Speaking

MIT professor Yossi Sheffi, with nearly five decades of expertise in supply chain management, breaks down the complexities of supply chain resilience into five distinct levels, highlighting the crucial yet often underappreciated role of supply chain managers during the pandemic. He also explores the challenge of balancing resilience with sustainability, noting that while both are essential, they can introduce short-term costs and disrupt competitive fairness. Yossi emphasizes the need for companies to balance cost efficiency with risk management by diversifying their suppliers.

In this insightful interview, Professor Yossi Sheffi shares his expertise on building scalable startups. Drawing from his extensive research and real-world experience, Sheffi delves into the key strategies that help startups navigate challenges, scale efficiently, and sustain long-term growth. Whether you're an entrepreneur looking to scale your business or someone interested in the mechanics of successful startups, this conversation offers valuable lessons and actionable insights that can make all the difference.

‘The Magic Conveyor Belt’ rewards those who stick with it. In effect, it is more like two books: an explanatory book and a visionary book. Anyone who gives up during the first part, thinking ‘I already know all this’ will miss out on a great second part which contains new insights for even the most experienced supply chain professional.This book is recommended reading for supply chain directors who will have the honour of applying these advancements in practice.

In this episode we dive deep with Dr. Yossi Sheffi, an esteemed professor at MIT and Director of the Center for Transportation and Logistics. Tracing his journey from civil engineering to urban transportation and eventually to the broad realm of transportation system management, Dr. Sheffi underscores the importance of melding soft skills with technical expertise to craft and execute effective solutions.

Part 2 covers the “Further Complexity and Challenges” of supply chains, and you explore how the last 50 years have added even more complexity. This part covers the rising demand for goods and the increasing consumer expectations for fast, perfect delivery services.

Today’s book explains why supply chains are complicated to operate (and getting more challenging!). Fortunately, future managers can employ a combination of suitably educated employees and digital technology to manage ever-higher complexity successfully. People and companies can use digital technologies to make themselves more efficient and more effective in addressing the expanding and changing needs of the planet.

In this pilot episode of Freight Expectations, a Freight Buyers’ Club podcast which will be launched in 2024, host Mike King speaks to one of the world’s foremost authors and thought leaders on logistics technology and the future of supply chains. Professor Yossi Sheffi is the current Director of the Center for Transportation & Logistics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the author of a new book, “The Magic Conveyor Belt: Supply Chains, AI, and the Future of Work”.

Sheffi, who recently published a book on the topic, “The Magic Conveyor Belt: Supply Chains, AI, and the Future of Work,” offered his insights during his keynote address at the recent Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) conference in Louisville earlier this month. The MIT professor and director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, enthralled the audience at the ASCM conference with his views of technology, AI, and the future of work.

Supply chains play a key role in determining the impact of a product, as they encompass every stage of its life, from the sourcing of raw material to its end-of-life disposal.

Emerj Senior Editor Matthew DeMello recently sat down with Dr. Yossi Sheffi of MIT on Emerj’s ‘AI in Business’ podcast to discuss how AI can solve logistical challenges. In their 30-minute interview, the pair discuss challenges in logistics and manufacturing, such as lack of data due to visibility in supply chains and trust issues as a hurdle to accepting automation.