We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
Home » compassion by association(s)
outbound

compassion by association(s)

December 1, 2006
Mitch Mac Donald
No Comments

If you read this column with any regularity, you've heard us beat the drum before. The era of the functional silo is over, you've heard us preach. Optimizing the supply chain calls for nothing less than smashing the silos and building a single, enterprise-wide chain that stretches from source to customer. There's no shortage of evidence that this approach works. Some of the most successful companies in the nation cite a customer-focused supply chain integration program as a key to both top- and bottom-line improvements.

And now, apparently, the array of trade groups and associations that serve the profession are taking note as well. A number of disparate organizations, each of which focuses on a particular aspect of the wideranging world of logistics, have announced that they are joining together in a unified effort to help Americans in times of crisis. That coalition, which includes groups as varied as the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), the Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC), the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA), and the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA), will soon launch the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN). (See related news story on page 11.)

Created in response to last year's hurricanes along the Gulf Coast and the tsunami in the Indian Ocean, the ALAN network is designed to assist relief agencies in providing humanitarian aid following a disaster. Participants will lend their supply chain expertise and donate goods and services for disaster response.

Through ALAN, organizers will be able to call on the combined resources of thousands of companies across the country. Participants will help out in two ways: first, by helping develop the supply chain processes needed for disaster response before the next hurricane, flood or tornado hits; and second, by assisting relief agencies in the collection, routing and delivery of much-needed supplies in the aftermath of a disaster.

In the initial announcement, which took place at CSCMP's 2006 Annual Conference in October, Mark Richards, a long-time CSCMP member and one of the founding members of the initiative, explained that ALAN's mission is to bring parties together for the common good. Added Rick Blasgen, president and CEO of CSCMP, "We're the rail, truck, air, logistics, warehousing, material handling and supply chain services that can mobilize quickly to help deliver critical aid and supplies in the event of a disaster."

Bob Shaunnessey, executive director of WERC, reports that many of WERC's members were actively involved in charitable relief efforts when hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the Gulf States in 2005. That spirit of giving is being taken to the next level by this more formal, cooperative initiative, he observes.

MHIA's CEO, John Nofsinger, agrees. "ALAN was founded by the associations that make the supply chain efficiently operate on a daily basis.When a disaster strikes, we believe that it is our unique responsibility to utilize these same resources and expertise to help ensure that the necessary aid gets where it is needed as quickly as possible."

But ALAN represents more than just a humanitarian relief effort. The willingness of the various logistics associations— be they transportation based, material handling based, or warehousing and distribution center based—to cooperate in this way points to something more. In a larger sense, the founding of ALAN indicates a newfound willingness among these associations—and we would hope, by default, their members—to work together in daily operations as well. The world of logistics, for so long mired in a silo-based mentality, has broken out. The profession is coming together.

In the end, we are quickly learning, supply chain excellence is all about working together—because together, we win.

Business Management & Finance
  • Related Articles

    in times of crisis ...

    Creating jobs by replacing jobs?

    a home for 3PLs?: interview with Joel Hoiland

Mitchmacdonald
Mitch Mac Donald has more than 30 years of experience in both the newspaper and magazine businesses. He has covered the logistics and supply chain fields since 1988. Twice named one of the Top 10 Business Journalists in the U.S., he has served in a multitude of editorial and publishing roles. The leading force behind the launch of Supply Chain Management Review, he was that brand's founding publisher and editorial director from 1997 to 2000. Additionally, he has served as news editor, chief editor, publisher and editorial director of Logistics Management, as well as publisher of Modern Materials Handling. Mitch is also the president and CEO of Agile Business Media, LLC, the parent company of DC VELOCITY and CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly.

Recent Articles by Mitch Mac Donald

Thought I’d something more to say …

Digital supply chains, circular economies, and a whole bunch of uncertainty

Sorry, folks. This is not normal

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Cold chain giant Lineage Logistics buys its own rail operator

  • Biden names dozens of senior leaders to DOT, including FMCSA and FRA

  • Outlook 2021: What’s in store for logistics supply chain?

  • Cushman & Wakefield Brokers Sale of 170 Acres plus Lease for 1MSF Build-to-Suit for Home Improvement Retailer in Commerce City, CO.

  • Thriving in the long haul: interview with Colin Yankee

Now Playing on DCV-TV

Sick agv demo thumbnail

Optimize Load Handling Tasks with Industrial Mobile Robots

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
Intelligent sensors detect the presence of goods, check for empty shelves, or the correct alignment on the mobile platform towards the freight. The solutions range from simple detection sensors, thorough measuring devices, and 2D LiDAR sensors.

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Proven Benefits: A Compendium of Slotting Optimization Success Snapshots

  • Bridging Information Gaps in Dock and Yard Operations

  • How Intelligent Sensor Solutions Turn Data Into Action

  • Order picking Solutions: Understanding Your Options

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2021. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing