2021 Was the Year Supply Chain Managers Became Cool

February 15, 2022 • In the Media

In an interview with Quartz, executive director of MIT’s master’s program in supply chain management Maria Jesus Saénz discussed the increase in supply chain professionals recruited directly from the program.

The Warehouse Space Race

February 08, 2022 • In the Media

MIT CTL Director Yossi Sheffi was recently interviewed by The American Prospect about the future of just-in-time inventories, which have been called into question amid pandemic disruptions.

Just-in-time is not going to go away anytime soon, or maybe ever, because it’s just too good. […] I’m not saying get out of China or Southeast Asia. But think about distributing your purchasing power.

Read the full article on The American Prospect 

Three Ways to Leverage Sustainability as a Growth Engine

February 08, 2022 • In the Media

Supply Chain Brain recently called out the State of Supply Chain Sustainability 2021 in reference leveraging sustainability as a way to build stronger and more cost-efficient supply chains to maintain competitive advantage.

'Phantom Orders,' the Global Chip Shortage, and the Next Big Recession

February 04, 2022 • In the Media

In an article for Abu Dhabi-based The National, Yossi Sheffi writes that while the global supply shortage of microchips may recover, the markets might not return to normal—and they may have actually helped seed another crisis in the form of a global economic recession.

Students Compete and Deliver Solutions to Companies in Supply Chain Challenge

February 03, 2022 • News

Graduate supply chain management students from the MIT Global Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence (SCALE) Network put their heads together last month to find solutions to real-world supply chain problems in the second annual MIT Supply Chain Challenge.

Students Pitch Business Ideas to "Sharks" in Entrepreneurship Challenge

February 03, 2022 • News

The 2022 SCALE Connect conference ended in a whirlwind of group project presentations and awards ceremonies. One of the team-based challenges of the conference is the annual entrepreneurial challenge competition: a product development and pitch challenge sponsored by the ASCM Massachusetts Minuteman chapter, in the style of the hit TV show "Shark Tank". Randomly assigned student teams propose and pitch solutions to problems on the UN Global Issues List.

Commentary: Pandemic Shortages Haven’t Shattered the Case for ‘Just-in-Time’ Supply Chains

January 30, 2022 • In the Media

In The Wall Street Journal, CTL Director Yossi Sheffi writes that pandemic-induced shortages aren't a reason to dismiss the importance of just-in-time practices, as they help to reinforce resilience by strengthening the relationship along the supply chain between companies, their suppliers, and customers:

Supply Chain Issues Impact Availability of Some Pet Food Items

January 26, 2022 • In the Media

NBC10 Boston spoke with CTL Director Yossi Sheffi for a January 26 piece about recent pet food shortages. Pet adoptions increased during the pandemic, leading to higher demand for pet food and supplies at a time of ongoing supply chain disruptions and raw material shortages.

"Demand for goods started going through the roof," Sheffi said. "When this issue starts, people start hoarding, people start buying everything in sight just to make sure they are not going to run short, and this, of course, exacerbates the situation."

El nuevo libro de Sheffi del MIT relata la épica misión llevada a cabo para entregar vacunas contra el COVID-19

January 25, 2022 • Press Releases
“Una carrera contra el tiempo” presenta lecciones sobre cómo superar amenazas globales. La carrera para entregar una vacuna contra el COVID-19 se ha comparado con un viaje a la luna, pero en varios sentidos fue más fácil llevar al hombre a la luna. En el nuevo libro “Una carrera contra el tiempo: Cómo colaboraron la ciencia, la ingeniería y las cadenas de abastecimiento para vacunar al mundo” (MIT CTL Media, 2021) recientemente publicado por el profesor Yossi Sheffi, del MIT, se relata el extraordinario viaje de la vacuna, pasando por los avances científicos, el desarrollo del antídoto contra el coronavirus, y finalmente llegando a la vacunación masiva. Además, explora cómo la misión podría transformar la lucha contra las enfermedades mortales y otros desafíos a escala global.

Prepare for the Bullwhip’s Sting

January 13, 2022 • In the Media

In an article for MIT Sloan Management Review, CTL Director Yossi Sheffi writes that rising inflation and global supply chain problems raise concerns that a recession is looming.

Freight Costs Expected to Keep Rising in 2022

December 20, 2021 • In the Media

CTL Executive Director Chris Caplice was recently interviewed by the Wall Street Journal on current freight trends. Last month, the average contract rate for freight hit a record $2.51 per mile. Such tight trucking capacity is prompting companies to continue their current contracts with carriers to avoid competition on the open market bidding for new transportation.

“If you go out to bid, you can expect your rates will be 10% to 15% higher, on average,” he said.

David Correll Comments on Biden Administration's Trucking Plan

December 17, 2021 • In the Media

MIT FreightLab Co-Director David Correll was interviewed by Scripps Media about the Biden administration's action plan on trucking, which was released Thursday. The plan, he says, is a step in the right direction and the sign of a potential shift—that drivers' time is being valued more highly and more fairly.

Watch the full interview here:

White House Cites CTL Research in Trucking Action Plan

December 16, 2021 • News

Today, the Biden administration released details on its Trucking Action Plan to Strengthen America's Trucking Workforce.

All Packed Up and No Place to Go

December 15, 2021 • In the Media

SCM Instructor Toby Gooley, Contributing Editor at CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly magazine writes that low inventory and shipping backlogs have caused many U.S. importers to shift from ocean to air transport.


“Normally, that would be an effective, if expensive, strategy, but as the Covid-19 pandemic grinds on, it has exacerbated some of the very problems shippers were trying to avoid: capacity constraints, congestion, and delayed deliveries.”

The Changing Landscape of Omnichannel Fulfillment

December 13, 2021 • In the Media

CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly features Dr. Eva Ponce's research on omnichannel fulfillment and how it is changing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"To address omnichannel distribution challenges, retailers are concentrating on upgrading and, in some cases, completely redesigning their networks to integrate the online and offline channels and be able to compete in today's cutthroat retail environment. As part of the process, many must weight the tradeoffs between distance, cost, and fulfillment capacity, especially when they need to provide same-day deliveries"

Experts Say Reports of an American Truck Driver Shortage are Overblown

December 05, 2021 • In the Media

MIT FreightLab Co-Director David Correll was interviewed by Business Insider about the current issues facing America's truck driving shortage.

"I think if consumers really understood what it was like for the truck drivers who deliver all their goods, they might be a little embarrassed or ashamed," Correll told Insider. "There's no way to over-emphasize how difficult their job is, but now that we have this spotlight on the industry, maybe people can try to make it better.

Like COVID, tackling climate change demands a technological leap

December 03, 2021 • In the Media
On the LSE COVID-19 Blog from the London School of Economics and Political Science, Yossi Sheffi discusses how lessons learned from the pandemic can be applied to other large-scale global problems like climate change.

FreightLab Co-Director Gives Expert Testimony on Improving Trucking Capacity at Congressional Hearing

December 01, 2021 • News

MIT CTL Research Scientist David Correll was recently invited to give expert testimony to the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He served as a witness at a committee hearing held November 17 to dive into the ongoing supply chain bottlenecks and explore the issue from the perspectives of industry and labor.

J.D. Power and MIT AVT Study on Fully Automated Self-Driving Vehicles: Consumers Don’t Know What They Don’t Know

November 30, 2021 • Press Releases

Mobility Confidence Index Study in collaboration with MIT Advanced Vehicle Technology Consortium and Partners for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE)

Jonathan Byrnes in SC Quarterly Magazine: Supply Chain is the Best Defense Against Digital Giants

November 04, 2021 • In the Media

CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly Q3 2021 issue features a cover story by CTL's Jonathan Byrnes, writing with John Wass (Staples, Profit Isle). The piece is adapted from their recently published book, Choose Your Customer: How to Compete Against the Digital Giants and Thrive.

2022 State of Supply Chain Sustainability Study Launches Data Collection Phase

November 01, 2021 • News

The third annual State of Supply Chain Sustainability global study is under way! One crucial way the report is collecting data is through a brief survey of supply chain professionals across the globe.

Even If The Money Flows, Will Workers Be Available To Rebuild U.S. Infrastructure?

October 31, 2021 • In the Media

AgeLab Director Joe Coughlin writes in Forbes:


"The bridges, roads, rails, dams, wastewater treatment, electrical grid, and transit systems are not the only infrastructure that is aging. The trades, the people, with the skills to build, maintain, and operate the nation’s infrastructure are also aging. Even if millions, billions, and trillions are spent, there is a major workforce gap that will leave public investment a noble goal but not shovel ready – at least not soon."

David Correll Quoted in USA Today Fact Check

October 22, 2021 • In the Media

CTL researcher David Correll weighs in on a USA Today Fact Check article detailing some of the real reasons behind product shortages and delays.

"To run optimally, logistics has to be well-planned and coordinated," David Correll, co-director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's FreightLab, said in an email. "The pandemic and the homebody economy wreaked havoc on those networks, leaving supply chains unbalanced and out of whack."

Yossi Sheffi Advises: Be Flexible, Order Holiday Gifts Early

October 20, 2021 • In the Media

Consumer Reports talked with supply chain experts, including CTL Director Yossi Sheffi, for an October 20 article titled "Experts Agree: Get Your Holiday Shopping Done ASAP.

“If your kids want the pink sneakers, make sure that red sneakers are not going to send them into a depression,” says Sheffi at MIT. "Just be flexible. Order early. There’s not much else that you can do.”

New Book from Yossi Sheffi Chronicles the Epic Mission to Deliver Covid Vaccines

October 19, 2021 • Press Releases

The race to deliver a Covid-19 vaccine has been likened to a moonshot, but in several ways landing a man on the moon was easier. In his new book, A Shot in the Arm: How Science, Engineering, and Supply Chains Converged to Vaccinate the World, published today by MIT CTL Media, MIT Professor Yossi Sheffi recounts the vaccine’s extraordinary journey from scientific breakthroughs to coronavirus antidote and mass vaccination.