We’ve crossed the halfway mark of 2023.
How would you characterize this year so far, from a supply chain and logistics perspective? Better or worse than expected? Any surprises?
It depends on whom you ask, of course. I’m sure many carriers, for example, are not celebrating the first half of the year.
From my perspective, there seems to be a general air of malaise around us.
Maybe it’s the lingering inflation. Or the weak economic growth (or recession, if you’re in Europe). Or the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Or all the labor strikes (or threats of strikes).
Maybe it’s the weather, or all the bad air and hazy skies from the Canadian wildfires.
Whatever the reason, if I had to pick a page from Dr. Seuss’s “My Many Colored Days” to describe the feeling I’m sensing, it’s this one:
“Gray Day…everything is gray. I watch but nothing moves today.”
Let’s hope the remaining pages of 2023 are more colorful and cheerful.
The Quarter in Review
In case you missed them the first time around or want to read/view them again, check out the top posts and new episodes from the second quarter of 2023. After reading/watching them, share this post with your colleagues and social media followers, then post a comment and share your perspective on these topics!
Top Posts
- Negotiating With A Chatbot: A Walmart Procurement Case Study
- Generative AI’s Impact On The Supply Chain (3 Use Cases)
- Nearshoring to Mexico is Booming: What Shippers Need to Know to Keep Up
- ProMat 2023: The “I” Word & Other Key Takeaways
- Beyond Control Tower: How Cognitive Command Centers Are Revolutionizing Supply Chains
- SAP Business Network Takes Center Stage at SAP Sapphire 2023
- The Biggest Missed Opportunity for Third-Party Logistics Providers
- Generative AI + Business Networks: A Smarter Way To Map Your Supply Chain
- Electric Freight Trucks: Not Happening Anytime Soon for Long-Haul Moves
- Getting Started with AI in Supply Chain Management (Lessons from the Past)
New Episodes
- The Parcel Delivery Revolution: How Newspapers Can Leverage Technology and Infrastructure to Diversify Revenue Streams
- Beyond Control Tower: How Cognitive Command Centers Are Revolutionizing Supply Chains
- Home Delivery Performance: Ticking Time Bomb Or Market Opportunity?
- How to Enhance Your Transportation Strategy in 2023
Indago Research Reports
This quarter we completed seven research surveys and year-to-date we have donated almost $2,000 to JDRF, American Logistics Aid Network, American Cancer Society, Feeding America, and Make-A-Wish.
- Supply Chain Control Towers (June 2023): Have you deployed one or more control towers in your supply chain operations? Would you characterize them mainly as decision-support systems or decision-making systems? What are the main challenges/limitations of existing control towers?
- How Optimized Are Your Loads? (June 2023): Are trucks leaving your warehouses loaded to their maximum legal capacity? Do you use software to build/optimize your trailer loads? What factors do you take into account to build your loads?
- Is Software Diminishing People’s Supply Chain Skills? (May 2023): Are software applications diminishing the skills of supply chain professionals?
- Using Chatbots in Procurement (May 2023): If you were invited to negotiate with a chatbot, would you view it positively or negatively? What impact will the use of chatbots in procurement have on trust between buyers and sellers?
- Measuring Supply Chain Performance (April 2023): Which metrics does your organization use to measure its supply chain performance? What is the biggest challenge in measuring supply chain performance?
- Supply Chains in 2028 (April 2023): Looking ahead 5 years to 2028, what trends will play a bigger role in supply chain management? What actions is your company taking to position its supply chain and logistics operations for success ? How can logistics service providers help?
- Future of Truck Transportation (April 2023): How do you see the future of transport evolving ?
If you’re a supply chain or logistics practitioner from a manufacturing, retail, or distribution company, and you want to learn from your peers, I encourage you to learn more about Indago and join our research community. It is confidential, there is no cost to join and the time commitment is minimal (2-4 minutes per week) — plus your participation will help support charitable causes that need our help today more than ever.
Reminder: There are many ways to stay connected with Talking Logistics and Indago throughout the year — choose all the options that you prefer:
Taking Logistics email Newsletter
Indago LinkedIn Newsletter
LinkedIn Group (Talking Logistics)
LinkedIn Group (Indago)
Twitter (Talking Logistics)
Twitter (Indago)
Facebook
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iTunes (where you can listen to podcast versions of our episodes)
