Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY Guest: Dan Pellathy on new research on supply chain agility; The Labor Department proposes new rules governing independent contractors; Distribution centers go multilevel
Our guest on this week's episode is Dan Pellathy, an assistant professor at Grand Valley State University. The past two years of pandemic and economic uncertainly revealed many weaknesses in our supply chains and pointed to the need for greater agility. But while everyone seeks supply chain agility, what is the reality in the market and are companies as diversified and resilient with their supply chains as they should be? Pellathy and a team of supply chain researchers have studied the ROI of supply chain agility and have released their findings in an industry white paper (see the notes below to access the white paper).
The Labor Department has proposed new rules for classifying contract workers. The new rules will probably reclassify many current independent contractors as employees of the companies for which they perform work. This could have a tremendous impact on independent truck drivers and gig workers who do last mile deliveries.
For years, warehouses and distribution centers in countries where land is scarce, such as in Europe and Japan, have been built as multi-story facilities to better utilize the footprint of the available land. As companies in the U.S. move distribution closer to urban areas, they are looking to copy the multi-floor designs to better serve these urban markets with faster deliveries.
DC Velocity's sister publication CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly offers a podcast series called Supply Chain in the Fast Lane. It is co-produced with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. The third season of eight episodes launched this past Tuesday with a new episode each week. The focus this season is on attracting and retaining labor in our supply chains. Go to your favorite podcast platform to subscribe.
Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:
- Grand Valley State University
- Download site for white paper on agility - University of Tennessee
- Labor Department proposes new rule on independent contractors
- Industry weighs impact of proposed independent contractor rule
- Multi-story warehouses sprout in Chicago & New York
- Visit DCVelocity.com for the latest news.
- Visit Supply Chain Quarterly
- Listen to CSCMP and Supply Chain Quarterly's Supply Chain in the Fast Lane podcast
- Listen to Supply Chain Quarterly's Top 10 Supply Chain Threats podcast
- Send feedback about this podcast to podcast@dcvelocity.com.
Podcast sponsored by: Signode
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