Food Logistics May/June 2022

DRIVER SHORTAGE

TRACK & TRACE

THE GREAT RESHUFFLING PUTS FRONTLINE JOBS FIRST The supply chain is now considered to be the pandemic’s must-have college degree. Here’s why.

Issue No. 233 May/June 2022

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RISK MITIGATION

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ON THE MENU

May/June 2022 ISSUE NO. 233 COLUMNS FOR STARTERS

04

oving the Needle M in Continued Supply Chain Education

Post-pandemic, supply chain jobs are here to stay, says Marina Mayer, Editor-in-Chief.

DEPARTMENTS

COVER STORY

The Great Reshuffling Puts Frontline Jobs First The supply chain is now considered to be the pandemic’s musthave college degree. Here’s why.

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06

Farm To Fork

10

Food on the Move

www.FoodLogistics.com

3PL / COLD CHAIN

WAREHOUSING

TRANSPORTATION

Driver visibility and solutions are an important part of the 3PL industry.

Acosta details ways grocery retailers can increase profitability and efficiency in today’s market.

JAXPORT outlines ways breakbulk is an efficient solution for moving time-sensitive cargo.

SOFTWARE & TECHNOLOGY

PACKAGING

FOOD SAFETY

Digital transformation is the future, according to Digital Container Shipping Association.

With more and more food being purchased online, packaging needs to adapt.

Necessity drives innovation in the cold chain, says Everstream Analytics.

Driver 20 Visibility, Shortage Keywords

Track & 28 Standardized Trace Mitigates Risk

Grocery Retail 24 4Trends to Watch

Ways to Determine 26 4if Breakbulk is Right

Changes Reducing Waste in 30 E-Commerce 32 in CPG Packaging Food Supply Chains

WEB EXCLUSIVES • Supply Chain Network Virtual Summit SCNSummit.com

• The L.I.N.K. to Global

Supply Chain Intelligence foodlogistics.com/podcasts

• Supply Chain

Learning Center SupplyChainLearningCenter.com

Published and copyrighted 2022 by AC Business Media. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.

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MAY/JUNE 2022 | FOOD LOGISTICS

3

FOR STARTERS

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

DETAILS

MOVING THE NEEDLE IN CONTINUED SUPPLY CHAIN EDUCATION

T Marina Mayer Editor-In-Chief

rucking moves a whopping 72% of goods in the United States. While this figure could include things like medications, toys, furniture and more, it also includes perishable foods like yogurt, milk, frozen pizzas and more.

So, when those trucks sit idle due to the impending driver shortage, the supply chain stops.

Fortunately, efforts are being made to curb the labor and driver shortage, enhance worker safety, improve diversity and inclusion efforts and make the supply chain the “it” industry to work in.

And, it seems to be working.

For instance, employment of supply chain management professionals is expected to grow by 30% from

2020-2030, which is faster than the average for all professions, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Companies like Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM), Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and SMC3 joined our Supply Chain Learning Center to offer continuing education courses in everything from CLTD and procurement certificates to supply chain management, carrier pricing, business analytics and more. From beginners to pros, there’s online courses for every skill level.

The supply chain is now considered to be the pandemic’s musthave college degree, according to Bloomberg. And, since The Great Reshuffling pushed many frontline jobs to the forefront, post-pandemic, supply chain jobs are here to stay.

Maybe the supply chain doesn’t stop when trucks sit idle; maybe it does keep moving regardless; maybe the labor shortage won’t last forever, it could improve, it could most definitely get worse, it could sit stagnate.

Either way, continued education in the supply chain space is key to moving the needle toward accruing the next best employee while still achieving employee retention.

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FOOD LOGISTICS | MAY/JUNE 2022

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What If You Could Use Less Energy AND Generate More Production?

Less Energy with More Output? Yes, Please!

Visit www.ndustrial.io/production-first to download our nSight Product Guide and to see how cold chain facilities leverage real-time data to optimize production and boost margins …all while using less energy.

FARM TO FORK

NEWS FROM ACROSS THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN Daily Updates at FoodLogistics.com

WHO HAS THE MEATS?

Pexels

In the United States, the meat processing and packing industry has been monopolized by just four major companies, who have incrementally increased the prices of meat, with today’s price being at its highest in the past 40 years. As these prices continue to climb, the U.S. government has been called upon to intervene.

President Biden established the Biden-Harris Action Plan to counteract the monopoly present in the meat industry. The plan uses $1 billion from American Rescue Plan funds to boost independent meat processing and packing companies as bigger players in the industry lower the barriers of entry to new potential competition. While the Biden-Harris Action Plan aims to help end consumers, there is controversy surrounding the plan from those in the supply chain. Frigorífico Concepción’s founder, CEO and chairman Jair Antonio de Lima shares alternative solutions in the expert column below.

Scan the QR code to learn more.

https://foodl.me/dcwvd4

GOING GREEN WITHOUT SPENDING GREEN

In today’s world, green solutions for the food chain cannot be discussed without bringing up the topic of food waste management. Jeff Scott, manufacturing manager at Re-Nuble, is aware of this shift toward a sustainable food chain and believes food waste innovation is here to stay. The remaining issue lies in the hows. Technology has made its mark across the Andrey_Popov/Adobe Stock entire supply chain, and the food chain industry is no exception.

Many companies are using technology to achieve sustainability goals, but technology does not come cheap. Scott suggests upcycling equipment rather than buying new to save on costs. In this expert column, Scott advises prioritizing what to buy new, such as quality tracking software.

Scan the QR code to learn more.

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FOOD LOGISTICS | MAY/JUNE 2022

TO BUILD OR NOT TO BUILD?

AndSus/Adobe Stock

That is the question, especially when determining how to best invest in warehouse automation. Westfalia Technologies’ president Dan Labell provides two options to investing in a warehouse automation project—retrofit an existing facility or invest in an entirely new build. However, the decision is not an easy one. Deciphering the pros and cons of each option as well as considering key factors that affect your ultimate decision will aid in the process.

Scan the QR code to discover what five things companies should take into account.

https://foodl.me/euwewj

WORKPLACE INJURIES HURT THE SUPPLY CHAIN

The field-to-fork process is made possible by dedicated workers at every step of the food chain. While we may classify these workers as heroes in the industry, they are not invincible. That’s why employee safety in the workplace is of the utmost importance. A study by Travelers Companies, Inc. revealed that 35% of employee injuries occurred in the cineberg/Adobe Stock first year on the job. With the recent labor shortage taking its toll across the supply chain, experienced employees have become hard to keep and even harder to hire. Now, newer and less experienced employees are being hired quickly to make up for the shortage. Without enforced safety measures, these new employees are at high risk of a workplace injury. In total, more than 6 million workdays were lost due to first-year workplace injuries in a five-year study, making up 37% of all lost days. Protecting your employees makes for a better supply chain.

Scan the QR code to learn more.

https://foodl.me/m8744f

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How to Survive Your Next Relabeling Project Time to Relabel Your Racking?

We’ve got you covered with ID Label’s advanced labeling solutions.

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FARM TO FORK

NEWS FROM ACROSS THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN Daily Updates at FoodLogistics.com

OBTAINABLE SUSTAINABILITY

Organic does not always go hand-in-hand with sustainability. Most end consumers are unaware of this.

In this expert column, Patrice Sellès, CEO of Biotalys, redefines sustainable agriculture for the average consumer. To Sellès, true sustainability means that all available options were carefully weighed against one another focusing on both human and environmental needs to come to a balanced solution. Balanced solutions consider societal, economic and environmental impact. The end result should be beneficial to all three of these categories with sustainability as the goal. This approach to sustainability makes going green a realistic goal for every industry.

Scan the QR code to learn more.

Getty

https://foodl.me/p552jg

ROBOTS COME IN PEACE

Technology, technology, technology. It’s all you’re hearing about. But SmartSense

by Digi’s president Guy Yehiav explains that technology is only useful when humans know what to do with it. As Internet of Things (IoT) technology becomes commonplace in food chain stores, many are left wondering what their job will now entail.

The IoT technology is not a replacement for the human employee, but rather a tool to enhance the human performance. With the technology gathering data on things like foot traffic, temperatures, volume and more, employees can take this data and identify areas of risk or create more efficient processes. In this way, employee talents are redirected to more meaningful tasks that the IoT technology is not meant to replicate, such as customer service interactions.

Scan the QR code to learn more.

https://foodl.me/vtd4df Chlorophylle/Adobe Stock

FRESH DELIVERY PRACTICES

BUILDING THE SUPPLY CHAIN

Getty Images

Warehouses and distribution centers are becoming prevalent in the design-build market. Dodge Data & Analytics partnered with LiftMaster in researching the recent uptick in warehouse and distribution center construction. This year alone, 36%, or a little more than one-third, of all U.S. commercial construction was for warehouses and distribution center builds. The sudden explosion of warehouse and distribution center demand in the design-build market comes at a time when e-commerce is at its peak and consumer expectations are growing.

Scan the QR code to learn more.

https://foodl.me/j9dfzj

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FOOD LOGISTICS | MAY/JUNE 2022

Perishable food items have always been and continue to be a hurdle for the cold food chain to successfully transport.

Jonathan Swart, director of refrigerated services at BlueGrace Logistics, details the precautions needed to ensure a fresh delivery every time. From clear, precise Pexels/Adobe Stock communication to doing your research thoroughly, transporting perishable food items does not have to be a major obstacle for the cold food chain.

Scan the QR code to learn more.

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FARM TO FORK

NEWS FROM ACROSS THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN Daily Updates at FoodLogistics.com

KEEPING SHOPPERS SHOPPING

Trax Retail’s chief marketing officer and head of strategy Dor Sela questions how grocers can retain shoppers in an omnichannel era in this expert column. With an estimated 21.5% of total grocery purchases to be Andrey_Bandurenko/Adobe Stock made online by 2025, many retailers are turning to technology. Creating and maintaining a reliable, convenient and user-friendly digital experience will keep customers shopping. To do so, grocers must invest in technology that will track stock availability and aid in-store picking.

Scan the QR code to learn more.

https://foodl.me/z9j4qq

CARING ABOUT CARBON bodnarphoto/Adobe Stock

DEFLATING WITH TECH

In this expert column, Raz Golan, CEO and founder of Shopic, outlines why technology may be the solution in curbing rising global inflation. Beginning with suppliers and manufacturers, higher prices have been passed down to retailers and inevitably to end consumers, resulting in a 9% price increase on meat, seafood, produce and more. However, intelligent data collection, waste reduction technology and apps may bring inflation down for consumers without hurting retailers.

Scan the QR code to learn more.

The latest in sustainable shopping brings carbon labeling. Companies are labeling food items the carbon emissions to each item produced in an effort to increase transparency in the supply chain, according to Ethan Soloviev, chief innovation officer at HowGood.

Doing so also gives customers asiandelight/Adobe Stock the ability to make sustainable decisions based on real data. The EU is putting a carbon labeling plan into law by the end of 2022, but there is great incentive to add the carbon labels even without the law in place. Supply chain visibility fosters trust with consumers and holds the industry accountable for sustainability efforts. A report showed 70% of shoppers are willing to pay more for a sustainable product. With that statistic, carbon labeling may prove to be more profitable in the end.

https://foodl. me/6wte37

Scan the QR code to learn more.

https://foodl.me/mbhres

SHAKE HANDS WITH AI

Pactum’s newest software solution negotiates deals using artificial intelligence (AI). The solution offers predictive pricing, prescriptive recommendations and an AI-powered chat interface to negotiate contracts. Negotiations can be reached in just two minutes and have resulted in joint value for all parties in 95% of Pactum’s autonomous rate negotiations.

Scan the QR code to learn more.

https://foodl.me/z9vdzf

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MAY/JUNE 2022 | FOOD LOGISTICS

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FOOD ON THE MOVE

LOGISTICS TRENDS IN THE INDUSTRY Daily Updates at FoodLogistics.com

SAFETY IN NUMBERS

5m3photos - stock.adobe.com

What do safety and logistics operations have in common? Ethan Miller, risk control manager at Leonard’s Express, sits down with managing editor Brielle Jaekel to discuss just that.

Listen in as the duo break down the importance of fleet safety and the relevance to company logistics.

Scan the QR code to learn more.

https://foodl.me/8dnvnu

It once seemed impossible, but today’s technology is taking the driver shortage head-on. The sudden drop in drivers has raised prices, negatively affecting trucking capacity caps and lowering trucking efficiency. In response, the industry has turned to technology in the form of freight apps, trucking software and logistics technology.

Freight apps alone have proven to increase efficiency, manage flexibility of schedules, reduce waiting times and shipping costs, improve truckload rates and alleviate the pandemonium caused by the drastic driver shortage.

In this expert column, Dmitri Fedorchenko, co-founder and CEO of Doft, details how the trucking sector is once again thriving with the help of technological solutions.

motortion/stock.adobe.com

TRUCKING WITHOUT TRUCKERS

CLEAN SHIPPING WITH CLEANMILE

It’s no secret that the transportation industry has a long way to go in becoming more sustainable. That’s why companies like Breakthrough are taking the first steps in creating a greener shipping process.

Breakthrough launched an end-to-end Scope 3 transportation emissions management solution called CleanMile that uses technology to track and analyze carbon emissions. The data is then logged as reports that can serve to plan out future green initiatives or indicate the progress of current sustainability goals.

While Breakthrough’s CleanMile is certainly not the only sustainable shipping initiative, the solution is helping to make greener processes commonplace across the industry.

Scan the QR code to learn more.

https://foodl.me/7awjps

THE SUPPLY CHAIN’S QUARTERLIFE CRISIS

Pawinee/stock.adobe.com

Tradeshift’s New Index of Global Trade Health spells out the disastrous start to 2022’s supply chain through the first-quarter data reports. From 2020’s pandemic to 2021’s labor shortage, there was hope that 2022 would be a positive turning point for the industry. Instead, the pandemic and labor shortage rage on, and new obstacles have reared their ugly heads.

Now, with the ongoing Russia/Ukraine war, order volumes continue to drop drastically. However, the pain points of the supply chain span well outside Europe, hitting both the United States and China as lockdowns in Asia have increased port congestion.

With all of these problems, it becomes easy to paint the supply chain with a single, devastating stroke. Yet, there is a bright side for many parts of the industry as we continue to adapt. According to data from Tradeshift, suppliers bordering the United States in Mexico and Canada are experiencing business from clients choosing to nearshore supply chains, resulting in increased invoices in both countries.

https://foodl.me/kngg38

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FOOD LOGISTICS | MAY/JUNE 2022

https://foodl.me/t7q22z

Breakthrough

Scan the QR code to learn more.

Scan the QR code to learn more.

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FOOD ON THE MOVE

LOGISTICS TRENDS IN THE INDUSTRY Daily Updates at FoodLogistics.com

EMPTY CONTAINERS, DEEP POCKETS

TMLsPhotoG/Adobe Stock

Containers are coming into ports and being emptied as per usual. But then what?

The United States is at a loss on what to do with all these empty containers, Container xChange reports. Amidst China’s lockdowns and the Russia/Ukraine war, the empty containers are unable to be shipped back to Asia and are instead gathering dust at U.S. ports. In an effort to clear out the growing number of empty containers, the United States has decreased prices at staggering rates. Container xChange data shows prices on containers dropping as much as 30% in the past two months alone.

Greater price slips are expected as peak season draws nearer. How will the United States contain the growing container issue?

Scan the QR code to learn more.

https://foodl.me/mvreuf

Scan the QR code to learn more.

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GOING GREEN AND STAYING COOL

Thermo King

The cold chain just got greener thanks to Thermo King’s Precedent S-750i trailer refrigeration unit. The low-emission, energy-efficient temperature-control solution is applicable to both local and long-haul food distribution.

A three-speed, S-series engine emphasizes the sustainability aspect by maintaining precise temperature control and optimizing shore power integration. The engine meets the California Air Resources Board Ultra-Low Emission Transportation Refrigeration Unit emissions while foregoing a diesel particulate filter.

Scan the QR code to learn more.

https://foodl.me/ekb6uc

www.foodlogistics.com

THE SMALLER SUPPLY CHAIN With small carriers making up more than 90% of the nation’s trucking companies, rising fuel costs have become detrimental to the independent trucking industry.

These small carriers lack the resources necessary to compete against larger carriers as the spot market rates plummet. According to SmartHop, the fuel price increases have thinned small carrier margins. However, the rising fuel prices are just one part of the increasingly disastrous equation.

Driver retention rates are decreasing as overhead costs grow.

SmartHop’s CEO and founder Guillermo Garcia suggests government support as a solution to the trucking crisis in this expert column.

Getty

Delivery drivers are quite literally driving the supply chain industry forward. Despite the labor shortage, Circuit’s co-founder and CEO Jack Underwood sees opportunities for incentives to keep drivers on the roads. Retention starts with a good foundation, followed by regular maintenance over the years. Investing in training and onboarding early on builds trust, increases safety and makes for longer term employees.

After getting those employees settled, continuing to check in with them, respecting workers through proper compensation and treatment and equipping them with the right tools for the job goes a long way.

littlewolf1989/Adobe Stock

ON-THE-ROAD RETENTION

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https://foodl.me/9gkm7k MAY/JUNE 2022 | FOOD LOGISTICS

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FOOD ON THE MOVE

LOGISTICS TRENDS IN THE INDUSTRY Daily Updates at FoodLogistics.com

PROCURING A SOLUTION

EVER GIVEN/Adobe 423762422

In the year following the Suez Canal crisis, more supply chain disruptions have reared their heads. In this expert column, Jack Macfarlane, founder and CEO of DeepStream, predicts yet another rough year for the supply chain as food shortages increase and the Russia/Ukraine war continues. Luckily, there may be a way to counter the effects of these disruptions.

Macfarlane points to digital risk management solutions, proactive procurement and strong foundations in the early stages of the supply chain as possible recourses.

Scan the QR code to learn more.

https://foodl.me/v2vvp7

MUDDY WATERS

Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE (AGCS)

The Russia/Ukraine war has taken its toll on the global supply chain, and it’s not over yet. Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE (AGCS) saw 54 large ships lost in the past year alone. Despite this, total losses have declined by 57% over the past decade.

The decrease in total losses of vessels can be attributed to a recent emphasis on safety measures, improved ship design, technology advancements and regulation.

However, there is still room for improvement overall.

Reported shipping casualties or incidents have risen with machinery damage accounting for one in three incidents and the number of fires increasing by nearly 10%.

Scan the QR code to learn more.

https://foodl.me/eaxb9u

IMPORT IMPROVEMENTS

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https://foodl.me/ jztke8

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FOOD LOGISTICS | MAY/JUNE 2022

Port of Los Angeles

There may be light at the end of the ports for both the East and West Coasts, according to Shifl. West Coast congestion forced customers to deliver to East Coast ports, resulting in congestion on the East Coast instead. However, container gate-out times have improved on both coasts thanks to reduced U.S. demand. Los Angeles/Long Beach gate-out times improved by 28% from January to April and New York saw a 47% drop in container gate from January to April.

In addition, the transit time from China to Los Angeles and Long Beach decreased by 85% from December 2021 to April 2022.

www.foodlogistics.com

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COVER STORY

BY MARINA MAYER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

THE

GREAT RESHUFFLING

PUTS FRONTLINE JOBS FIRST

W

hen the calendar turned to 2022, it’s like it flipped a switch in the job market. After two years of Americans facing lockdowns, furloughs, business closures and having to choose between their job or kids’ e-learning, the New Year meant New Opportunities.

And, for the supply chain industry, the New Year also brought New Jobs for a marketplace still plagued by the driver shortage and a plethora of other bottlenecks. The turning of the calendar signified the turning of a corner where the grimness of a pandemic brought to light the importance of frontline workers and supply chains overall. It highlighted the need for supply chain jobs, skills and workers, and accelerated adoption of cloud-based solutions to automate to a more digital transformation.

In fact, a recent report from the Conference Board forecast a

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U.S. job growth rate of 3.8%, up from its annual average growth of 1.8% each year.

What’s more is, employment of supply chain management professionals is expected to grow by 30% from 2020-2030, which is faster than the average for all professions, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Enter the Year of The Great Reshuffling, where the job market opened up and folks transitioned into and within the logistics segment.

“Whether you want to call it The Great Resignation, The Great Reshuffling, The Great Contemplation or The Mass Exodus, employees are questioning why they’re at companies that don’t make them feel appreciated, connected or able to have greater control over their work/life balance. People reevaluated www.foodlogistics.com

and found that better experiences and flexible schedules are the focus of the new value proposition they seek from their employers. Many are willing to move around in order to find a better company to call home,” says Sandra Moran, chief marketing officer for WorkForce Software.

“I think ‘The Great Contemplation’ more accurately describes what is happening.

Employees are asking themselves, ‘is this the work I want to do,’ ‘is this where I want to live,’ ‘am I paid enough,’ ‘do I have a good work/life balance?’ etc. Sometimes this line of questioning leads them to join the Great www.foodlogistics.com

Resignation or The Great Reshuffling, completely changing not only the work they do, but where they do it and where they live.”

Bridging the labor gap According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average age of a commercial

truck driver in the United States is 55 years old. While that age may not seem too concerning at first, the current law requires truckers to be at least 21 years of age in order to cross state lines, which means that 18- to 21-year-old gap forces young professionals to look at other job options, which could turn into other, sometimes non-supply chain-related careers by the time they’re of age to enter the trucking profession. Simultaneously, the current driver pool continues to age out.

That’s why the federal government is piloting a program, where for the next three years, 3,000 truckers 18-20 years of age and with a safe driving record, can cross state lines as long as an experienced driver is in the passenger seat. This program is designed to help bridge the gap where the trucking industry is still short 80,000 drivers.

Other programs put into motion consist of the 90-Day Trucking Apprenticeship Challenge, which was created to get more well-trained drivers on the road.

The challenge asked employers to commit to accelerating the development of new apprenticeship programs and help expand existing ones through new employer and labor partnerships to support recruitment, retention and return on investment in the trucking industry.

Now, more than four months later, over 100 employers across trucking, food and grocery and the oil and gas industries launched Registered Apprenticeship programs resulting in more than 10,000 new registered apprenticeships.

MAY/JUNE 2022 | FOOD LOGISTICS

15

COVER STORY continued

How ever the Year of The Great Reshuffling unravels, companies will strive to find that perfect balance between legacy and new employees.

Incorporating more women into the mix also remains a solution to the evergrowing labor challenge.

Last year, women comprised 41% of the supply chain workforce, up from 39% in 2020, according to Gartner, Inc., but only accounted for 15% of executive level roles, down from 17% in 2020. Women also make up 47% of the nation’s workforce but only account for 6% of commercial truck drivers.

“Contrary to other industries, supply chain’s mission-criticality during the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that many sectors did not reduce their workforce, but rather continued to hire and even faced talent shortages, especially in the product supply chains,” says Dana Stiffler, VP analyst, Gartner Supply Chain practice. “This resulted in many women not only standing their

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ground in supply chain organizations, but [also] increasing their representation in organizations. We also recorded a record number of specific commitments and supply chain-led actions and saw existing programs starting to pay off.”

Furthermore, research from the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) found that women under 40 are out-earning men in supply chain roles.

“While headed in the right direction, more needs to be done to level set salaries for women over 40,” says Abe Eshkenazi, CEO of ASCM. “Having women in supply chain leadership positions is essential, and if we keep up this momentum and commitment to DEI, it’s something we will see much more of in the future.”

It’s also important for supply chain companies to recognize that employees seek and want different things

from a career than they did 10, five, even two years ago, pre-pandemic.

For example, survey data from WorkStep shows that the No. 1 reason for driver turnover driver is career growth.

“Hourly workers want more than a clockin, clock-out role—they want a career with promotions, development and more. Pay is a priority, but it isn’t everything,” says Dan Johnston, co-founder and CEO of WorkStep. “Until companies start listening to what their workforce really wants, retention rates will continue to suffer.”

Meanwhile, other industries saw folks leave to seek more fulfilling roles with greater work-life balance and flexibility, says Eshkenazi.

“What our report showed is that twothirds of supply chain professionals work in a hybrid or permanent work-fromhome setting. Nearly half (48%) of supply chain professionals receive four weeks or more of paid time off. In addition, an overwhelming majority of those surveyed (88%) love their supply chain jobs despite ongoing disruptions and would recommend www.foodlogistics.com

www.foodlogistics.com

supply chain industry can be.

That’s because the supply chain is now considered to be the pandemic’s must-have college degree, according to Bloomberg.

The Florida Atlantic University College of Business says existing professions benefitting from a supply chain management degree include purchasing agent, operations manager, logistics analyst, production, planning and expediting clerk, storage and distribution manager and more. Supply chain graduates are also among the most versatile and mobile professionals, transferrable among industries and locations.

And, the industry is responding. For instance, Walmart raised pay for its private fleet, where drivers can now make up to $110,000 in their first year.

Foodservice truck drivers saw a salary increase, reaching above-market wages, according to a survey conducted by the International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA).

“Workers are realizing they have leverage,” says Jaime Urquidi, regional VP and CPG lead at Parsable. “The pandemic has shown how important frontline workers’ roles are while also revealing the fragility of current supply chains. Workers are speaking out with their actions in terms of choosing the best job that suits both their needs and beliefs. This year, more workers are willing to ‘reshuffle’ rather than leave the workforce and are

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supply chain as a career,” he adds. “But now we’re seeing a more nuanced effort by people to seek more fulfilling roles with greater work-life balance and flexibility. In terms of improving employee experience, this shift is definitely moving the needle in the right direction. In supply chains, talent is the most important resource of all, and unfortunately, the recent labor shortages have exacerbated ongoing disruptions.”

“For manufacturing workers, for example, work-life balance is the No. 2 priority, behind pay. Companies need to offer better pay, benefits and educational opportunities for existing employees while also revamping hiring strategies for prospective employees and looking at a broader range of candidates,” Eshkenazi adds. “Additionally, companies should explore adopting advanced technologies, such as automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning to create digital and agile supply chains that can help save time and move workers into more interesting and higher value roles. Talent is the most important resource of all, companies need to invest in their people or else new technologies are meaningless.”

Other young professionals (58% to be exact) pursued a supply chain career because of it its beneficial societal impact, according to a survey presented by the Council of Supply Chain Management (CSCMP), Korn Ferry and Penske Logistics.

“These future leaders are looking to develop within the fast-paced and challenging environment that makes up the complex supply chain industry,” says Korn Ferry senior client partner Melissa Hadhazy. “Now more than ever it’s critical to nurture future supply chain leaders and equip them with skills that can meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.”

Ninety-nice percent of those surveyed agreed being part of the supply chain is a quality career choice, with 95% expressing excitement for their development track and training opportunities. Respondents became interested in a supply chain career because it deals with business.

In response, companies created new roles, augmented existing ones and strived to better “speak” to a younger generation of professionals who may or may not completely understand how “sexy” the

reconfiguring their careers by seeking better positions with higher pay, more valuable benefits and career growth opportunities.”

Smart technology that improves worker safety From driver-assistance solutions, GPS tracking, vehicle safety features or even distracted driver awareness programs to warehouse automation, innovative ergonomics and more, many of today’s technology advancements target worker safety in all facets of the supply chain— truck, rail, dock, line and more.

That’s because employee safety needs to be the No. 1 priority for supply chain organizations. Period.

“We’re seeing more organizations take steps to ensure that their teams feel secure and supported, which will in turn grow the workforce and improve global supply chain operations,” adds Eshkenazi.

“In warehouses especially, autonomous robots will play a huge role in ensuring employee safety. The autonomous robot market is projected to be worth $8.7

Incorporating more women into the mix also remains a solution to the ever-growing labor challenge.

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COVER STORY continued billion globally by 2028. Robots will save time and take over certain tasks, such as lifting and transporting heavy objects, minimizing the risk of overuse, burnout and injuries. And for truck drivers, we’re seeing an increase in all-seeing cameras, intelligent videos and apps that can monitor conditions, engage drivers during their journeys and evaluate the functionality of their vehicles.”

“Robots will only excel with proper human support, so organizations will need to re-skill their workforce to keep up with this technology-driven evolution to Industry 5.0,” he adds. “Organizations will need to launch formal automation technology training programs for all existing and new employees so that they are equipped to maintain and manage the robots. Ultimately, artificial intelligence and machine learning will integrate people, processes and systems, fostering collaboration and the partnership between humans and robots. As robots learn and gather insights, there will be a great

impact on supply chain functions such as planning, demand management and fulfillment.

Logistics leaders are also making sizable investments into smart technology designed to improve worker, operator and driver safety, says Steve Anevski, CEO of Upshift.

“Investing into worker safety is the smartest investment a company can make in the wake of the Great Resignation.

Smart technologies like driver fatigue monitoring, improved VR-based worker training and operator fail safes that protect employees on the floor are important ways in which companies can look out for their team members. Competent workers are looking for those kinds of solutions to already be in place,” he adds.

Motor carriers are also implementing more cloud-based technology to better onboard and train drivers.

“Scaling safety across operations is critical, and companies will need to uplevel frontline safety protocols to enable the visibility needed to reduce the rate of preventable accidents, provide effective near miss reporting and eliminate repeat incidents,” says Urquidi. “This all ties back to the need for more companies to implement digital tools this year.

Technology like connected worker platforms allow supply chain workers to make changes to standard operating procedures (SOPs) at any time so that the most up-todate safety policies, steps and checks are integrated

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FOOD LOGISTICS | MAY/JUNE 2022

into the work itself. Every time a policy is revised or a new regulation is issued, those updates can be immediately pushed out to the entire team and plant, and across multiple sites with a digital record to ensure compliance. This can’t be done as effectively with paper processes, so end-to-end supply chain technology will be crucial this year.”

“For the younger generations entering the workforce, these digital natives are easily adaptable to new technologies in the supply chain and can play an important role in helping older generations get up to speed,” he adds. “Reverse mentorship programs can be implemented to ensure older generation frontline workers and legacy employees feel empowered in these evolving work environments. The truth is recent research from Parsable revealed older generations are more receptive to digital tools and technology than many people may think. By deploying reverse mentoring programs, supply chain companies become more inclusive, helping older, legacy workers realize their role, value and potential in the industry, at a time when so much change is happening in the supply chain.”

Despite the many efforts to curb the labor shortage, there’s still uncertainty as to if and how soon things will turn around.

Transportation costs are still on the rise, supply chain disruptions continue to rattle the industry, leaving behind a path of idle trucks, ships stuck at sea and unfulfilled orders across the board. And, the driver shortage still persists.

But how ever the Year of The Great Reshuffling unravels, companies will strive to find that perfect balance between legacy and new employees, while still adhering to diversity, equality and inclusion efforts.

Technology will be key to many of the onboarding and training challenges the industry faces today. And, programs will be the necessary next step in bridging the age gap.

Check out https://foodl.me/ SupplyChainLearningCenter to learn more about continued education courses for every skill level.

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Chenfield Limited, a Hong Kong distributor of fresh produce, relies on the real time temperature monitoring

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and faster, automated status reports from IQAX Focus to protect the quality of cargo, particularly shipments of fresh fruits like lychees.

“Temperature is our main concern,” said Chenfield’s Managing Director Simon Chen.

IQAX Focus generates far more contextual information through artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities than manual loggers, allowing Chenfield to react with greater agility. For Chenfield, a key feature of the solution are smart alerts of route disruptions, security breaches or changing conditions. Smart alerts make it easier to predict potential risks and filter out any potential false alerts.

With smart containers not always available, TradeFi, a startup looking for a plug-and-play solution for cold chain and dry commodity shipments, tapped IQAX Focus for better temperature monitoring. IQAX Focus’ design based on nonvessel operating common carriers (NVO) dashboards and capabilities as an Internet of Things (IoT) hub were key to meet its needs.

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MAY/JUNE 2022 | FOOD LOGISTICS

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3PL / COLD CHAIN

BY BRIELLE JAEKEL, MANAGING EDITOR

VISIBILITY, DRIVER SHORTAGE ARE KEY WORDS FOR TODAY’S 3PLS

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iven shortages and disruptions on top of significant growth in the cold chain, it is no surprise that visibility is a key word in the industry for third-party logistics (3PLs) providers.

While some may call visibility a buzzword used continuously throughout supply chain coverage, there is a reason behind that. It is an extremely important term in the industry right now.

Driver solutions in the cold 3PL space now focus on this concept of visibility. Shippers, brands, retailers and logistics companies alike want to have complete insight into the supply chain. The constant upheaval in the industry today requires a comprehensive look at real-time data. Additionally, the perishable factor in this industry adds greater need for visibility to prevent food waste and the cold sector is more sensitive to fluctuations in demand.

Technology holds vision

Technology in 3PLs taps visibility to not only help companies better plan their strategies and drive resiliency by taking away the surprise factor of changes in the supply chain, but much of it also drives workflow for the driver. Solutions can combine real-time GPS and time estimates, route optimization, cargo verification, communication with dispatch and integration with electronic logging devices (ELDs) for better compliance management. Software like this drives optimization within trucking. And, with the very infamous and disruptive driver shortage mixed with the newer popularity of direct-to-consumer (DTC) cold chain, this is imperative.

Many experts in the field believe that the driver shortage is more exacerbated through the underutilization of drivers. Fleets can better manager drivers’ time, routes and overall operation with greater visibility and technological tools, among other things like schedules and sourcing locations.

“The biggest challenge in the last 24 months with cold 3PL was 80% consumer spending on goods vs. 20% on services, so goods volume increased, which means more goods needed to be shipped,” says Michael Paul, VP of sales at Sleek Technologies. “Drivers also continue to be misused/underutilized. For example, a number of cold 3PLs still make drivers pick up between midnight and 7 a.m. Large shippers are starting to take control of their supply chain end-to-end by sourcing raw materials closer to operation locations, along with buying their own trucks/trailers. www.foodlogistics.com

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3PL / COLD CHAIN continued

The driver shortage makes things more pressing

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“Strong examples of this trend are Sysco and Walmart, for example, increased driver pay for their own fleets to control their own destiny. Also, companies like General Mills and Constellation Brands are changing some of the ingredients’ sourcing locations to eliminate inbound raw materials delays to keep the outbound finished product flow consistent,” he says.

While the industry has been gradually leaning towards greater visibility prior to 2020, thanks to the Amazons of the world driving consumer demand for real-time data, the pandemic and the past two years pushed a need for new driver solutions right to the forefront. Paul explains that the pandemic changed the way consumers lived, which dramatically changes the industry.

Historically, there was not a big cold chain market in DTC, with the cold factor ending at the store or distribution center, says Brian Karwisch, VP of procurement at ODW Logistics. 3PLs must now adapt to that with new driver solutions, and these types of solutions are no longer nice to have, but are an expectation.

Interconnectivity is the future of logistics technology Unfortunately, with the growth of technology comes growth in the number of different providers and different platforms.

So how do 3PLs and drivers manage all these different technologies?

For one, this aspect of technology is slowly but surely changing. Much of the

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technology in the supply chain focus on doing one thing well but do not interconnect, says Raddy Velkov, VP of carrier sales at BlueGrace Logistics. But today, technology providers are listening to their customers and focusing on driving better communication between platforms as well as the ability to handle numerous functions while maintaining quality ability.

One example is BlueGrace’s own, inhouse, proprietary, full-service platform, BlueShip. The platform leverages API and EDI connectivity to customers, vendors and carriers while allowing customers and employees to work out of a centralized system.

When investigating and integrating new technology, it is important for 3PLs and logistics companies to clearly define goals needed of these platforms.

“With the increased number of technology platforms that are in the market today, it is critical 3PLs understand the importance of integrating these tools into their transportation management systems,” Karwisch says. “Many of these applications are not a one- size- fits- all solution, so when evaluating technologies, it’s important that your business process flows are properly defined and that the technology you are integrating meets your end goal. Cold chain operational issues are costly so having real time visibility and alerts throughout the product life cycle can prevent costly damages and delays.”

Accurate technology is imperative when it comes to pushing optimization for drivers.

But correctly utilizing drivers during the shortage and supply chain crisis is imperative and takes other solutions than just recent developments in technology, especially now.

“We were talking about the driver shortage 10 years ago, but it is beginning to reach new all-time highs,” says Velkov.

“The American Trucking Association estimates that in 2021 the truck driver shortage will hit a historic high of just over 80,000 drivers. At current trends, the shortage could surpass 160,000 in 2030. Throughout COVID, we have seen an increasing need for refrigerated

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capacity as a segment of the existing capacity was pulled to supply vital products such as chemical, pharmaceutical, and, ultimately, vaccine distribution.”

Securing driver capacity in this climate is clearly an imperative part of supply chain management today.

Karwisch suggests numerous steps to help in this area such as: • Establish a trusted dedicated carrier base that can provide a set number of drivers.

• Utilize the spot market strategically for supplemental capacity.

• Integrate with your carriers and automate time- consuming carrier functions.

• Consolidation and optimization of freight will create better trailer utilization and driver friendly routes.

• Treat your carriers as you would your customers. They are a vital part of your supply chain.

However, the journey to securing driver capacity is not as simple as following these steps in a linear fashion. There are numerous pitfalls to pay attention to when it comes to driver solutions for 3PLs. It is important not to just think of today’s problems, but also try to forecast into the future. The reason visibility solutions are so important is because the supply chain is no longer predictable. Business for a 3PL in the cold chain could drastically change in a short time from now. 3PLs must operate with the future in mind. This includes keeping an eye on equipment and maintenance.

For those that own and operate fleets, equipment and machinery, it is exceptionally important to invest in solutions that tap predictive maintenance, especially with the lack of repair parts available right now. Equipment downtime can cost operations significant funds.

But one of the most important aspects when it comes to 3PLs is taking care of the drivers. These employees need to be treated with respect, the same way an airline pilot is treated, says Paul. www.foodlogistics.com

“They are professionals that have a very difficult job driving an 80,000-pound machine and trying to navigate through dangerous areas,” he says. “Compensation needs to be adjusted such as increased salaries, stronger benefits, and more work/ life balance. There are not enough rest stops that are clean, have healthy food, and where the drivers can get good rest.

Our country needs to invest in our supply chain and this pandemic shows we have not done enough.”

Drivers are a vital part of the supply chain, the economy and the overall society.

Many of today’s solutions must keep this in mind .

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MAY/JUNE 2022 | FOOD LOGISTICS

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SECTOR REPORT

WAREHOUSING

Grocery retailers’ willingness and increased ability to embrace modern technology and alternative solutions to traditional in-store shopping will play a critical role in long-term success.

GROCERY RETAIL T

TRENDS TO WATCH

@bodnarphoto - stock.adobe.com

oday’s grocery retail market remains in flux as the pandemic outlook evolves and unexpected global events impact the U.S. economy and consumer demand. Looking at 2022 so far, inflation rates are worse than anticipated and will likely remain in place longer than initially predicted. Rising prices, compounded by pronounced, ongoing labor shortages, are forcing many grocery retailers to adjust sales and marketing strategies in accordance with changing consumer demand. Here are four trends that should be top of mind for grocery retailers looking to increase profitability and efficiency in today’s market.

stores as a short-term method of filling shelves. Increasingly, price-conscious shoppers are willing to purchase these private label products instead of sticking with their name brands of choice. Strong consumer demand and repeat purchases will indicate whether lower-priced alternatives earn shelf space in the long term.

Additionally, innovation within the grocery industry has decreased significantly since the onset of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), with retailers focusing heavily on keeping items in-stock to fulfill shoppers’ need. As the pandemic outlook brightens, retailers will need to focus on finding new ways of improving the in-store experience for consumers, while also deciding which products will best fit shoppers’ preferences and budgets.

In the coming months, it will be critical for retailers to determine whether the expanded product assortment wins over traditional brand loyalty. Minding this trend will be critical in informing future strategies for acquiring and retaining in-store customers.

2. Channel optimization

Acosta

Looking at the market from a shorter-term perspective, as supply chain issues and out-of-stock items continue to create obstacles for retailers, shoppers’ preference for lower-priced brands will likely remain high. This means, each time a shopper cannot find a product in-store fitting their needs and budget, retailers risk losing that 1. Brand loyalty shopper’s business in the future.

According to a recent Acosta study, about With product prices rising, many grocery one-third of U.S. consumers say retailers are rolling out promotional they are worse off financially than price points and offers. As this trend they were before the pandemic expands among retailers, media began. Meanwhile, with inflation at spend optimization will become a a 40-year high, grocery retailers are major priority with retailers sharpencontinuing to raise product prices ing their focus on digital commerce in order to offset commodity and as a key sales channel. expense increases. The resulting Since the onset of the pandemic, strain on customers’ resources is as consumers have steadily shifted driving different decision outcomes to online grocery delivery and curbamong shoppers. side pickup, retailers have expanded To adapt, many grocery retailers their efforts to reach omnichannel  Shopper research conducted in February found over half of are now focused on bringing smaller, today’s shoppers regularly place orders online using ultra-fast shoppers. domestically produced brands into delivery, with 29% doing so at least once a week.

According to a custom client sur-

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Acosta

bulk orders. In fact, leading grocery chains are now rolling out high-tech fulfillment centers with robots to assist in fulfilling thousands of orders a week.

On a smaller scale, more retailers are implementing the use of smart lockers in stores, which give customers

the autonomy to pick up ordered items.

Embracing modern technology and alternative solutions is the future.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR JULIE OXNER SVP, business intelligence, Acosta

 The optimization of e-commerce channels is becoming a top financial priority.

vey from April 2021, consumer packaged goods (CPG) retailers are shifting funds to support digital commerce trends There is no doubt that the value of omnichannel grocery shoppers will continue to grow at a rapid pace and retailers’ focus will shift accordingly, with the optimization of e-commerce channels becoming a top financial priority.

3. Ultra-fast delivery options Ultra-fast delivery has also been an increasingly important consideration for retailers since the pandemic began. Global lockdowns and social distancing restrictions peaked consumer interest in easy and convenient delivery services and this trend is almost certainly here to stay.

Shopper research conducted in February found over half of today’s shoppers regularly place orders online using ultra-fast delivery, with 29% doing so at least once a week.

As quick delivery expands in many categories, grocery retailers must keep pace by implementing long-term solutions. Major chains are adapting by forming partnerships with top delivery services.

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4. Automation The effects of current labor shortages make automation a feasible and appealing option for retailers looking to win omnichannel shoppers. Predictions indicate dark store growth will continue to facilitate efficient and profitable delivery and pickup for retailers.

In addition to implementing robotic technology in stores, grocery chains have started leveraging robotics that can handle www.foodlogistics.com

908-351-2800 | EastCoastWarehouse.com MAY/JUNE 2022 | FOOD LOGISTICS

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SECTOR REPORT

TRANSPORTATION

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s Americans continue lifestyle changes made during the pandemic to include healthier choices, demand for fresh and frozen food continues to rise. According to the American Frozen Food Institute, frozen food sales were up 21% in 2020. Restaurants are changing their menus to include a variety of options

Making the transition outside the container The main types of food moving through U.S. ports are protein, seafood and produce. Protein items like beef, pork, poultry and seafood products like shrimp, lobster and fish fillets are shipped frozen.

Produce such as fruits and vegetables are chilled and shipped refrigerated.

As ports offer services across the globe expanding the supply chain, consumers are now exposed to a variety of products year-round. For example, fruit comes to the United States from many different countries. Specific varieties like blueberries and strawberries coming from South America arrive when they’re not in season, providing more options for consumers and opportunity for shippers to meet the pentup demand for these items.

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tailored for every diet. Food grown and raised worldwide now has an avenue to reach more people than ever before. And that means what used to go out of season 30 years ago is now in season year-round with the ability to ship food from various climates.

Food is part of our culture. It’s common to snap photos of kitchen creations and unique dishes from hometown hotspots.

However, with a growing demand for a wider variety of food comes an increase in shipping. Since the beginning of the pandemic, supply chain congestion has impacted ports, ocean carriers and many others in the transportation and logistics sectors. It prompted food companies to think outside the box and explore alternative shipping methods like breakbulk (outside the container) to move cargo cost-effectively and efficiently. With more shippers considering new ways to reach customers, there are four areas to consider to determine if breakbulk will suit your needs.

4 WAYS TO DETERMINE IF BREAKBULK IS RIGHT FOR YOUR COLD CHAIN

Prior to the pandemic, these food items moved in containers. Then, supply chain bottlenecks brought on by the pandemic led to increased container pricing and limited container availability, prompting shippers to return to breakbulk, an older way of shipping cargo across the ocean.

This trend is popular for food shippers because it’s easier to charter a breakbulk vessel and less expensive to move cargo without the container.

Now, we see protein, seafood and produce regularly transporting to the United States as breakbulk, with the exception of lobster. Its high market value still makes it worthwhile to ship in a container to avoid the risk of not staying frozen during the voyage.

Evaluating the necessary infrastructure When shipping refrigerated containers, reefer plugs are a must. Now demand for those plugs is on the rise, as more containers are needed in the industry.

In shipping breakbulk, one of the most important factors to consider is whether the infrastructure is there to support loading and offloading once the vessel arrives at a port. Because breakbulk was more prevalent decades ago, the current infrastructure at most ports has modernized to accommodate containers.

If breakbulk were to remain a priority shipping method, ports would have to look at how to modify their infrastructure.

For now, the increase in breakbulk may last another 1-2 years. If ports were to invest in additional infrastructure to handle breakbulk, there would need to be more of a volume guarantee before anything is built.

The question now is how long will breakbulk’s popularity last. If the trend with container pricing continues, more refrigerated warehouse space on port properties would be an added benefit to accommodate the increase in breakbulk shipments.

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experienced terminal operators who can handle the products is essential to the operation. There are intricate details in handling breakbulk, especially food that comes through the U.S. supply chain that needs to meet U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requirements.

While we’re still in a phase of adjustment and as the supply chain experiences its ebbs and flows, breakbulk

is an efficient solution for moving timesensitive cargo.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR RICK SCHIAPPACASSE director of specialty cargo, JAXPORT

Moving Is Our Business Moving cargo. Moving forward. As we expand rail infrastructure and find innovative supply chain solutions, the Port of Long Beach continues to be the Port of Choice.

Options for warehousing and distribution When shipping breakbulk, warehousing is one of the most critical pieces to ensure cargo moves through the supply chain. It’s optimal for efficiency to have warehousing close to the berth so it has a place to be stored after being offloaded from the ship.

If there’s limited on-dock warehousing, the next alternative is available trucking to a warehouse near the port. Many ports have seen new cold storage warehouses built in recent years to accommodate the demand for cold food.

Having a reliable dray network with multiple trucking operators ready to move large quantities is also a huge benefit to cargo owners and shippers. They want to know the cargo can move off the ship to its next location quickly and efficiently.

Experienced terminal operators Whether it’s a shipper or port involved in moving breakbulk cargo, having

SECTOR REPORT

SOFTWARE & TECHNOLOGY

HOW STANDARDIZED TRACK AND TRACE MITIGATES RISK IN FOOD TRANSPORTATION I n the past two years, a series of disruptive events have caused ripple effects across global supply chains. The global pandemic, Ever Given Suez Canal blockage and lorry driver shortage contributed to container ships being held up awaiting permission to dock, backlogs at ports and shipping fleets out of position, creating logistical issues for shippers of food products. In the early days of the pandemic, demand for some food goods soared as consumers succumbed to panic buying, and it wasn’t long before lorry driver shortages compounded transportation issues.

Industry analysts predict the disruption ripple effect to continue well into 2022.

While there are a number of issues at play, the current state of supply chain logistics is exacerbated by the current state of container shipping, which still relies heavily on manual and paper-based processes. This lack of digital maturity decreases container visibility, which creates costly inefficiencies and causes unnecessary delays across the end-to-end container journey.

Some public and private entities have been collaborating in recent months to identify how digitalization and standardization can help tackle these supply chain challenges. The FLOW (Freight Logistics Optimization Works) initiative launched by the U.S. White House and Department of Transportation and the Maritime Transportation Data Initiative from the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) are good examples of a diverse set of stakeholders, including shippers, ports, terminals, carriers and Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA), coming together to identify a common approach to digital data exchange.

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Container shipping lags behind more digitally advanced industries

Digital transformation in industries such as banking, telco, entertainment, retail and media didn’t happen overnight, but it did happen decades ago. As a result, these industries were able to weather the COVID-19 pandemic with minimal, if any, disruption to global operations. And whether another global pandemic or some other catastrophe occurs, it behooves the container shipping industry to follow their lead. Of course, digitally transforming an industry as complex as container shipping will take a concerted, whole-industry effort, starting with the existing technology infrastructure.

Currently, container shipping lacks end-to-end interoperability because it lacks a common approach to technology. This makes information exchange between parties unnecessarily difficult and aggregation of data challenging.

Take the booking process for example. Critical information such as arrival times and available space is often

unreliable. And during the container journey, tracking and tracing a shipment is difficult because transport chains often appear as “black boxes” to cargo owners.

Containers are lost from view until they arrive at certain points. Details regarding a container’s whereabouts come through in number of forms—emails, websites, text messages—which then have to be sanitized and aggregated by the user. Not only does this lack of visibility build high costs, inefficiencies and waste into the supply chain, but it also leaves cargo owners unable to effectively manage exceptions, which can leave retailers with undesirable, fluctuating inventory levels.

Better data access = improved visibility Currently, digital communication between

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processes and events.

In addition, with APIs, shippers can subscribe to automatically receive updates from carriers as status changes, making exception management more efficient than processing batches of EDI messages at fixed intervals.

The pressing need for track-andtrace standards

Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA)

stakeholders is predominately through electronic data interchange (EDI), which streamlines information exchange. But, it is a technology that originated in the 1960s and is designed for one-way communication from one machine to another. Food manufacturers and retailers or their logistics partners must implement multiple interfaces to exchange data with the numerous ocean carriers used to transport goods. This makes it expensive and time-consuming to set up, support and maintain communications with ocean carriers.

The application programming interface (API) is the modern standard for interoperable digital communications. It is a set of programming instructions and data exchange standards that allow different web-based systems to communicate with each other in real time. APIs can handle billions of interactions every day.

APIs are the linchpin of digital transformation for digitally mature industries, enabling virtually all online interactions, from ordering a pizza to paying bills. The 2-way, real-time data exchange enabled by APIs—based on standardized language and data definitions—is what’s needed to increase visibility into container shipping

Shipping is about more than transportation; it is about asset management. Good asset management requires shippers and BCOs have accurate, timely data about their shipments. And while it isn’t possible to eliminate delays and disruption altogether, when incidents do occur, their impact can be more effectively mitigated if stakeholders have access to the information they need when they need it, enabling them to make datadriven decisions about their shipments.

Industry-wide alignment and interoperability are the first steps to ensuring that shippers have continuous access to high-quality data.

DCSA digital standards are designed to create an interoperable container shipping ecosystem by establishing consistent vocabulary, common process flows and API-based interface standards for some of the most urgent and impactful needs in the industry, including track and trace.

DCSA track-and-trace standards enable data to be communicated in a way that is understandable and usable for everyone in the supply chain regardless of choice of carriers or

technology platforms, across multiple modes of transportation. With standardsbased APIs, shippers can easily track shipments across carriers, receiving data in a consistent format when and how they want it. Seven of the DCSA member carriers have already adopted the DCSA track-and-trace standards.

By working toward the widespread adoption of these standards, DCSA’s aim is to advance the industry significantly in terms of visibility and real-time responsiveness, along the lines of what you see in more digitally advanced industries.

Mitigating supply chain risk in food transportation Timely notification of exceptions is imperative for food logistics. Particularly with perishable goods, it is important that shippers and other stakeholders are able to adapt to the unexpected by making alternative operational plans.

The global pandemic, Ever Given Suez Canal blockage and recent lorry driver shortages were unparalleled events for the supply chain, but disruption can occur at any time for many reasons such as weather events, supply shortages and upsurges in demand. Mitigating the impact of disrupting events requires standardization and digitalization of data and processes to provide universal and continuous access to accurate, real-time data.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR ELLEN SUN CMO, Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA)

www.foodlogistics.com

MAY/JUNE 2022 | FOOD LOGISTICS

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SECTOR REPORT

PACKAGING

BY BRIELLE JAEKEL, MANAGING EDITOR

E-COMMERCE PUSHES CHANGES IN CPG PACKAGING

Sergey Ryzhov

T

he consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry is poised for a productive rest of 2022, according a report from Deloitte.

Companies in the sector took big moves last year, which payed off in the begining of this year and likely will continue.

Deloitte’s State of the Indutstry report shows that despite rising costs, half of companies surveyed expect a jump in operating margins.

Packaging is incredibly important when it comes to CPG; it’s right in the name. Manufacturers must keep in mind packaging for the logistics and warehouse aspect of the product’s journey, in addition to the consumer-facing aspect. Meanwhile, CPG brands today must keep in mind the variety of different channels they are now selling their products through. Manufacturers must create packaging that works for both brick-and-mortar and e-commerce or different packaging for each.

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Because of the shift in how consumers buy and how brands sell, many manufacturers now take on rebranding strategies. These rebrands better cater to the e-commerce channel as well as more modern consumer values.

Reduce, reuse, recycle One important new value is the increased demand for sustainability. Packaging is an important part of ecofriendly interests, as the sector is known as a significant contributor to waste to consumers. In the past few years, this has become an obvious switch in the packaging sector, especially for CPG and foodservice. Because this is such a spotlighted part of the sector, surprising innovations come to light.

For instance, Consumer Brands Association VP of packaging sustainability John Hewitt notes that recyclable toothpaste tubes,

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for example, are now a reality, despite previously thought of as impossible.

Brands are also adopting interesting reusable packaging offerings, created by sustainable packaging providers like TerraCycle.

There is also more to sustainability in CPG packaging today that goes beyond what the consumer sees, like source reduction.

“Importantly, not every trend is visible to the consumer but can be impactful all the same,” Hewitt says. “Source reduction, for example, is an important step being taken toward enabling fully recyclable or compostable package design. Similarly, CPG companies are committed to using more recycled content in their packaging, a change that could be easy to miss even if it’s on the product label.” standardization would revolutionize Because this sustainability is so packaging and create recycling opportunity important to consumers in packaging, not seen since its inception,” Hewitt says. brands need to work to make this more Personalization visible.

“Growing consumer demand for more In addition to sustainability, consumer sustainable packaging has led CPG interest spikes another trend in CPG companies to do more to highlight and packaging that in turn is very visible to the expand upon what they’ve been doing for buyer—personalization. decades to help eliminate waste and boost Manufacturers now want to target recyclability,” adds Hewitt. “Beyond source specific customers or consumer groups, reduction, they’re tackling the inability to according to Raymond Wodar, global meet the demand for recycled materials— industry business consultant, consumer only 6% of the demand for recycled plastic packaged goods and retail, Dassault is being met today. Bringing that Systèmes. But this requires number up will require an quick design turnaround overhaul of a broken times and adopting American recycling new materials system made up of that enable more 10,000 local programs, sustainable all with their own circular economic rules, all contributing models. to confusion.

It’s important “Standardizing for brands to cater recycling rules and to consumer definitions is the interests and gateway to improving values, but consumer education packaging is and recycling not just about rates and reducing sustainability and contamination and targeting specific waste. Voluntary groups. Packaging labeling efforts like also has a job How2Recycle are to do, and that helpful but only a is to protect the start. Moving toward product. For the @Nadezhda Kozhedub.adobe.stock.com www.foodlogistics.com

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food sector, there is the added importance of food safety, impacting the health of consumers.

“When designing CPG packaging, food safety comes into play for a few reasons,” says Wodar. “Consumers are demanding transparency on the path from farm to fork. This is why the FDA has enacted legislation like FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act), where there are real penalties and liability for manufacturers.

They must manage every step in the food handling process from harvest until it reaches the consumer.”

“Packaging also plays a key role in protecting the freshness and safety of foods, while providing origin of manufacture, lot numbers and freshness dates,” he adds.

“Manufacturers need to comply with regulation while enabling fast traceability in the supply chain, especially in the event of incidents and recalls. They must ensure new materials, particularly on the inside layer of packaging, continue to protect the quality and performance of the product formula,” says Wodar.

More trends in packaging will continue to grow and evolve, keeping CPG manufacturers on their toes. But these important, safety, sustainability and consumer targeting will remain. The way we shop and buy food will change and grow based on lifestyle fluctuations, and throughout all the change, food creators must keep these ideas in mind.

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SECTOR REPORT

FOOD SAFETY

REDUCING WASTE IN FOOD SUPPLY CHAINS F ood waste is a critical topic right now, and the conversation applies to the supply chain as well. Current challenges in getting food supplies where they need to be heightens the importance of minimizing food waste, and data has new ways to help solve that problem.

Lockdowns early in the pandemic turned consumer behavior on its head, slowing and even closing food processing plants. From there, problems have only grown.

Ongoing labor shortages and logistics bottlenecks excessively affect goods with limited shelf life, while more volatile weather patterns continue to disrupt farming and distribution operations.

Geopolitical tensions are spiking cross-border costs, criminals are taking advantage of capacity shortages, consumers are demanding greener supply chains and the Russia/Ukraine war has increased commodity prices. These factors combined raise the specter of a global food shortage.

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Getty Images

Recent analytics feed off advancements Data is central to reducing the growing impact of these risks.

But what does “data” mean exactly? Here it means the ability to create, absorb and analyze the right information to make better decisions to reduce costs and waste and improve consumer safety and experience.

Reinventing food supply chains using data is now possible thanks to the availability of new, more granular, more dynamic and more trusted data sources and the ability to apply advanced analytics to transform this data into actionable insights.

Most new data sources that create these opportunities relate to the Internet of Things (IoT). For example, the ability to measure temperature and temperature excursions in real-time ensures that spoiled products can be taken out of circulation and quickly replaced or fast remedial action taken to avoid the loss of a load.

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Predictive analytics drive action

Advanced analytics have provided the ability to create predictive and prescriptive analytics to get ahead of potential problems. Many companies are now combining historical shipment data with predictive-lane risk scores and using machine learning models to arrive at more accurate ETAs, often called risk-adjusted ETAs. These companies are seeing value in fewer on-time/infull (OTIF) fines, lower costs and better customer service.

Another example of predictive analytics that reduces costs is where a load may or may not need refrigeration, depending on the ambient temperature.

Many companies still use static lane calendars to decide when refrigerated transportation will be used, but as weather patterns become more volatile, there is a growing risk that loads are spoiled when the temperature is unseasonably high or low. The solution is a predictive model that forecasts the temperature along the planned route at the date and time of the shipment weeks before the shipment departs, allowing for the correct equipment to be selected and ensuring that loads are not damaged.

The flipside of this is where immediate savings occur when the model indicates that refrigeration is not needed when it otherwise would have been used, reducing transportation costs significantly and lowering emissions

Network discovery and mapping underpins supply chain analytics Another necessary evolution being driven both by the market and by technology is multi-tier visibility. In the case of product recalls, it is necessary to be able to quickly and with certainty trace the impacted food back through the supply chain to the farm or individual field. This has been a slow, time-consuming and inaccurate process in the past but new regulations have driven the adoption of track-and-trace technology to change the dynamic. It is also one of the more promising uses of blockchain technology, increasing trust in the data. www.foodlogistics.com

Leading food companies are mapping their multi-tier supply chains preemptively so that they can get ahead of product quality issues and other risks.

But it has been difficult to discover the identity of Tier 2 suppliers and beyond simply by surveying Tier 1 suppliers.

Again, data and modern technology offer a solution to this previously intractable challenge.

The aggregation of billions of supply chain transactions such as shipping records and the application of powerful entity resolution technology builds a multi-tier map of a company’s supply chain. Layers of risk data can then be applied to show suppliers or areas of high risk that warrant action or further diligence.

The biggest lift comes from sharing The final innovation may be the hardest because it requires data sharing. The safety and efficiency of food supply chains will be enhanced dramatically through deeper collaboration during planning and execution. Blockchain technology shows promise in enabling this, while the more accurate data and insights available today increase the value of data sharing.

Technology alone cannot create the necessary level of trust that such collaboration requires, and it may be that a global pandemic or a war is what it takes to show companies and governments the need and opportunity to collaborate more.

Compounded layers of disruption have created unprecedented challenges in the food supply chain, particularly for those tasked with the movement of food and raw materials. Now is the time to rethink supply chain operations, particularly when technology is reaching a maturity that allows mass adoption.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR DAVID SHILLINGFORD chief strategy officer, Everstream Analytics

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SECTOR REPORT

FOOD SAFETY

HOW STRONG TRACEABILITY PROGRAM REDUCES THE RISKS OF FOOD RECALLS

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Andrey Bandurenko - stock.adobe.com

very month, dozens of high-volume food recalls are announced in the United States with tragic consequences. Lack of traceability is the main obstacle to safe and sustainable consumption and continues to be a massive problem for governments, companies and consumers. Companies are expected to take full responsibility for products they put on the market, but in reality, they have an extraordinary lack of information about or control over those products beyond the point of manufacturing. In a world where supply chains are increasingly complex and society is reliant on their efficiency, making the full product journey visible through traceability is key to securing transparency and trust. Solutions such as serialization technology tracks products through their entire supply chains while ensuring the products that people consume are safe prior to use.

Food supply chains have always presented health and safety concerns.

From E. coli breakouts to food quality issues and packaging or labeling errors, the common thread in each case is insufficient product traceability. As food recalls continue to rise each year, not only is food safety a rising threat to consumers, but also poses serious compliance and reputational brand risks when companies are unable to monitor the quality of their product inputs.

As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to impose more regulations around food safety, enhanced and comprehensive traceability through access to records of key data elements associated with critical tracking events in food production and distribution will be required. In outlining its Foodborne Outbreak Response Improvement Plan (FORIP) plan in

December 2021, the FDA called for “faster and more streamlined investigations to identify and remove contaminated food from the market, and more effective investigations to identify deficiencies in the food system to help prevent similar outbreaks in the future.”

For its part, the FDA is committed to updating the technology that supports food safety and recalls within their New Era of Smarter Food Safety blueprint. This initiative rests upon four pillars, the first of which is tech-enabled traceability. As part of its latest budget, the FDA requested an additional $43 million to support strengthening data-driven approaches to protecting consumers, strengthening data sharing and predictive analytics capabilities while enhancing digital traceability to more quickly respond to outbreaks and recalls for human and animal food.

Traceability through serialization Both internal and external forces play a role in how companies manage their supply

chains, which have a direct impact on food safety. By giving every product a unique, secure and traceable digital identity, brands can track and trace products from creation to consumption, garnering deeper insights into the product journey and the entire lifecycle of a product. In addition to being compliant with government regulations, traceability creates additional value for brands and consumers through improved internal processes, enhanced consumer experiences and better decision making when an event occurs. In fact, according to the International Trade Centre, traceability technology can help reduce the scope of a recall by 50-95%.

In addition to risk and compliance considerations, big brands can suffer a major blow to consumer trust and drain resources on recovery and remediation as a result of a food recall. By tracking an individual product’s unique journey through each step of the supply chain, brands can proactively use real data and insights to resolve issues related to product sustainability, production efficiency, www.foodlogistics.com

regulatory compliance and risk. With cloud-based technology, companies today have an unprecedented ability to create, manage and execute inspection programs to detect challenges in their supply chain more easily.

Supply chain visibility is not just table-stakes for businesses—consumers increasingly demand it.

Aside from the imminent health and safety risks food and beverage companies taken on due to insufficient supply chain traceability, its economic effects are catastrophic. The average cost of a recall for a food company is $10 million in direct costs—that’s in addition to brand damage and lost sales, according to the Food Marketing Institute and the Grocery Manufacturers Association. Food and beverage companies in particular face increasing legislative requirements from authorities and increasing transparency and sustainability expectations.

Gaps in traceability can also lead to

steep fines, imprisonment of company executives or even bankruptcy for the organization. Food and beverage companies thus have an added incentive to combat these financial and potentially legal woes, as this is where investing in robust traceability technology underscores its value. Unit-level serialization and traceability has two key areas of benefits for the food industry: It allows a consumer to know and understand better what they are consuming and where it has come from.

This can assure them of the quality of genuine products while conversely alerting them to fakes or sub-par products. At the same time, it better equips consumers to make more informed decisions from a variety of perspectives such as health, sustainability and ethical practices.

It also provides producers vastly improved visibility into their product value chains. This can lead to improved consumer satisfaction and engagement,

better products that gain from direct consumer feedback as well as more efficient and resilient supply chains with reduced waste.

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and growing awareness among sustainability and food safety-conscious consumers underscore the need for scalable solutions that lower the barriers to implementing technology-enabled traceability solutions. By empowering organizations to proactively track product movements through the supply chain in real time and minimize the destruction of good products, traceability mitigates both reputational and compliance risks.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR CHRISTINE AKSELSEN CEO, Kezzler

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The WITRON Corporate Group has 3,100 employees worldwide. WITRON’s annual revenue in 2017 amounted to 635 million USD. Aside from it’s headquarters in Parkstein, Germany, WITRON has offices in Arlington Heights, Illinois (USA), Toronto (Canada), Venray (The Netherlands), Stoke-on-Trent (UK), Madrid (Spain), Strasbourg (France), and Singapore.

WITRON Integrated Logistics, Inc. 3721 Ventura Drive Arlington Heights, IL 60004 Phone: +1 847-385-6000 info@witron.com

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