Category: Customer Content

Michigan is helping manufacturers make the transition to Industry 4.0 through education and strategic partnerships. I have had several people ask me about “Industry 4.0” or “Supply Chain 4.0” or “Digitization” of the Supply Chain. https://lnkd.in/eZfHNqy. Most simply want to know what it means & how it will impact SCM. For a commentary on why employers now also expect you to be a Data Scientist, see: https://lnkd.in/eqs3qwG https://www.michiganbusiness.org/news/2022/05/michigan-accelerating-innovation-in-manufacturing/ Notice in the video...

Latest LG Energy Solution expansion in Holland further bolsters its relationship with Michigan as leaders in battery production. Does America have a rare earth metals strategy? Visualizing 10 Years of Global EV Sales by Country: https://lnkd.in/gDxDRtQC. https://www.michiganbusiness.org/news/2022/03/lg-energy-solution-and-michigan-leading-the-battery-evolution/ China tops the list for mine production & reserves of rare earth elements, w/ 44M tons (>20x the U.S.) in reserves (38% of global total) & 140K tons of annual mine production (3x the...

Secretary Miguel A. Cardona called college rankings “a joke,” & took aim at selective colleges’ obsession with them...You think? I have been talking to high schoolers & the parents also appear to be too focused on rankings. Pay attention to what matters most- not rankings!...especially at the undergraduate level. https://www.chronicle.com/article/college-rankings-are-a-joke-education-secretary-says?cid=twitter&utm_campaign=20220812&utm_content=providing_for_students%E2%80%99_b&utm_medium=chronicle&utm_source=twitter "Students who are able to build strong relationships with professors are far more likely to find engaging work after graduation." https://lnkd.in/gSuzhcjP -those...

It’s pretty much a tie between #1) transportation (short flights or driving "alone" are the most carbon-intensive) & #2) power plants & #3) factories. Electricity: 60%, comes from natural gas & coal plants, w/ nuclear, renewables, & other sources making up 40%.  https://www.visualcapitalist.com/sp/visualizing-u-s-greenhouse-gas-emissions-by-sector/ Comparing the Carbon Footprint of Transportation Options:https://lnkd.in/gKk_ekdJ Oh America, Oh Michigan (#1, thank you Canada?). Each American produces 1,700 pounds of waste/yr, the world’s most wasteful country. https://lnkd.in/g4YqQNZ2...

U.S. productivity posts biggest EVER drop in 2nd quarter. This is a very complicated calculation, but it is very concerning. Has how we managed the last 2+ years caught up to us? This not only will make inflation harder to beat, it contributes to inflation. In the past, any time America had inflationary pressure, it was our productivity that bailed us out. https://www.piie.com/blogs/realtime-economic-issues-watch/record-us-productivity-slump-first-half-2022-risks-higher Note, in the quarter after Sept. 11th,...

U.S. Supplier Inflation Logs Slowest Pace Since Last Fall. In the Fall, we will be looking at raw material market data from multiple sources, we will visualize & analyze historical pricing scenarios, & do some simulating on planned purchases & what-if scenarios against forward price curves. It beats manually updating giant color coded excel spreadsheets. https://lnkd.in/ghjfe3ghhttps://lnkd.in/gMuhMNf6https://lnkd.in/gQZ7HfWb https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-producer-prices-eased-in-july-as-energy-costs-fell-11660222561 Stay tuned for some white papers from the WMU SCM program: Some of our...

The percentage of female leaders in transportation continues to increase, according to new data highlighted in the WIT Index, the official industry barometer to benchmark and measure each year the percentage of women who make up critical roles in transportation. https://www.womenintrucking.org/press-releases/percentage-of-female-leaders-in-transportation-continues-to-increase?utm_content=217523294&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&hss_channel=lcp-22122580 “As more and more women become leaders, owners and directors in the trucking industry, we are looking forward to the days of women-owned and -led companies," said WIT President...

The digital transformation journey begins by recognizing the importance of data. Supply chain expert Adrian Gonzalez asserts data is the supply chain’s most profitable 4-letter word. He adds, “The lynchpin for any technology is data.” Yossi Sheffi, Director of the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics, goes even further. He writes, “The well-worn adage that a company’s most valuable asset is its people needs an update. Today, it’s not people...

Monitoring employee emails is a future work trend? Data collection is expanding. What kind of data? "Gartner analysis shows that 16% of employers are more frequently using technologies to monitor their employees through methods such as virtual clocking in and out, tracking work computer usage, and monitoring employee emails or internal communications/chat. While some companies track productivity, others monitor employee engagement and well-being to better understand employee experience.” Hmmm. For more details...

U.S. 2021: Imports of goods $2.8 trillion, $1.8 trillion for exports. That’s called a trade deficit & a record & it has been negative every year for almost 50 years. Close to half the imports come from China (17%), Mexico (14%), & Canada (14%). Note, America still exports lots of stuff ($1.8T) & is ranked #2 globally. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/value-of-us-imports-of-goods-by-state-2021/? America: 4% of the global population accounts for 25% of earth’s economic output...