The COVID-19 pandemic exposed how little organizations knew about their supply chains. Building strong resilient supply chains will require a conscious development of collaborative supplier relationships to actively drive transformation.

Warehouse worker retention is an area that’s become increasingly fractious in recent years, as the COVID-19 pandemic threw the entire supply chain into a state of gridlock and upheaval, and factors including a labor shortage and bogged-down channels in the Suez Canal and elsewhere have made everyone familiar with the concept of shortages of products that were once thought to be in unlimited supply.

And, while the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are slowing, the looming economic recession, high inflation rates and labor shortages across the U.S. represent just a few challenges that could continue to make warehouse worker retention a challenge well into 2023 and perhaps beyond.

Shipment and inventory visibility repeatedly tops the list of must-haves in surveys as freight shippers scramble to build resilience and agility into their supply chains.

Traditional approaches to data management are failing to meet new business requirements that demand a combination of real-time connected data, self-service, and a high degree of automation, speed, and intelligence.

Jamie Wallisch wants companies to recognize that they truly have leverage. “Manufacturers do have an important part to play, even though it seems so high up and far removed,” she says.

Each year, millions of garments are bought and disposed of by consumers, leaving behind a wake of water pollution and carbon emissions.

Severe measures are needed to safeguard nature, Dutch Minister for Nature and Nitrogen Policy, Christianne van der Wal-Zeggelink, said.

During the summer months of 2022, record low water levels on the Rhine meant some vessels were able to carry just 25% of their usual load, so as not to risk running aground on the riverbed.

Today’s fast-moving, consumer-centric world requires a supply chain that’s significantly more complex, now accounting for sustainability and resilience as well. 

The European Union proposed its own green-tech road map in early February, but some are concerned that the subsidies will only help richer countries, and others warn of a transatlantic trade war.