Tag Archives: innovation

Team wins prize for rentable refrigeration in India

I found this outstanding example of entrepreneurship through the Supply Chain @ MIT blog.  It is a great case of entrepreneurs meeting a real need and shaping the product to fit it.  The extra advantage, and one all entrepreneurs should heed, is that many of the best ideas are  humanitarian, sustainable, and ethical, turning a problem real people (or creatures) have into something economically viable as well.  Hats off to these students.

Also note that MIT students (and Harvard students, I am bound to say, though my Princeton degree makes it harder) won the first 3 prizes!!

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Modular boxes that keep food shipments fresh win MIT Food and Agribusiness Innovation Prize.

Source: Team wins prize for bringing rentable refrigeration to India’s food supply chain | MIT News

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http://supplychainmit.com/2016/05/03/modular-refrigeration-units-could-reduce-cold-chain-costs-in-india/

Artificial intelligence will remake global logistics

According to Sean Kilcarr (writing in Fleet Owner), many of the trends in logistics boil down to technological advancements. this article and especially the study from DHL details the types of technology moving to the forefront, and makes the case that they will revolutionize logistics.

I agree with that view. And the good thing about it is that these technical changes allow evolutionary as well as disruptive innovation, and over time will move the entire field to greater efficiency and more effective performance for each customer, perhaps much faster than we think.

Many of the changes are straightforward application of technology using industrial engineering techniques.  They will, however, require a highly educated and technologically literate work force. Those folks are coming along; young folks are already much more computer literate than their parents; but our educational system must still push the general populace by giving opportunities to learn coding, math, science, and engineering disciplines, and to have fun doing it through innovation and experimentation rather than boring classes.

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Global logistics provider DHL believes worldwide supply chains are beginning to undergo a fundamental transformation as more “artificial intelligence” is deployed to handle both the domestic and international movement of goods

Source: DHL report says artificial intelligence will remake global logistics | Fleet Management content from Fleet Owner

Here is the full 55 page report from DHL, downloadable here also:

dhl_logistics_trend_radar_2016 (pdf)

Rx: Port Decongestant

Fascinating viewpoint on the federal efforts to address problems at ports.  To me, it’s right on target. Wrong folks involved.  Think bigger, wider.

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The Secretary of Commerce received recommendations from her department’s Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness (ACSCC). The paper: Recommendations to the Secretary of Commerce Re…

Source: Rx: Port Decongestant | MTS Matters