A New Season is Here

“What makes global supply chain happen? Is it innovation? Determination? Leadership? Perseverance? People? Tech? Sure, all of that. But mostly it is coffee.” --- Scott W. Luton, as he recently enjoyed a cup of Firewatch coffee, from our friends at Veteran-owned Aerial Resupply Coffee? (buy it here )

Good Sunday morning all and welcome to this edition, No. 101, of "With That Said" (WTS), an almost-weekly newsletter powered by your friends here at Supply Chain Now . Today's WTS is powered by Tevon E. Taylor & the team over at Pegasus Logistics Group , a market leader in time-definite transportation services around the globe. Learn more about Pegasus here .

We hope you enjoyed a wonderful Halloween and el Día de los Muertos 2024. The photo at the top of this WTS edition shows the Luton kids, from Halloween a few years back, as they dressed up as characters from "Inside Out". It is one of Amanda Luton 's all-time favs. ??

Now, the season shifts and it is almost time for Thanksgiving for some members of our global community. November ushers in a season of thankfulness and gratitude. Our SCN team is grateful for so much, especially for the fact that the U.S. election season is thankfully almost over.

Now let's dive into some news & a few views:

--- DYK: 星巴克 sources 3% of the world's coffee. The organization, which is led by new CEO Brian Niccol (former CEO of Chipotle), is investing in supply chain initiatives which are aimed at protecting the company's coffee supply, while increasing the organization's "climate resistance". Amongst other things, Starbucks is buying two innovation farms in Central America that will fuel research & development. The company has a target of reaching "carbon neutral green coffee" by 2030. Learn more here via Supply Chain Dive .

--- "IBM’s latest Cost of a Data Breach report paints a stark picture. The average cost of a data breach worldwide has skyrocketed to $4.88 million, with U.S. companies shouldering even higher expenses, reaching a staggering $9.36 million per incident." Read more here from Bob Carver & Cybersecurity Boardroom ? .

--- Striking Boeing union workers appear to be happy with the latest contract they've been offered, which includes 38% in raises over 4 years and one-time bonuses. This 7 week-long strike has involved 32,000 talented machinists, critical to Boeing aircraft production, which has essentially been brought to a halt. On the heels of many other challenges, the machinists strike has added to deepening financial headaches for the aircraft manufacturer: Boeing reported a company-wide loss of over $6 billion for 3rd quarter 2024. A union vote on the deal is set for Monday and could end the strike. Learn more here via CNBC .

--- Cyril Coste says that the next big thing in global connectivity & technology, 5.5G, is already quietly transforming the world. It is up to 10 times as fast & powerful as its predecessor, 5G. This advancement poses the opportunity to truly unleash AI in ways not yet seen. Cyril offers this analogy: "Think of AI as an Olympic athlete. They’ve got the potential to perform jaw-dropping feats, but without a track, they’re just standing there, waiting for the starting gun. That’s where 5.5G comes in: the track, the stadium, and the whole infrastructure that lets AI go full throttle." Some analysts project the now 5.5G market to hit $1.6 trillion by 2025. Read more here .

--- The Leading Economic Index? (LEI) for the United States, which is published by The Conference Board , declined by 0.5% in September 2024 to 99.7. This follows a 0.3% decline in August. In fact, over the six-month period between March and September 2024, the LEI fell by 2.6%. The LEI is meant to provide "an early indication of significant turning points in the business cycle and where the economy is heading?in the near term." Justyna Zabinska-La Monica, Senior Manager, Business Cycle Indicators, at The Conference Board says “Weakness in factory new orders continued to be a major drag on the US LEI in September as the global manufacturing slump persists. Additionally, the yield curve remained inverted, building permits declined, and consumers’ outlook for future business conditions was tepid.“ Read more here .

--- Want to learn more about Supply Chain Now programming? Check it out: https://linktr.ee/Supplychainnow

READ THE REPORT: Did you know that over 50% of high-volume shippers in 2024 prioritize on-time delivery when choosing a carrier? Discover the latest high-volume parcel shipping trends and more in the ProShip Report 2024. https://bit.ly/40rdRFx

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Now plug in to these resources & perspectives from across the SCN ecosystem:

--- In a recent article, Azukaego Chukwuelue offers some timely advice: "My success in enhancing the operational efficiencies of small businesses can be largely attributed to my deep-seated knowledge and skills in supply chain management. I strongly and unashamedly advocate that entrepreneurs and business owners should, at minimum, obtain a certification in supply chain management or take a mini-master class in sustainability, procurement, supply chain, and circularity. Such education will solve two-thirds of the problems they will encounter before they even start their business." Read in full here & share your thoughts .

--- In his most recent "Good News" message, SCN founder & CEO Scott W. Luton shares a few notes from recent shows and writes about how the Rubik's Cube is a pretty good analogy for global supply chain management: "In 1974, Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture?Ern? Rubik invented a 3D combination puzzle that would go on to be called Rubik's Cube. Every household had a couple of these back in the 1980s. IMO, they are incredibly challenging to figure out and solve. There are about 43 quintillion permutations. However, there are brilliant individuals that have figured out how to solve the Rubik's Cube in as little as 3.13 seconds, which is the current world record. You know I love a good #supplychain analogy. And if the Rubik's Cube was a 7D combination puzzle, it would begin to approach the complexity & challenges of modern supply chain management, right? ??" Read in full here & share your thoughts .

--- Dyci Manns Sfregola, CSCP recently celebrated the power of diverse leadership across global supply chain, including a few folks that are helping to amplify all voices in the digital space: "Currently listening to the latest episode of Supply Chain Now En Espa?ol with Sofia Rivas Herrera and Fatima Alvarez mentions how great it is to have a young, female voice leading these types of conversations in the supply chain space. And it got me thinking about how few of us there really are (especially on the digital side of things!), but also optimistic about how many of us there will be in 5 to 10 years thanks to the folks that mentor, sponsor and encourage us to add our voices to the mix." Read in full here & share your thoughts .

--- In a recent post, Dr. Joerg Storm writes about leadership: "Leadership isn’t about job titles or positions. It’s about the positive impact you leave on others long after you’ve walked away.Think about this: There’s an employee out there who still remembers you because you showed them kindness. ??" Read in full here & share your thoughts .

--- Have you ever read the Logistics Market Snapshot, which is free & comprehensive resource produced on a monthly basis by Sandy Lake, CSCP , Malissa MacKay, CPIM & the talented team over at the Georgia Center of Innovation . This monthly newsletter offers all sorts of data, factoids & insights on supply chain market conditions & activity, such as this nugget: "The Logistics Manager’s Index for September 2024 reads in at 58.6, up 2.2 points from August’s reading of 56.4 and at its highest levels since two years ago in September 2022. The overall index has now increased for 10 consecutive months, providing strong evidence that the logistics industry is back on solid footing. We saw a continuation of August’s trends in September as Inventory Levels increased. This is largely driven by the long-expected restocking of Downstream retailers. This represents some modicum of relief for Upstream supply chains, where goods had been building up like rainclouds waiting for the eventual downstream release as we move into Q4. This shift is reflected in the significantly higher rates of both Downstream Warehousing Prices and Transportation Prices, signaling that retail supply chains are whirring back into motion for peak season." Read in full here .

--- For 25 years, the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index has been published quarterly to inform its readers on freight shipping and spend volumes on national and regional levels, as well as some of the critical trends shaping the data. The Freight Payment Index for Q2 2024 was released a month or so ago, offering up actionable insights and valuable data from across the freight market, like this nugget: "For the first time since the second quarter of 2022, three of the five regions reported increases in quarterly shipment volumes, which might indicate that the freight market may be nearing its bottom." Download a free copy: https://bit.ly/scn-us-bank

--- In a recent article, Aindrea Sewell writes on the topic of traceability, especially as it relates to seafood supply chains: ""Traceability" is definitely the word that gets me asked "WTF" the most when I tell people about my job. True story: I was in a meeting the other day where someone thought traceability meant we were tagging fish the way they tag cattle on farms! So, we definitely need to talk about WTF is traceability in seafood supply chains...Traceability is the ability to track any seafood product from its point of origin—farmed or wild—throughout the supply chain to the point of consumption, including all transformations, processing, and packaging including importation and at retail." Read in full here & share your thoughts .

--- Are you in the market looking for technology-focused courses, training & coaching that will take your career to the next level? SCN co-host Vin Vashishta and his team offer all sorts of expert instruction on a wide variety of topics, such as Data & AI Strategy, AI Product Management, Strategic Executive Leadership and much more. Check out why Koo Ping Shung says "Vin has one of the sharpest business instincts when it comes to using AI for business, including capabilities building. :)” Learn more about Vin & his team's offerings via their website here .

--- We are proud to serve as a media partner for TFEST24, which is coming up soon: November 11th through the 13th, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. Maria Villablanca & the Future Insights Network team have assembled an incredible, in-person event that should be on your radar. Additionally, we'd like to congratulate our big friend of the show Koray K?se on being recently named Vice Chair of TFEST24, your go-to event for: Senior supply chain leaders driving innovation across the entire ecosystem; Procurement, manufacturing, and logistics professionals seeking to optimize operations; And anyone passionate about shaping the future of a more resilient and efficient supply chain. Use code "TFEST25" for 25% off of registration: click here.

--- Scott & the SCN team will be attending and speaking at Manifest: The Future of Supply Chain & Logistics in February 2025. In fact, one hundred and fifty of the most influential leaders across end-to-end supply chain and logistics, twenty percent of which are?CSCOs, COOs and CPOs from the largest shippers in the world, are all taking the stage at Manifest Vegas, being held at The Venetian, February 10th - February 12th, 2025. Register now to join us & save $200 on your All-Access Manifest Vegas attendee pass (that's $1000 off the on-site price)! Learn more about Manifest 2025 here .

MONDAY AT NOON: Join us for the latest live edition of "The Buzz", where we'll take a look at some of the leading news stories from across global business. On Monday, Scott will be joined by SCN co-host Jake Barr and we'll be featuring special guests Dr. Stephanie Thomas and Katherine Thomas. We'll be diving into key takeaways from the recent 4th Annual WISE Future Leader Symposium, held at the University of Arkansas . Tune in: https://bit.ly/3UA9Evu

THURSDAY AT NOON: Join SCN co-hosts Scott W. Luton and Tandreia Bellamy as they dive into the Q3 2024 U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index. They'll be joined by special guests Cathy Morrow Roberson from Logistics Trends & Insights LLC & Bobby Holland from U.S. Bank . Tune in to better understand what's taking place across the U.S. domestic freight market: https://bit.ly/4f6RTfm

THE GOOD EARTH: In a recent post, Scott Luton writes "Recently, I came across Trek Bicycle 's President, John Burke , who shared an intriguing message on key steps this popular biking company is taking to power its sustainability efforts forward. If you don't know, Trek started in a small Wisconsin barn back in 1976 and has since grown into a global organization that provides "the world's best bikes & cycling gear"." Read more: https://bit.ly/40sjbsh

Finally, via YouTube, check out a few of our favorite episodes from across the SCN ecosystem this year. What were some of yours?

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