DC Velocity - August 2014

IF YOU WANT TO BUILD A SOLID HOUSE, YOU START BY IDENTIFYING THE cornerstones. If you want to build a solid supply chain network, according to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), you do the same thing.

For this year’s Annual Global Conference, CSCMP has divided all of its tracks into the “six cornerstones” of supply chain and logistics: talent and career; economic forecasts, benchmarks, and surveys; thought leadership; manufacturing, planning, and sourcing; transportation, distribution, and warehousing; and the customer. CSCMP made this change to make it easier for attendees to navigate the more than 120 track sessions it offers each year. The council believes that these six “disciplinary specialties” will quickly direct attendees to the conference tracks and sessions most pertinent to their area of operation.

In addition, CSCMP recently announced its lineup of megasessions scheduled for the last day of the conference. Each of these sessions features a panel of experts who will address trends or topics that are hot issues in the industry right now. This year’s set includes:

; “What’s happening in the ‘real world’ of the freight and transportation sectors”: World-class sourcing strategies are great, but what happens when you can’t find trucks to move your freight at reasonable rates?

; “Leadership across the enterprise”: Increasingly, supply chain executives are leading implementations that cross business units and functional lines. Four senior supply chain executives will discuss what skills are necessary for successfully working across the enterprise.

; “Energy update: the future and today”: This session will contain both a futurist view of the next 40 years in energy production and research, and current-day energy innovations.

The conference takes place Sept. 21–24 in San Antonio, Texas. ( cscmp.org/ annual-conferences/annual-global)

roadtrip

The cornerstones of supply chain Sept. 21–23

Intermodal Expo 2014 in Long Beach, Calif., will examine the intermodal industry’s issues and challenges while also showcasing its products and services. The event is presented by the Intermodal Association of North America.

( www.intermodalexpo.com)

Oct. 4–7

The American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exposition in San Diego will address the question of how energy production will affect fleets in the coming years. (www. truckline.com)

Oct. 6

The New England Supply Chain Conference presented by the Next Generation Supply Chain Collaborative will examine best practices in purchasing, operations, risk management, and logistics. The one-day conference takes place in Marlborough, Mass. ( www.nescon.org)

Oct. 6–9

The Health and Personal Care Logistics Conference holds its Fall 2014 Conference in Longboat Key, Fla. Sessions will address emerging trends in managing global supply chains. ( www.hpclcnet.org)

Oct. 7–9

This year’s Air Cargo Forum in Seoul, South Korea, will take on such issues as e-freight, advance data, and how regulators and industry can work more collaboratively. (www. tiaca.org)

Remember in “Star Wars” when the Millennium Falcon makes the jump into hyperspace, and the stars are transformed into streaks of light and our heroes are able to achieve faster-than-light travel? Dematic’s upcoming Material Handling and Logistics Conference is designed to have that kind of effect on your supply chain performance, helping you increase your speed and precision to meet tomorrow’s demands.

Dematic has named this phenomenon “hyperperformance” and has made it the theme of this year’s conference, which takes place Sept. 7–10 in Park City, Utah. To help attendees achieve hyperperformance, conference organizers have developed 50 educational sessions divided into six tracks: Lead, Engage, Watch, Solve, Innovate, and Operate. Sessions boast intriguing titles, such as “A Pallet Propulsion Pageant,” “Digital is Big … No, Bigger. Make Room,” and “The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth.” Highlighted speakers include former President George W. Bush, boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard, economist Mark Zandi, U.S. Navy Blue Angels pilot John Foley, and director of Google Mike Cassidy.

At the end of day two, rock band Cheap Trick will hopefully put on a hyperperformance of its own as part of Dematic’s special Material Handling Concert Series.