Economy, Environment Focus of CSCMP at Annual Global Conference in Chicago
This story appears in the Sept. 14 print edition of Transport Topics.
Global economic and environmental challenges, upgrading transportation infrastructure and improving business performance are some of the major issues on the agenda at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ annual conference Sept. 20-23 in Chicago.
The meeting, which is expected to draw about 2,500 logistics practitioners, academic experts and business leaders from around the world, is set for McCormick Place, along the city’s lakeside.
“It’s an opportunity to hear from practitioners that have implemented cost-saving ideas,” said CSCMP Chairman-elect Robert Silverman, vice president of Tommy Hilfiger USA.
At Tommy Hilfiger, Silverman said, the company has taken steps to consolidate its distribution operations in the United States and Canada and use new picking systems to make its warehouse operations more efficient. The company also implemented an enterprisewide software program and has just opened a new flagship retail store in New York City.
“The economy is still challenging,” Silverman said. “But, I think the worst is behind us.”
At the conference, keynote speaker Gary Maxwell, senior vice president of international supply chain for Wal-Mart Stores Inc., is expected to talk about the retailer’s sustainability goals and its use of electronic product code and radio frequency identification technologies.
A panel session moderated by Wolfgang Pordzik, executive vice president of corporate public policy for DHL, will discuss how the application of environmental and renewable energy measures can create a post-recovery advantage for corporations.
Chris Caplice, executive director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Transportation & Logistics, will lead a session on efforts by the private and public sectors to meet freight infrastructure needs in the United States.
Attendees can tour a number of local distribution facilities, including the BNSF Logistics Park, a direct mail-sorting facility operated by RR Donnelley Logistics and the UPS Chicago-area package consolidation hub.
Logistics education, a major topic of discussion, features Bernard LaLonde of Ohio State University presenting a new report on career patterns, a research paper competition sponsored by the Supply Chain Management Educators’ Conference and a student job fair.
Robert Lieb, a professor of supply chain management at Northeastern University, and Joe Gallick, senior vice president of sales at Penske Logistics, will present results of a survey of 35 logistics executives and will discuss business trends and opportunities for growth in North America, Europe and Asia.
Other notable reports include a survey of third-party logistics customers and providers by John Langley Jr. of Georgia Technical Institute and a survey of trends and issues in logistics and transportation by Belinda Griffin of Capgemini Group, a logistics and technology consulting firm, and Mary Holcomb of the University of Tennessee.
Several sessions will examine logistics in developing countries.
A panel on sourcing and distribution in Mexico will feature remarks by Pete Montaño, vice president of sales for Con-way Truckload, and representatives from LG Electronics and Proliance International Inc.
A session on how more effective supply chains can save lives and improve health around the world will be presented by Dr. Prashant Yadav, who is a professor of supply chain management at the MIT-Zaragoza International Logistics Program.
