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 » Worth the trip
big picture

Worth the trip

October 17, 2011
Peter Bradley
No Comments

I attended my first Council of Logistics Management annual conference in 1988, and as a then-newcomer to logistics journalism, I received over those three days a rapid education in transportation, warehousing, litigation, regulation, and more. All these years later, I still come away from those annual sessions with new insights.

The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), as the group is now called, continues to offer both novices and seasoned professionals an excellent education in the latest thinking and practices as well as the challenges currently facing the industry. We send a full complement of editors to the conference every year not so much to report as to learn. It is one of the most important events we attend each year and is crucial to us in thinking about what we ought to be writing about in the months to come.

No single report on the recent conference in Philadelphia, which attracted something north of 3,000 attendees, can do justice to the breadth of opportunities available to attendees. Conference goers had choices of sessions from among 30 tracks, with topics ranging from insights into everyday operations to views from military leaders on the challenges they face. A few examples: Greg Forbis, a senior transportation manager for Walmart, described that company's extensive inbound transportation initiatives across its vast and diverse distribution network. Representatives of medical device maker Hospira and sporting goods manufacturer Easton Bell Sports discussed how they are working within their companies to develop a common set of metrics for decision making across logistics, sales, marketing, and finance. Rear Adm. Mark Heinrich of the U.S. Navy talked about the implications of budget cuts on the military supply chain. In a compelling keynote presentation, Chiquita Chairman and CEO Fernando Aguirre described his experience on the TV show "Undercover Boss," which included time operating a forklift in a warehouse. (And, yes, he was properly certified beforehand.)

In a shift adopted a few years ago, the final day of the conference is devoted to a handful of mega-sessions on major topics. This year, they looked at the looming capacity crisis in trucking, safety initiatives in the works for commercial carriers and what they might mean for operations, ways to develop the next generation of supply chain talent, and how social media may affect supply chain operations.

In a business environment where budgets are tight and operations are often short staffed, it may be difficult to justify spending the time and money on a conference like CSCMP. But for the thousands who do attend, it generally proves a worthwhile investment.

Material Handling Transportation Trucking Internal Movement Lift Trucks, Personnel & Burden Carriers Business Management & Finance
  • Related Articles

    French wine completes round-the-world trip

    Uber Freight sends driverless truck on its inaugural trip across Arizona

Peterbradley
Peter Bradley is an award-winning career journalist with more than three decades of experience in both newspapers and national business magazines. His credentials include seven years as the transportation and supply chain editor at Purchasing Magazine and six years as the chief editor of Logistics Management.

Recent Articles by Peter Bradley

From temp to management: interview with Diane Garforth

Watching over intermodal's interests: interview with Joni Casey

Building resilience into the supply chain: interview with Yossi Sheffi

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

  • For container lines and ports, what a difference a year makes

  • 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.

  • Capacity challenges will continue in 2021

Now Playing on DCV-TV

2mw 01 11 21 thumb

Ocean Sector Shaping the Next Shipageddon

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
If you're a shipper, it's never good when a rep for an ocean carrier tells you, "You better sit down before you read this." We've been seeing astoundingly high increases in the ocean sector and they seem to have staying power. While the ocean carriers used blank sailings last year to tip the balance of supply and...

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