Mandy wants to solve the massive skilled trade shortage in North America as it is a profound economic and social issue that affects everyone. Consumers are paying more and waiting longer for services, companies aren’t able to scale, and delays are impacting essential infrastructure projects, like roads, transit and hospitals. The misconception that white-collar jobs are “better” or “more desirable” than blue-collar ones. Society needs both collars, and if we do not change this, the crippling effects of the skilled labor shortage will only get worse.

Mandy is Canada’s Most Admired CEO, Top 25 Women of Influence, The RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur “Momentum” Award recipient, Toronto Region Board of Trade Business Leader of the Year, named Growth 500 Excellence in Innovation, (WXN’s) Top 100 Most Powerful Women – Hall of Fame recipient, named CGLCC- LGBT Business of the Year and finally, Atlantic Business Magazine’s Top 50 CEOs. How do ya like them lobsters?

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The 2023 27th Annual Third Party Logistics Study investigates leading trends into the ways in which shippers and 3PLs can collaborate to drive value in the supply chain. The study also highlights trends and issues that likely will be impactful for the future state of logistics outsourcing.

Join us for a moderated session by Bart de Muynck as University of Tennessee, Google and project44 discuss The Fleet sustainability index. This collaborative discussion will review the digital supply chain efforts of top technology companies and how thought leaders are empowering shippers to have more control of their supply chain.

The ongoing labor shortage in the transportation industry has caused service disruptions and it has also served to increase freight rates. Hear leading transportation executives describe what strategies and tactics they are adopting to address this multifaceted business issue.

Learn how shippers and carriers are working together to digitize the pickup and delivery process using the contactless standard to gain real-time visibility into their yards, speed up turnaround times, and reduce detention fees. Together GS1, CSCMP, Coyote, Vector and the CBA have developed an open digital standard that facilitates interoperability using GS1 data elements and will be sharing their experiences and learnings.

Leading supply chain executives will discuss the recent challenges that they experienced while managing the diverse responses of their transportation vendors during an unprecedented period of supply chain disruption. Collaboration is the key as shippers and carriers work together to try to stabilize their businesses. Hear real-life examples of what they are doing to manage capacity, service and price in the post-pandemic business environment while asking the question “What does it mean to be a carrier of choice?”

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A great deal has been written about the technical development of Autonomous Class 8 trucks and their expected impact on the North American Supply Chain. Autonomous L4 trucks have transitioned from mostly research projects only a few years ago to that of the largest players in the space targeting production and deployment in the coming 3-5 years. This session will focus on the path in which these vehicles will most likely take in integrating to existing networks of shippers, carriers and third-party logistics providers.

Where are transportation rates headed in 2022 and beyond? In this panel session, participants will hear about the macro and microeconomic forces that are driving rate volatility in 2022 and in the years to come and take away valuable forecasting information that will help set transportation budgets in the next year as well as tips for navigating and mitigating record setting rates.

With labor shortage difficulties continuing in 2022, distribution leaders are asking “where have the workers gone?” In this session, we’ll share data – including insights from Instawork’s State of the Warehouse Report – on the evolving nature of the hourly workforce, how operators are adjusting their staffing strategies to recruit and retain workers, and technology’s role in providing flexible work to help warehouses fill staffing gaps in a new, more agile way.

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In the fourth annual installment of the Logistics 2030 study, Auburn University, CSCMP, and Agile Business Media investigate future directions in manufacturing. This session covers the study findings and managerial implications of producing goods in a highly dynamic environment. In this lively session, industry professionals and Logistics 2030 researchers will:
• Explore trends related to manufacturing strategy & process innovation
• Assess the state of production operations & project their evolution
• Describe emerging technologies that will drive operational efficiency & product quality

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TerraCycle, operates the largest supply chain for ocean plastic in the world, partnering   with companies to integrate this material into their packaging. Working with some of the world’s largest brands, such as P&G, Nestle and Unilever to achieve their commitment to the environment, Tom is creating circular solutions for hundreds of waste streams such as cigarette butts, dirty diapers and used chewing gum that otherwise have no path to be recycled.

Tom and TerraCycle have received hundreds of social, environmental and business awards and recognition from a range of organizations including the United Nations, World Economic Forum, Fortune Magazine and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Tom is the author of four books, “Revolution in a Bottle” (2009), “Outsmart Waste” (2014), “Make Garbage Great” (2015) and “The Future of Packaging” (2019). Tom created, produced and starred in TerraCycle’s reality show, “Human Resources” which aired on Pivot from 2014-2016 and is syndicated in more than 20 foreign markets on Amazon and iTunes.

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With mountains of data combined with years of experience, organizations from the NFL to the world’s largest retailers and brands make “bet the farm” predictions. Yet, they rarely get them right. That’s because they use the past to predict the future. And, the past rarely forecasts disruptions, changes in consumer behavior or achilles tendon tears. In this session, learn how the Patriots, Warren Buffet and the world’s leading supply chains succeed: they admit they’re wrong from the start.

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For years – maybe even decades – TMS use cases have been relegated to being purely operational in nature – necessary for managing the movement of freight from Point A to Point B. But with the adoption of technology becoming more widespread across all areas of supply chain, technology providers and executive leaders are exploring new ways to realize value from their tech stacks that go far beyond simply arranging for the movement of freight. MercuryGate co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer Steve Blough and Chief Technology Officer Beth Hendriks will share how the company’s broader vision for transportation technology has led to alignment with strategic partners across visibility, global trade compliance, and procurement to empower customers with real-time access to true market rating and shipment-level data and proactively manage shipments from within a single platform to avoid exceptions and continuously improve service.

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Transportation professionals know that freight transportation is not like other commodities. Therefore, it should not be procured like other commodities. This talk explores the most common misunderstandings that senior (non-transportation) executives have concerning TL transportation and explains why this matters. Based on research at MIT and DAT Freight & Analytics with over 150 shippers, this talk will help transportation executives better understand why TL is different and how to explain this to their senior management.

The lack of resiliency in supply chains is one of the most persistent exposures in business operations uncovered by the COVID-19 pandemic. And, with widespread recognition of how sophisticated and geographically broad global supply chains are now at the top of the C-Suite agenda.

Businesses tend to focus on risk management when in moments of disruption, but there’s another factor to consider: supply chain collaboration. Companies who collaborate effectively across the supply chain have enjoyed dramatic improvements including reductions in inventories and costs, together with improvements in service levels, and customer satisfaction. The opportunity to cultivate supply chain stakeholder relationships that are more collaborative is critical to leveraging the supply chain as a strategic advantage.

Join this year’s Women Leaders Forum as we discuss supply chain collaboration strategies that produce results.

Authored by Kearney and presented by Penske Logistics, the State of Logistics annual report will present an overview of the economy during the past year, the logistics industry's key trends, and the total U.S. logistics costs for 2021. The session will provide an interactive dialogue with a panel comprised of report contributors and industry leaders.

In the next five years e-commerce and its attendant need for Final Mile delivery service is expected to grow at a rate of 10% per year. Attend this Final Mile Transportation session to learn about the various approaches that companies are taking to address this growing distribution requirement. Also learn how service providers are adapting their transportation networks to better support their customers final mile delivery needs.

Freight transportation and supply chain management are full of decisions that are made over time under uncertainty, producing problems for which we do not have the kinds of tools we enjoy for optimization and machine learning. Explore the new modeling framework that can be used to automate decisions and understand how strategic decisions affect operations. Learn about the tools implemented for strategic and operational planning in truckload trucking and supply chain management using a software called CORE.ai backed by decades of research from Princeton University.

CSCMP in collaboration with MIT's Center of Transportation and Logistics will share the results of the 2021-2022 State of Supply Chain Sustainability Survey including deeper insight into findings and provide a gauge to what extent sustainability is diffusing into global supply chains.

With eCommerce demand rising, Cooper Lighting was looking for a scalable way to reduce redundancy and increase the efficiency of their pick operations. Working with Tryon Solutions and MacGregor Partners, Cooper Lighting successfully deployed Locus Robotics' collaborative multi-bot fulfillment solution into their 350,000 square-foot operations, eliminating non-value-added travel and increasing productivity and fulfillment rates. This session gives insight into successfully evaluating, justifying, and implementing AMR technology. Learn how a customer went through the AMR selection process.

In recent years, Owens Corning has integrated machine learning and automation technology throughout their transportation logistics in partnership with Convoy. In this breakout, you'll learn from their logistics leaders how they approached their technology strategy, the benefits of automating manual processes, and the surprising role that technology plays in strengthening relationships with logistics providers. Included in the session will be a discussion of spot automation tools, modern drop-and-hook programs, dynamic pricing programs, and more.

Despite supply delays and labor woes, investment in supply chain and technology is increasing, driving innovation and enabling the new level of service customers expect. But are we making enough progress? CSCMP and ToolsGroup are excited to reveal the results of their third-annual global digital supply chain planning study. In this session we'll reveal:
• Top supply chain planning priorities in the digital age
• Biggest areas of investment for growth
• Benchmarks for digital supply chain planning progress
• Trends and tips for optimizing logistics and transportation
A must-attend session for supply chain leaders entering 2023 planning.

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Today's global commercial supply chain, regardless of the industry, is more complex, fast moving, and volatile than ever before in history, and is growing increasingly so._ Historical data, past assumptions and processes are no longer fit to chart the course ahead._ Companies must make analytic-based decisions, faster, with real-time forward-looking predictive precision._ Join our panel of industry experts and learn how modern analytic platforms give you the power to explore multiple plausible scenarios, weed out risk, make intelligent automated decisions. Across the entire end-to-end supply chain, so that all internal and external planning and decisioning stakeholders are kept informed and aligned to customer demand.

This panel session will help participants understand the complexities and best methods for dealing with the continued disruption of air and ocean shipping in a post-COVID world. Panelists will share the lessons they learned and how they plan to apply those learnings to future disruptive events.

Efforts to relocate manufacturing have accelerated—but given recent inflation costs, how will it impact these initiatives? Having proximity to consumers has its benefits, leading to balanced trade and budget deficits, reduce unemployment, create well-paying manufacturing jobs, and develop a skilled workforce. So, why are so many companies still importing rather than producing in their country? Join this discussion as we explore the multifaceted world of reshoring and nearshoring and if realigning production geography is a right move for your company.

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Aging infrastructure, labor/capacity constraints, and geopolitical disruptions have continued to cause bottlenecks, congestion, and multiple challenges in global markets. Whereas all modes are affected leading to the overarching issue of inflation and higher costs. Supply chain pressures have proved more persistent then expected, so how are companies navigating this climate of unpredictability? Join this critical dialogue as panelists reflect on the challenges while driving solutions and strategies that are key to combatting this perfect storm.