Rise & Grind

“As you start to get older, you realize that you’re not guaranteed any certain amount of time. And if tomorrow is my day… what is my life going to have counted for?" --- Michael Jones , CEO and Co-Founder of Thrive Farmers (watch his interview here )

Good Sunday afternoon all and welcome to this edition, No. 96, of "With That Said" (WTS), an almost-weekly newsletter powered by your friends here at Supply Chain Now . Last week, we started off by talking about some of the coffees that we love. So this week, we'd like to continue that trend, since National Coffee Day is today (Sept 29th) and International Coffee Day is coming up soon on October 4th. One of our many favorite coffees comes from Thrive Farmers, who are on a mission to bring sustainable success to farmers around the world. We encourage you to check out their Night Shift coffee, a dark roast that comes from Don Enrique Ferrufino and his son, Enrique, from their farm in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. You can purchase via this link.

"It's kind of exciting to be able to do and try different things and actually make a change. My mother says you should always be proud of being a coffee farmer because you create jobs for hundreds of people. So it’s true, you know...everyone should be proud to be a coffee farmer," says Enrique Ferrufino.

We celebrate the Ferrufinos and all the other incredible people around the world that bring outstanding coffee to families, offices & sites everywhere. Delicious coffee certainly fuels global supply chain excellence everywhere!

Now let's dive in to some news and a few views:

--- The entire SCN family wants to send prayers & best wishes to all of those that have been impacted by Hurricane Helene. Thus far, at least 64 lives have been lost and millions are still without power throughout the U.S. Southeast. As reported by the AP: ""I’ve never seen so many people homeless as what I have right now,” said Janalea England, of Steinhatchee, Florida, a small river town along the state’s rural Big Bend, as she turned her commercial fish market into a storm donation site for friends and neighbors, many of whom couldn’t get insurance on their homes." Read the full report here on the continued aftermath of Helene. There are tons of ways to help those in need. If interested, we'd suggest you connect with Kathy Fulton and the American Logistics Aid Network : click here .

--- The White House is attempting to engage parties in the ILA/USMX standoff. The ILA labor contract is set to expire at midnight on September 30th. As reported by The Maritime Executive : "Going into the final weekend before the threatened strike that would stop container and RoRo operations at 36 U.S. ports, the White House summoned representatives of the terminal operators and employers [USMX] to a meeting. In the official readout on the meeting, the White House said that it had a similar conversation with the leaders of the International Longshoremen’s Association during the week...USMX’s membership consists of container carriers, terminal operators, and port associations. The meeting comes as the employers and union remain at a deadlock and have not had formal negotiating sessions for the master contract that covers approximately 45,000 longshore workers at ports from Maine to Florida and along the U.S. Gulf Coast." Read the full story here .

--- All good things must come to an end, indeed. As shared by Cathy Morrow Roberson : "Today is the last day of FedEx's contract with USPS. At one time, the USPS was FedEx Express' largest customer. But tomorrow, after over 20 years of holding the contract, FedEx will turn it over to UPS. I don't believe the expected revenue has been made public yet but it could be lower than what FedEx received mainly because of USPS' shifting some products from air to road transport because of costs. Profitability data is also unknown. I believe UPS will report revenue/profit of the contract via its UPS SCS group making it difficult to figure financials out." Read more here via Logistics Trends & Insights LLC update. And stay tuned: as Cathy is set to join us again soon on an upcoming SCN livestream, focused on the domestic freight market.

--- The demand for electrical equipment is surging across the world. In fact, the global electrical equipment market is expected to grow from $1.4 trillion in 2023 to $3.7 trillion by 2032. In North America alone, several major players have announced plant builds & expansions, including: 施耐德电气 , Cleveland-Cliffs , 西门子能源 & now Hitachi Energy , which recently announced a $155 million expansion across 3 plants in North America (Virginia, Pennsylvania & Mexico). Read more here via Supply Chain Dive .

--- There is a perfect storm brewing for the holiday shipping season in 2024, even if there is some sort of miraculous, last-minute resolution to the ILA/USMX stalemate. Consider this from our friends at Retail Brew : "The holidays aren’t going to be an easy ride for retailers this year, and preparation will be key as the window between Thanksgiving and Christmas is five days shorter than last year, and both holidays fall on a weekday...Bain & Company’s holiday forecast predicts 3% growth in retail sales this year. E-commerce sales are expected to rise at a 9.5% clip, which will add to shipping volumes. UPS has said it expects “the highest volume ever in our network” on Dec. 18, according to Supply Chain Dive. All of this suggests deliveries could be under strain with fewer days to deliver in time for Christmas." Read the full story here .

--- SCN's founder & CEO Scott Luton shared a few thoughts on a couple of interesting topics last week: first, he highlighted the power of modern-day, forward-looking Group Purchasing Organizations here . Secondly: Scott asked if the "Unattainable Triangle" is still all that unattainable: click here .

--- SPECIAL EVENT: 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 team have assembled an incredible, in-person event that should be on your radar. TFEST24 is 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.

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

JOIN US: TFEST24 is the global gathering of 1000+ senior supply chain leaders & professionals in Berlin on 11-13th November at the Colosseum Kino venue. This promises to be the go-to event for those working within the end-to-end supply chain ecosystem, featuring 100+ speakers and over 60+ hours of keynotes, panels, 1-2-1 networking, roundtable discussions, workshops, showcases, and more. Use code "TFEST25" for 25% off registration here: https://bit.ly/4gUCmAO

POWERING A BRIGHT FUTURE: The age of AI is here and it’s already reshaping the way we do business.?Curious about its impact? Join this exclusive roundtable hosted by Enable on October 10th on the future of AI-powered rebate management: https://bit.ly/3MVXpVW

Check out these resources, tools & perspectives from across the SCN ecosystem:

--- A great friend of the show (the one & only Rob Tiffany?? ) shared this piece from MSN, where Mark Zuckerberg challenges tech companies' leadership & capabilities. Check this out: "When he (Zuckerberg) first hit Silicon Valley, he was floored by how many so-called tech companies had leaders who couldn't code to save their lives. “The CEO wasn't technical, the board of directors had no one technical on it, they had like one dude on the management team who was the head of engineering who was technical and everyone else wasn't,” he said. “If that's your team, then you're not a technology company.” " Read the full piece here . Rob says: "I have to say I agree with Zuck on this one." What about you?

--- Scott joined his longtime friend & fellow USAF Veteran Lloyd Knight on an episode of "The Landing Zone" recently. Scott shared parts of his Air Force journey, touched on a few entrepreneurial lessons learned over the years, as well as a couple of thoughts on the Supply Chain Now story. Find "The Landing Zone" wherever you get your podcasts AND check the episode with Lloyd & Scott here on YouTube .

--- Will you be at #MWC24? Be sure to connect with Kevin L. Jackson, CISSP?,CCSP? , host of Digital Transformers, LLC , who will be there in Las Vegas interviewing executives from T-Mobile For Business and celebrating AI-powered innovation in the business & public sector. Connect with Kevin & many others at Exhibition Hall Booth 500 .

--- DYK: logistics is the 2nd most targeted industry by cybercriminals. DYK: diverting cargo ships away from the dangerous Houthi attacks has impacted about 40% of the Asia-Europe trade that normally transits the Red Sea.?DYK: even just a 2-week ILA strike could create massive disruption across global supply chains until 2025. Read one of our latest blog articles: "Supply Chain Now’s Guide to Resilience in the Supply Chain" and let us know what you think.

--- Scott & Kimberly Reuter hosted a brilliant discussion this past week focused on "Harnessing Logistics Innovation for SMB Growth: Opportunities and Strategies". We featured Glen Clark & Terry Donohoe with DP World , who shared their perspective & helpful expertise on a wide range of topics, including some of the current trends & complexities across global supply chain, and how "less-tech-savvy" SMB organizations can tap into innovative technological solutions to take their logistics performance to the next level. Sign up for the replay here and learn more about DP World's contract logistics services here .

--- Did you see some of the big retail CEO moves lately, such as 耐克 's new CEO Elliott Hill. Check out some of the big moves here , as reported by Retail Brew. Here's a BILLION dollar question for many new leaders out in industry: "How Can a New CEO Maintain a Healthy Company Culture?" That was the focus of a new blog article from C-Suite Executive , which included responses from a variety of leaders, including our friend Helen Yu , who shared: "As a new CEO, focusing on alignment and accountability is essential for maintaining a healthy company culture. Inspiring cultural collaboration means intentionally building an inclusive environment where everyone feels safe to share ideas. By combining this inclusive culture with clear alignment on goals and accountability in core practices, you ensure that every team member understands and values the journey and objectives. This approach fosters a thriving, engaged workforce where everyone is motivated to contribute to the company's success." Read the article in full here .

--- ICYMI: also this past week, Scott and special co-host Tevon E. Taylor from Pegasus Logistics Group hosted the rock & roll star Lori Boyer from EasyPost in a recent webinar discussion, which focused on "Mastering Shipping: Insider Tips for Reliable and Cost-Effective Deliveries" This session, which has generated a ton of positive feedback from our global SCN fam, offered up practical perspectives, tools & proven best practices for optimizing your shipping operations (especially for SMBs), all while navigating the challenging current & future supply chain landscape. Sign up to listen/watch the replay at your convenience here AND hey: Shipping Shouldn't Suck, as Lori & the EasyPost team like to say, so be sure to check out some of their resources (including Lori's podcast "Unboxing Logistics") here .

--- From SCN co-host Marty Parker : "Embracing technology is key to staying relevant and effective. In my latest video, I dive into how tools like Generative AI (ChatGPT ) and advanced scheduling platforms (Calendly ) transform how we lead. These tools are not just about saving time; they enhance our capacity to mentor and coach our teams more effectively.Our goal remains clear as we adapt and learn: to use technology to serve better and support our people. What technologies have you found indispensable in your leadership toolkit?" Read in full here (and respond with your thoughts!) .

--- 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

--- Have you signed up for SCTECH 2024 yet? Hosted by Jorge A. Morales and our friends at ISCEA -International Supply Chain Education Alliance and taking place in October 2024, this year's theme is "Facing Supply Chain Challenges in the AI Age". We still have scholarships available for those in need, especially for Veterans, students & others. Learn more here OR check out the event site here: https://www.sctechshow.com/

--- From Kimberlee (Kim) Humphrey and our friends at The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) : We invite you to join us in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 28 - October 31, 2024, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the AME International Conference. Learn more about the Conference here . Veterans interested in the manufacturing industry: we have limited FREE registrations to offer you. This is an excellent opportunity for networking & professional development. Interested? Comment below & we'll reach out to you to make it happen.

--- Have you checked out the most recent edition of "The 'Fest" powered by Courtney Muller & the powerhouse team over at Manifest: The Future of Supply Chain & Logistics . "The 'Fest" newsletter is Manifest's weekly curation of the most important things going on in logistics tech & end to end supply chain. Sign up here . And be sure to have Manifest 2025 on your radar, where one hundred and fifty of the most influential leaders across end-to-end supply chain and logistics are all taking the stage at The Venetian, February 10th - February 12th, 2025. Scott & the SCN gang will be there. Register now & 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 a new episode of "The Buzz", where Scott W. Luton & Kimberly Reuter will be sharing some of the biggest news stories shaping global supply chain & business. We'll also gain some of Kim's key takeaways from keynoting & attending a big supply chain event in Bangkok. This week, we also feature a big guest: Sofia Rivas Herrera , host of the newly reinvigorated Supply Chain Now En Espa?ol . Join us: https://bit.ly/4eHwysj

TUESDAY AT NOON: Tired of oversimplified sustainability solutions? You’re not alone! Join Scott & special guests Evan Junker, MBA, PCM and Tjeerd de Jong from SPARQ360 on October 1st for a livestream focused on sustainability solutions that WORK. We’ll dive deep into reducing payback periods on investments, turning sustainability into a cost-saving strategy, and achieving top EcoVadis scores. Plus, we'll share insights from a survey of nearly 300 supply chain managers & leaders on what works, what doesn’t, & more. Register now to join us (and bring your point-of-view): https://bit.ly/3N1MmdC

THURSDAY AT NOON: Scott & Billy Ray Taylor host Bastian Solutions experts Landon Mumbower, MBA and Johnathan McRary and delve into the complexities of distribution center design and management. We'll provide a comprehensive exploration of five critical strategies that will help you navigate these challenges and optimize your distribution operations. Learn how to distinguish between the capabilities of distribution integration consultants, OEMs, and supply chain consultants, and discover why selecting the right distribution integration consultant is key to enhancing your DC’s efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and overall success. Join us: https://bit.ly/3XKJBCl

Finally, via YouTube, check out a few of our favorite episodes from across the SCN ecosystem this year. What were some of yours? We welcome your comments & insights!

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