Info SNACKS BITE-SIZED SUPPLY CHAIN/LOGISTICS INFORMATION
33% Of companies are reducing the number of suppliers this year 63% Are aiming to diversify suppliers in response to continued geopolitical risks PLATEAUED BUT ELEVATED
3D-PRINTING SLAM DUNK Wilson Sporting Goods has developed a 3D-printed, airless basketball. Instead of being air inflated like a regular basketball, the Airless Gen1 sports a polymer lattice structure that helps the ball flex and spring back, mimicking the bounce of a traditional basketball, with the same performance specifications. It can do all the things a regular basketball can, including bounce, dribble, and swiftly fly through the air. The 3D-printed version features eight panel-like lobes that eliminate the need for the ball to be inflated. Dotted hexagonal holes over its surface allow the air to pass through it more freely. Purchase price? A mere $2,500. A CLEAR CAREER • 81% of women and 74% of men recommend a career in manufacturing • 83% of respondents report labor shortages, particularly for entry- level positions • 71% of women and 56% of men enter the manufacturing industry unintentionally -Xometry and Women in Manufacturing’s 2024 Career Advancement in Manufacturing Report
HAVE AN ICE DAY A Greenland start-up is getting an icy reception from environmentalists for shipping 100,000-year-old Arctic ice to chill cocktails in Dubai. Arctic Ice claims its product is the “oldest and purest” ice in the world because it is harvested from icebergs in Greenland—4,730+ miles from Dubai. The company says it takes the ice from icebergs already naturally detached from the glacier and floating in Greenland’s Nuuk fjord. Arctic Ice packs the ice in refrigerated shipping containers for transportation to Dubai, where it is distributed to bars and restaurants. Arctic Ice claims that its operations are designed to minimize the impact on the environment by using exiting cargo shipping routes and reducing carbon dioxide emissions per container shipped to and from Greenland. “A wakeup call for all of us in the port and supply chain industry.” – Eugene Seroka, Executive Director, Port of Los Angeles, on President Biden’s executive order calling for a $20-billion cybersecurity investment in U.S. ports
Container prices following Chinese New Year
–Container xChange Market Forecaster, March 2024
TRAIN ME AND I’LL STAY • 71% of frontline warehousing/logistics workers and 86% of managers say they want continuous learning/skill development. • 64% of workers and 73% of managers would extend their tenure by six years with improved career support and training. • 57% of managers would be willing to stay for 10 years or more. • 51% recognize AI’s importance as a skillset but need support to learn about it. –Kahoot! workplace culture report
March 2024 • Inbound Logistics 1
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