The SupplyChainBrain Podcast

The Fashion Apparel Supply Chain Has a Visibility Problem

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Is sustainability in fashion in the apparel supply chain?

Can Manufacturers Prevent Another Microchip Shortage?

12 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The global shortage of microchips has had a devastating impact on multiple industries, not least automotive manufacturers, who are expected to have lo...

It’s Story Time in Supply Chain Land!

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Megan Preston Meyer was enjoying a highly successful career as a supply chain expert for numerous companies. Something was missing, though — what sh...

Bridging the Supply Chain Talent Gap

15 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The supply chain is hanging out the “Help Wanted” sign. But where will we find the right people?

How PepsiCo Beverages Coped With COVID

08 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How has PepsiCo Beverages of North America, with more than $22.5 billion in net revenue, 65-plus manufacturing sites and 420 distribution centers, man...

Human Rights in the DRC’s ‘Artisanal’ Cobalt Mines

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Are workers’ rights in the mines of the Democratic Republic of the Congo being sacrificed to the world’s hunger for cobalt?

Leaving China Isn’t As Easy As You Think

17 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Think it will be difficult to bring back manufacturing to the United States? Getting out of China isn’t so easy either.

Are U.S. Manufacturers Making a U-Turn on Reshoring Plans?

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It wasn’t too long ago that we began seeing signs of a return of manufacturing from China back to the U.S. Has someone flipped the script?

Beyond the Robots: Keys to Successful Supply Chain Automation

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to automating the warehouse, buying the robots is just the beginning.

‘Sourcing Can Change the World.’ Here’s How.

28 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Can ethical sourcing practices really “change the world”?

Robots in the Warehouse: A Necessity for Survival?

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Over the years, the technology of robotics in the warehouse has evolved from something that’s nice to have to an absolute necessity.

Where Will We Get the Rare Earth Minerals for Our Electric Cars?

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Are we on target for making zero-emission vehicles account for half of all cars sold in the U.S. by 2030? Not without enough rare earth minerals to bu...

Suppliers vs. Buyers: Who Holds the Power Today?

07 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why Supply Chains Are Critical to the Success of Brands

30 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A lot of factors go into the success or failure of consumer brands, but one of them stands out today: the supply chain.

China vs. Southeast Asia: Where Is Manufacturing Going?

23 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You might think that the recent spate of supply chain disruptions would have caused a stampede of manufacturers out of China, or at least prompted the...

Why Logistics Must Embrace A.I. Now

16 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial intelligence promises huge benefits to the logistics sector — so why is it so slow in being fully adopted there?

A Portrait of the Post-Pandemic Grocery Shopper

08 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is this creature whom we call “the post-pandemic grocery shopper”?

The Price of Success: How Xero Shoes Survived the Pandemic

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

No aspect of business is as frustrating as hitting it big with customers, yet not being able to get product to them.

Managing Supply Chains in Crisis Areas: Lessons From an Expert

26 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How do you set up and maintain critical supply chains in some of the world’s most difficult environments?

Quantum Encryption: The Solution to Cybersecurity?

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Quantum physics is a mystery to most everyone, but that doesn’t stop innovators from attempting to apply quantum technologies at a practical level -...

This Report Says Manufacturing Is Coming Back to the U.S.

11 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

So manufacturing is coming back to the U.S. after all? Guess it depends on whom you ask.

Can a Trade Agreement Protect U.S. Intellectual Property Rights?

04 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump Administration unceremoniously withdrew the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership among 12 Pacific Rim nations before the pact was even of...

How to Stop Talking About Resilience — and Do Something About It

28 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to global supply chains, resilience is the buzzword of 2021. But are companies doing more than talking about it?

Rethinking Shipper-Carrier Relationships After the Pandemic

21 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The lessons of the pandemic forced shippers to take a fresh look at the way they deal with carriers.

How to Keep CPG Supply Chains From Running Blind

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

End-to-end visibility of data and product is essential to the efficient operation of consumer packaged goods supply chains. Unfortunately, many are ru...

Fixing CPG Supply Chains to Withstand the Next Big Crisis

07 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A review of critical supply chains uncovers major weaknesses in the consumer packaged goods sector.

The Pandemic and Supply Chains: One Year On

24 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

COVID-19 is slowly abating. What damage did it do to our global supply chains?

What’s Wrong With the Biopharma Supply Chain?

17 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Despite its success in rushing COVID-19 vaccines to market, the biopharmaceutical supply chain is far from perfect.

E-tailers Scramble to Keep Up With Population Shifts

09 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Shifting U.S. population patterns, caused in large part by the COVID-19 pandemic, are posing a new challenge for e-tailers looking to stay close to cu...

How Should Shippers and Carriers Be Preparing for the Recovery?

02 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The COVID-19 pandemic appears to be subsiding. How should logistics providers and shippers be readying themselves for the “new normal”? 

To the Moon and Beyond: Creating a Deep-Space Supply Chain

26 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This supply chain is shooting for the moon.

Four Key Trends for E-Commerce in 2021

20 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The latest edition of the E-Tailers’ Almanac offers a glimpse of what 2021 holds in store for online merchants.

Business ‘Reinvention’: Necessary for Survival

13 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you think your business is in a comfortable place and securely on the road to continued profitability, you might need to think again.

A Podcast Dedicated to ‘The Vaccine Challenge’

06 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Podcast talks to podcast! And the topic is the COVID-19 vaccine.

Unilever Pledges a ‘Living Wage’ for Its Global Supply Chain

28 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The consumer products giant Unilever plc is promising a “living wage” for all of its supply-chain workers by the year 2030. Can it make good on th...

Four Mistakes That Companies Are Making in Their Parcel-Shipping Strategies

21 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to the pandemic and heavy customer demand, parcel shipping is currently mired in “chaos.”

Failing to Be Safe: Preventing Warehouse Injuries

14 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

At a time when warehouses are under intense pressure to process and ship product to demanding customers, how can we keep warehouse workers safe?

A New Trade Policy for the 21st Century

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The framework for conducting global trade isn’t working. Time for a reset.

How Can We Achieve ‘Transportation Justice’?

01 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For all the attention that we pay to the movement of goods from origin to destination, do we ever give thought to the communities that lie in their pa...

Women in Logistics 2021: A Rail-Industry Pioneer

25 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Meet a woman of color who has broken down barriers in the railroad industry — among many other accomplishments.

A Look at the Southern California Supply-Chain ‘Meltdown’

18 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, along with supporting distribution facilities and infrastructure in the area, are suffering from severe conge...

Biden’s Trade Priorities: The First 100 Days, and Beyond

11 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

With the pandemic still raging and the U.S. domestic economy slumping, how will President Biden address critical issues of international trade?

Have Supply Chains Forgotten About Sustainability?

03 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to pursuing supply-chain sustainability and social responsibility, has the pandemic caused companies to take their eye off the ball?

Making It As an Amazon Seller: It’s No Picnic

25 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For e-tailers selling their wares on Amazon.com, a lot of obstacles stand in the way of success — sometimes even Amazon itself.

Healthcare Gets a Cybersecurity Wakeup Call

18 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Healthcare is facing a potential cybersecurity crisis.

What’s Wrong With the Pharma Supply Chain?

11 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to efficient distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine and other drugs, the pharmaceutical supply chain is falling short.

Can We Fix the Broken Vaccine Supply Chain?

03 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Blame the glitches in rolling out COVID-19 vaccines on any number of factors, but is there a quick solution to the obstacles encountered on the distri...

How to Create True Diversity in the Workplace

28 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It takes more than the issuance of sincere P.R. statements to ensure real diversity in the business world today.

Podcast | What It Takes to Make Direct-to-Consumer Fulfillment Work

27 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Retailers selling over the internet can’t hope to compete without a reliable and effective direct-to-consumer (DTC) model for fulfillment. But setti...

Managing Vendor Compliance With Health and Safety Rules

20 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re a business that’s outsourcing services, don’t think for one moment that you’re shedding responsibility for the health and safety of ...

Why We Need to Ramp Up Recycling of Old Tech

13 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The failure of consumers to recycle their personal devices could lead to shortages of the precious metals needed to build new products.

The Real Reason for Product Shortages? Not Enough Packaging

07 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Many of the supply-chain shortages caused by the coronavirus pandemic have one thing in common: a lack of plastic and cardboard containers to put them...

Bridging the Generation Gap in U.S. Manufacturing

03 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If U.S. manufacturing is to compete with cheap overseas production, it needs to attract a younger workforce with technology chops.

Supply-Chain Finance: A Life Preserver for Small Suppliers?

19 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Out With Conveyors, In With Autonomous Mobile Robots

11 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The humble conveyor is no longer the symbol of warehouse automation. The robots are here.We’ve seen countless iterations of technology for automatin...

Are There Positive Signs of Economic Recovery?

05 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A U.S. Producer Challenges China’s Dominance in Rare Earth Mining

29 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The 17 “rare earth” minerals that are essential to so many high-tech products today, from electric cars to magnets and military systems, aren’t ...

Massive Changes Are Happening Across the Retail Landscape

21 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Strategies for Bringing Manufacturing Back to the U.S.

14 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Easier said than done: that pretty well describes the task of shifting manufacturing out of China and back to the United States.

Blockchain for the Supply Chain: In the Pandemic and Beyond

07 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Easier said than done: that pretty well describes the task of shifting manufacturing out of China and back to the United States.

Once, Nothing Was AI. Now, Everything Is.

30 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial intelligence is everywhere in global business today, especially in the supply chain. But what exactly is this thing called “AI”?

What Does It Take to Persuade People?

24 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Are the U.S. and China Fighting a New Cold War?

17 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How to Cut Down on Global Food Waste

09 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How Transportation Spend Signals the Health of the Economy

02 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Should We Scrap Just-in-Time Supply Chains?

27 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In Survival Mode, Retail Goes Digital

20 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Supply-Chain Survival Strategies: Now and for the Future

12 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How the Pandemic Will Change Talent Recruitment

05 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cybersecurity in the Pandemic: How Can We Protect Ourselves?

30 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Coming Out of the Crisis: A Playbook for Recovering Supply Chains

22 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Making Dreams of Supply-Chain Visibility a Reality

21 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

5G: A New Level of Cyber Risk for Radio Frequency Networks

08 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How to Break America’s Reliance on Manufacturing in China

25 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Five Key Challenges for Supply-Chain Leaders in 2020

17 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A Way to Cut Down on Empty Space in the Truck

10 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

‘How’s My Product Doing?’ Tackling the Data Dilemma

03 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Podcast | Three Things We Must Do to Prevent a Great(er) Depression

27 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Thinking Beyond the Panic: Sourcing Strategies After COVID-19

20 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Game’s Afoot: Using Gamification in the Warehouse

13 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How USMCA Impacts Shipping Between the U.S. and Canada

07 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Why Is the Supply Chain Slow to Adopt Blockchain?

30 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Which Companies Will Survive the Economic Crash?

22 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

‘Racing Amazon’: How Can E-Commerce Retailers Compete?

15 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Will the Coronavirus Spur a Rise in U.S. Manufacturing?

08 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Will Debt Bring Down the Global Economy?

02 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How the Coronavirus Affects Supply-Chain Risk: Three Perspectives

25 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Coronavirus and Global Supply Chains: A Shock to the System

18 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Can China Keep Its Belt and Road Initiative From Derailing?

13 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Impact of the Coronavirus on Global Supply Chains

04 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Why the U.S. Lags Asia in Use of Robots in Factories and Warehouses

27 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Four Walls and … What? The Transformation of the Warehouse

20 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Battling the Curse of ‘Corporate Short-Termism’

12 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Self-Driving Cars: When Will They Arrive?

06 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A Look Inside a Space Systems Supply Chain

30 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When Automation Takes Your Job, Is Retraining the Answer?

22 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

100,000 Assessments: Is There Progress in Achieving Supply-Chain Sustainability?

15 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Devastating ‘Ripple Effect’ of Multi-Party Cyber Breaches

09 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Will Technology Cause Warehouse Working Conditions to Suffer?

01 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Supply-Chain Finance: Myth and Reality

18 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas