With the crisis in Iraq, four countries are now experiencing severe humanitarian emergencies involving the displacement of millions of people, something experts and relief groups say hasn’t been seen in decades.
Iraq, Syria, the Central African Republic and South Sudan are all going through Level 3 emergencies, the United Nations’ highest classification of a humanitarian crisis.
By Hiral Nisar and Joshua Rosenzweig, MIT SCM Class of 2014
By Edgar E. Blanco
Picture a truck delivering product in a traffic-choked megacity and physical obstacles such as a maze of one-way streets come to mind. But hindrances like these are manifestations of a more fundamental problem: constantly changing traffic regulations.
How do companies overcome regulatory speed bumps in sprawling urban areas where government is highly fragmented and the movement of passenger vehicles often takes precedence over freight flows?
One approach that some companies are trying is to develop win-win relationships with city regulators.
Contact:
Sarah J. Smith
Communications Specialist
MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics
+1 617.253.4592 / sajsmith@mit.edu
Registration Link: http://goo.gl/uTykIc
Companies cut expenses and carbon when they ‘compete on the shelf and collaborate on the back of a truck’. But how to build the trust it needs to succeed?
When Ocean Spray opened a new distribution center in Lakeland, Florida in 2011, the facility’s proximity to a rail yard used by a competitor created a behind-the-scenes opportunity to work together.
By Dr. Yossi Sheffi, LinkedIn Influencer
In 2012 Battushig Myanganbayar became one of 340 students to earn a perfect score in the sophomore-level MIT course Circuits and Electronics, reported the New York Times. What is remarkable about this – aside from the student’s exceptional grade – is that the 15-year-old boy was living in Mongolia at the time and was one of 150,000 students taking the course.
By Dr. Roberto Perez-Franco
In early 2011, Lamynix, a leading manufacturer of specialty laminates, was approached by one of its major customers with an enticing contract. VideoFlat offered a premium price to buy a protective film that was twice as wide as the usual size for its new generation of high-end flat screen TVs and computer monitors. The catch: In order to be ready for the product launch, the new laminate had to be in production within 12 months.
By Brad Gilligan and Huiping Jin, MIT SCM Class of 2014
Products received from suppliers are not always available exactly when retail channels need them. Items that arrive way too early clog up warehouse space while latecomers often incur expediting costs and lost sales. By tailoring transportation methods and distribution center processes to match the delivery speed required of each product, companies can reduce the cost of transportation, prevent excess inventory, and eliminate lost sales.
By Dr. Yossi Sheffi, LinkedIn Influencer
The 2014 FIFA World Cup is finally over. If you’re not a soccer fan maybe you’re still wondering what all the fuss was about. But followers of the game (including myself) now have to wait four long years before the next tournament.
Until then, we can revel in the memories of what was one of the most entertaining competitions in recent decades. And we can draw some important lessons from this wonderful spectacle – including ones that are particularly relevant to supply chain leaders.
By Chris Caplice and Shardul Phadnis
We know in the U.S. that the nation’s transportation infrastructure urgently needs investment. The same is true in many other parts of the world. Why aren’t more projects underway?
A modern car isn’t the mechanical device many of today’s older drivers grew up with, said Joseph Coughlin, director of the AgeLab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and another participant in the driving forum. “It’s a piece of software,” he said.
Contract negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and U.S. West Coast waterfront employers are shining a light on the integrity of the U.S. ports system. If talks break down, import and export cargo flows will be at risk. One critical element missing from the debate is how to manage the risk of port disruptions and make these vital cargo-handling systems more resilient.
MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics’ Dr. Yossi Sheffi discusses the difficulty of same day delivery from online retailers. He speaks on Bloomberg Television’s “Bloomberg West.”
By Ashley Dorna, Executive Vice President, Supply Chain and IT, Niagara Bottling, LLC, and Jim Rice, Deputy Director, MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics
You are grappling with age-old questions: What should my supply chain look like in the future? What new innovation can I apply to lower costs, increase service levels, and disrupt competitors?
By Dr. Yossi Sheffi, LinkedIn Influencer
Recent reports that Amazon.com is testing its own truck network for the delivery of orders to consumers’ doorsteps surmise, not surprisingly, that the move represents a threat to parcel carriers such as FedEx and UPS.
As is often the case when complex competitive strategies hit the headlines, however, there may be more to this story than meets the eye.
Community springs to action after the Philippines’ deadliest natural disaster
By Chris Caplice & Francisco Jauffred
Can both levers be coordinated to create the right level of resilience despite unforeseen changes in the environment, such as lead time delays, demand fluctuations or network failures?
According to Jim Rice, deputy director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, folks in the industry are concerned that “a 20-fold increase in scanning will add enormous delays and costs, and those concerns have not been genuinely addressed yet.”
By María Jesús Sáenz, Program Director and Professor of Supply Chain Management for the MIT Global SCALE Network, and Luis Herrero, CIO and Supply Director for Leroy Merlin in Spain.
By Dr. Yossi Sheffi, LinkedIn Influencer
When asked if supply chain management (SCM) is simply moving stuff around quickly and cheaply, Yossi Sheffi, the Elisha Gray II Professor of Engineering Systems at MIT, smiles and poses his own question: “Are you crazy? It’s life. Everything you buy depends upon it.” Supply chains also create millions of jobs globally and “at salaries about equal to manufacturing jobs,” says Sheffi, director of the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL).
By Dr. Yossi Sheffi, LinkedIn Influencer
Supply chain management (SCM) is no longer the Rodney Dangerfield of corporate functions.
While sales and marketing wins customers, SCM keeps them with excellent service and unfailing on-shelf availability. And these qualities are becoming even more important in the age of e-commerce.
Regions and countries around the world are competing fiercely to hold on to factories while incubating new, high-tech industries. Yet, for many, there may be a more sustainable path to success: becoming a logistics center for transportation and distribution.
Business executives spend a lot of time fretting over the supply chain, and for good reason. Making the right decisions about mobile commerce and web-based logistics can make or break a company. Yet just when you think you've got a handle on it, the supply chain goes and changes again
The Supply Chain at MIT blog was named one of SupplyChainOpz's Top 50 Supply Chain Blogs of 2014.