A panel discussion at the recent Supply Chain Partners June Virtual Summit saw Forkliftaction News editor Allan Leibowitz engaging with a number of industry leaders to identify opportunities and strategies to deal with the mounting pressures.
The discussion was held at a time when materials handling and warehousing face some significant challenges in an era of increased freight volumes, rising energy costs, limited warehouse space and labour shortages.
George Pappas, managing director - Linde Material Handling Australia and New Zealand, identified environmental and energy issues as a significant challenge in a “shift from what used to be acceptable to what is now expected”.
He added that, surprisingly, Australia is one of the few markets in the world where industrial truck emissions standards are not regulated, with no way of excluding machines which exceed Euro V standards by 300 times.
Prological founder and director Peter Jones spoke about the transition of the supply chain to a new way of doing things. “The challenge is that to access (the innovations and technology) takes long lead times and requires ROI calculations that businesses have not wrestled with for decades,” he explained.
Jeff Warren, CEO of Vueterra, pointed out that in the mining industry, logistics and supply chain are “at the end of the caboose”. He noted that a lot of large pieces of vital equipment are often overlooked because they are stored in lay-down areas with tarps over them. “It’s criminal to see these things,” he said, adding that few mining businesses have enough investment in logistics.
Patrick Ingenegeren, senior manager, commercial operations at TT Logistics, said that for 3PL operators, like his organisation, the major challenge is an inability of customers to commit to contracts long enough to justify investment in technology, such as automation, from which clients would benefit.
The panellists all stressed the need for investment in technology, facilities and labour, but noted that the current economic conditions are not conducive to additional spending for many organisations.
Supply Chain Virtual Summit - key takeaways from the panellists
The session recording is available to full Supply Chain Partners members. Find out more here.