DC Velocity - October 2010

Peter Bradley
Editorial Director
peter@dcvelocity.com
Karen Bachrach
Executive Editor
karen@dcvelocity.com
Toby Gooley
Managing Editor
tgooley@dcvelocity.com
David Maloney
Senior Editor, Special Projects & eContent
dmaloney@dcvelocity.com
Mark Solomon
Senior Editor
mark@dcvelocity.com
Susan Lacefield
Associate Managing Editor
slacefield@dcvelocity.com
James Cooke
Editor at Large
jcooke@dcvelocity.com
Steve Geary
Editor at Large
sgeary@dcvelocity.com
George Weimer
Editor at Large
gweimer@dcvelocity.com
Erica E. Mac Donald
Assistant Editor
Sean Maloney
Assistant Editor
Laura Patterson
Editorial Intern
lpatterson@dcvelocity.com
Keisha Christopher
Director of Creative Services
keisha@dcvelocity.com
Jeff Thacker
Director of eMedia
jeff@dcvelocity.com
Rhonda McGee
Director of Research
rmcgee@dcvelocity.com
Columnists:
Clifford F. Lynch
Don Jacobson
Shelly Safian
Kenneth B. Ackerman
Art Van Bodegraven
Barry Brandman

bigpicture

interesting times
Gary Master
Publisher
gmaster@dcvelocity.com
Mitch Mac Donald
Group Editorial Director
mitch@dcvelocity.com
Jim Indelicato
Group Publisher
jindelicato@dcvelocity.com
EDITORIAL OFFICE
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I RECENTLY ACQUIRED ONE OF THE NEWEST SMART PHONES, AND its capabilities are astonishing compared with what was possible even a couple of years ago. The technologies we take for granted today often far surpass what the most visionary thinkers of a generation ago ever imagined.

What’s next?

I suppose it’s a bit of a cliché, but the only thing that seems certain in these tumultuous times is uncertainty. We see the uncertainty in successful corporations’ hoarding cash rather than investing, in investors’ retreating from stocks, and in financial analysts’ predicting everything from catastrophe to at least modest economic recovery. These are interesting times indeed.

I don’t want to suggest the sky is falling. In many ways, what we face is a
modern take on age-old issues. Take our own little slice
of the world, for example. In the 20-plus years I’ve been
writing about logistics and supply chain management,
the same themes have recurred time and again. What
we have seen in that period is tremendous innovation,
particularly in the technologies that allow managers to
handle all that complexity with greater speed, agility,
and—especially important right now—resiliency. As
uncertainty increases, building that resiliency into busi-
ness systems becomes more crucial. In fact, one of the
tracks at last month’s CSCMP conference in San Diego
was titled “Managing in Turbulent Times.”
The CSCMP conference always offers a chance to re-
engage with thoughtful, intelligent, and innovative
professionals to learn what they expect and how they
are preparing for whatever lies ahead. It certainly provides editors at DC
VELOCITY and at our sister publication, CSCMP’s Supply Chain Quarterly,
with ample fodder for stories.

I trust that this issue, which was prepared before the conference began, offers readers some small insight into developments that may affect their business or ideas they can use. In our ThoughtLeader Q&A, Brent Beabout of Office Depot describes how that company transformed its supply chain. We have a piece on how the Department of Defense will use unmanned helicopters to resupply Marines in the field—a technology that could have future commercial applications. Another story offers insight into setting up business in the fast-growing Middle East and North Africa region, while a separate story provides tips for complying with the Importer Security Filing mandate. The issue also includes an inside look at a pharmaceutical firm’s emergency shipment program and an article on how four companies are using goods-to-person order picking technology.