Risk and Resilience

Professor Sheffi breaks down supply chain resilience into five levels and argues that supply chain managers were unsung heroes during the pandemic. He also touches on balancing resilience with sustainability, pointing out that while essential, both can introduce short-term costs and competitive imbalances. The director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics underscores the delicate balance companies must strike between cost management and maintaining multiple suppliers for risk mitigation.

This article is based on the latest episode of the Beyond the Box podcast. It explains what AI could mean for supply chains and logistics. What are AI’s capabilities? Where are the limitations? And how could it capitalize on human expertise?

Today, businesses of all sizes must deliver to their customers against a backdrop of supply chain disruptions, with technological changes, shifting labor pools, geopolitics, and climate change adding new complexity and risk at a global scale. To succeed, they need to build resilient supply chains: fully digital operations that prioritize customers and their needs while establishing a fast, reliable, and sustainable delivery network.

Remember the "retail apocalypse" predictions of 2017? Brick-and-mortar stores were supposed to become relics of the past. Well, those predictions were wrong.

The future of employment amid the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and automation presents a landscape of transformation and opportunity. This was the central theme in a recent thought-provoking talk provided by MIT Professor Yossi Sheffi at THE LOGISTICS WORLD SUMMIT & EXPO 2024. Sheffi discussed the historical perspective on technology, emphasizing that while certain jobs may become obsolete, others will emerge, demanding new skill sets and training.

The economic impact of Tuesday's deadly bridge collapse in Baltimore could be widespread and far-reaching. MIT's Center for Transportation and Logistics was busy Wednesday. FEMA worked with the center on studies about logistics and reached out for help looking at what was going on in Baltimore. Professor Yossi Sheffi weighs in. 

Professor Yossi Sheffi dives into the disruptions experienced by supply chains during the pandemic. Professor Sheffi's insights will shed light on the root causes and strategies for resilience. Join us as we explore the impacts on global economies and industries, and uncover valuable insights for navigating future challenges.

Blitzscaling "A Start-up" interviews Professor Yossi Sheffi, who is the Elisha Gray II Professor of Engineering Systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He founded or co-founded five companies and has authored numerous scientific publications and nine books. Yossi Sheffi has been Director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics since 1992. From 2007 to 2012, he was the MIT Engineering Systems Division Director. He is the founding Director of MIT's Master of Supply Chain Management degree, established in 1998. 

The COVID-19 pandemic threatened to derail supply chain management completely. Or did it?

‘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.