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Trump picks Elaine Chao to run DOT

Nominee brings significant public policy experience to job.

President-elect Trump today nominated Elaine L. Chao, one of the most seasoned political hands in Washington, as the nation's next Secretary of Transportation.

Chao, 63, the eldest daughter of a Taiwanese merchant mariner who emigrated to the U.S. and built a successful shipping company, brings significant transportation experience to the job, presuming she is confirmed by the Senate. She served as deputy transport secretary during the George H.W. Bush administration, and prior to that was head of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), and deputy administrator of the Maritime Administration.


Chao served as Secretary of Labor during the George W. Bush administration, becoming the only cabinet secretary to remain for all eight years.

After leaving government, Chao returned to a previous position as a distinguished fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think thank. Chao is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and the two are considered one of the capital's most influential couples. With the Trump Administration planning to request $550 billion, and perhaps more, to rebuild the nation's infrastructure, McConnell could play a critical role in advancing the President-elect's agenda, especially with his wife in charge of the executive branch's transportation policy.

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Logistics gives back: October 2024

For the past seven years, third-party service provider ODW Logistics has provided logistics support for the Pelotonia Ride Weekend, a campaign to raise funds for cancer research at The Ohio State University’s Comprehensive Cancer Center–Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute. As in the past, ODW provided inventory management services and transportation for the riders’ bicycles at this year’s event. In all, some 7,000 riders and 3,000 volunteers participated in the ride weekend.


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Vanderlande to acquire Siemens Logistics for $325 million

The logistics process automation provider Vanderlande has agreed to acquire Siemens Logistics for $325 million, saying its specialty in providing value-added baggage and cargo handling and digital solutions for airport operations will complement Netherlands-based Vanderlande’s business in the warehousing, airports, and parcel sectors.

The acquisition has received approval from the Supervisory and Management Boards of both Vanderlande and its parent company Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO) as well as the Management Board of parent company Siemens AG.

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Resilience is a daily fight

I recently came across a report showing that 86% of CEOs around the world see resiliency problems in their supply chains, and that business leaders are spending more time than ever tackling supply chain-related challenges. Initially I was surprised, thinking that the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic surely prepared industry leaders for just about anything, helping to bake risk and resiliency planning into corporate strategies for companies of all sizes.

But then I thought about the growing number of issues that can affect supply chains today—more frequent severe weather events, accelerating cybersecurity threats, and the tangle of emerging demands and regulations around decarbonization, to name just a few. The level of potential problems seems to be increasing at lightning speed, making it difficult, if not impossible, to plan for every imaginable scenario.

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AI tops digital supply chain investment priorities

AI tops digital supply chain investment priorities

Investing in artificial intelligence (AI) is a top priority for supply chain leaders as they develop their organization’s technology roadmap, according to data from research and consulting firm Gartner.

AI—including machine learning—and Generative AI (GenAI) ranked as the top two priorities for digital supply chain investments globally among more than 400 supply chain leaders surveyed earlier this year. But key differences apply regionally and by job responsibility, according to the research.

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Report: Manufacturing leaders should think beyond November election

U.S. manufacturing leaders should think beyond November and focus on responsiveness for building long-term success regardless of who occupies the Oval Office in 2025, according to a report from Propel Software about uncertainty on business conditions as the presidential election approaches.

Regardless of the elected administration, the future likely holds significant changes for trade, taxes, and regulatory compliance. As a result, it’s crucial that U.S. businesses avoid making decisions contingent on election outcomes, and instead focus on resilience, agility, and growth, according to California-based Propel, which provides a product value management (PVM) platform for manufacturing, medical device, and consumer electronics industries.

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