday sales during November and December will also increase between 2.5% and 3.5% over the same time last year.
“October’s pickup in retail sales shows a healthy pace of spending as many consumers got an early start on holiday shopping,” NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said in a release. “October sales were a good early step forward into the holiday shopping season, which is now fully underway. Falling energy prices have likely provided extra dollars for household spending on retail merchandise.”
Despite that positive trend, market watchers cautioned that retailers still need to offer competitive value propositions and customer experience in order to succeed in the holiday season. “The American consumer has been more resilient than anyone could have expected. But that isn’t a free pass for retailers to under invest in their stores,” Nikki Baird, VP of strategy & product at Aptos, a solutions provider of unified retail technology based out of Alpharetta, Georgia, said in a statement. “They need to make investments in labor, customer experience tech, and digital transformation. It has been too easy to kick the can down the road until you suddenly realize there’s no road left.”
A similar message came from Chip West, a retail and consumer behavior expert at the marketing, packaging, print and supply chain solutions provider RRD. “October’s increase proved to be slightly better than projections and was likely boosted by lower fuel prices. As inflation slowed for a number of months, prices in several categories have stabilized, with some even showing declines, offering further relief to consumers,” West said. “The data also looks to be a positive sign as we kick off the holiday shopping season. Promotions and discounts will play a prominent role in holiday shopping behavior as they are key influencers in consumer’s purchasing decisions.”