a year of firsts

It may have escaped your notice during the hustle and bustle of the fall travel season, but a pair of milestone industry events made their debut this year—one a new kind of users conference; the other, a new direction for an established group.

Last month, Lightning Pick Technologies convened a gathering of more than 60 customers at its Germantown, Wis., headquarters for what is believed to be the first users conference for the pick-to-light industry. During the two-day event, participants attended sessions covering topics like preventative maintenance, integrating voice and pick-to-light technology, and what's on the drawing board for the next generation of the technology. Lightning Pick says it plans to make the conference an annual event.

Just weeks earlier, NASSTRAC drew a mix of representatives from Fortune 500 companies, globalization experts and carriers to its first globalization seminar. The group, which has expanded its focus beyond trucking and parcel shipping, organized the seminar in Long Beach, Calif., as part of its push to address broader supply chain issues.

Speakers at the event included Robert Engel, vice president of supply chain for produce supplier Dole Foods. In his keynote address, Engel urged shippers to take an active role in assuring that their imports comply with increasingly stringent import regulations. "Make sure your suppliers are compliant, protect your data chain, and send samples and information on new items to Customs before your first container arrives," he advised. "This will go a long way in educating them about what you're doing."

NASSTRAC's next educational event is its annual Logistics Conference and Expo, which is scheduled for May 6-9, 2007, at the Renaissance Orlando Resort at Seaworld in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit www.nasstrac.org.