Shows
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersThe Road to Vehicle Automation: How Far Are We?Self-driving cars have been heralded by many as the future of transportation—promising safer roads, reduced traffic, and greater mobility for all. Yet despite rapid advancements in technology and a surge in assistive driving features, acceptance of full vehicle automation remains elusive. As the public grapples with questions of trust, safety, and responsibility, the road to widespread adoption of automated vehicles is anything but straightforward. The stakes are high: how we navigate this transition could redefine the way we move for generations to come. So, how far are we from acceptance, adoption, and implementation?
In this epi...2025-07-1552 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersThe State of SustainabilitySustainability has become an imperative for many companies—but in the face of regulatory rollbacks and budget cuts, are those goals here to stay? In this episode, we explore how companies can meaningfully pursue sustainability, even amid shifting political and economic pressures. We discuss growing public support for sustainability, the role of data and modeling in shaping corporate sustainability strategies, and how companies can build resilient, responsible supply chains.
In this episode, we’re joined by members of the MIT Sustainable Supply Chain Lab, hosted within the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics: Tori Arnold, Project Manager, Dr. S...2025-05-1338 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersThe Role of Online Education in Upskilling the WorkforceIn recent years, online education has come to the forefront as an alternative to traditional education programs. Its increasing prominence reflects its adaptability, flexibility, affordability, and far-reaching scale. As the global workforce stands to undergo significant changes in the next 5-10 years due to digitalization, advancements in AI, and automation, employers are increasingly valuing skills over degrees. For workers, this requires a practice of continuous learning.
In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Eva Ponce, Director of Online Education at the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics, and Dr. Inma Borrella, Academic Lead for the MITx MicroMasters Pr...2025-03-0437 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersSmarter Warehouses: AI & Robotics at the Forefront of Logistics InnovationIn this episode we sit down with Dr. Matthias Winkenbach, Director of Research at the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics, Alejandro González, Software Business Unit Director at Mecalux, and Iñaki Fernández, Chief Technology Officer at Mecalux.
Mecalux, a provider of warehouse management solutions, is a founding research partner of the new MIT Intelligent Logistics Systems Lab, which is at the forefront of advancing logistics through innovative technology. We discuss how AI and machine learning are not just buzzwords but can actually create additional value in warehouse robotics, such as in the case of autonomous rob...2025-01-0932 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersVehicle Routing in the Age of AIVehicle routing is one of the most well-understood, extensively studied problems in both history and academia—it's been studied by academics since the early 1800s. Yet 200 years later, optimal efficiency remains just out of reach. And given the enormous increase in pressure for consumer expectations in recent years, that remaining "last mile" of vehicle routing efficiency could, on a global scale, make a huge difference to a huge number of people.
In this episode, we're joined by Matthias Winkenbach, Director of Research at the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics. Matthias is an expert in urban logistics, last-mile del...2024-07-1647 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersEmpowering Micro Retailers in Emerging MarketsIn this episode, we sit down with members of the MIT Low Income Firms Transformation (LIFT) Lab: Director Josué Velázquez Martínez, Postdoctoral Researcher Sreedevi Rajagopalan, and Doctoral Student Fabio Castro.
We discuss the LIFT Lab's work empowering micro-retailers and nanostores in emerging markets to lift themselves out of poverty. These retailers, while making up an overwhelming majority of retail business in their regions, are at a significant disadvantage when dealing with large suppliers and competing with large retailers—some 30% of these firms fail within 5 years of opening.
Using generative AI, the LIFT Lab is he...2024-05-2943 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersThe Warehouse of the FutureWarehouses are undergoing a fundamental transformation—in response to the explosion of growth in the e-commerce space and worldwide large-scale supply chain disruptions, warehouses have gone from places simply for goods to sit to highly interconnected, automated hubs of activity. Warehouses of the future leverage new technologies in automation and digitalization to enhance precision, flexibility, and efficiency to adapt quickly to changing market and supply chain trends and needs.
In this episode, we're joined by Miguel Rodríguez García, a Postdoctoral Associate at the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics, and Erez Agmoni, Global Head of Innovation (Logisti...2024-03-2554 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersInnovation in Motion: Shaping the Next 50 Years of Supply ChainOn this episode, we're joined by Melanie Nuce-Hilton, SVP for Innovation and Partnerships at GS1 US, a nonprofit standards organization best known for administering the Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode—and celebrating its fiftieth anniversary right around the same time as MIT CTL. Melanie talks all about the history of supply chain standards over the last 50 years, including the UPC barcode, RFID, and others. And she also discusses the exciting innovations that are on the horizon to uncover new possibilities for industry stakeholders.
Host & Executive Producer: Benjy Kantor
Marketing Writer & Producer: Dan McCool
Sound Editor: Dav...2024-01-0846 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersSustainability Contains MultitudesMIT CTL Research Scientist David Correll joins us to share findings from the State of Supply Chain Sustainability 2023. Pressure on firms to make their supply chains more sustainable has increased over the past four years and isn't going anywhere, though the distinct areas of sustainability on which that pressure focuses are constantly changing. Indeed, sustainability is complex and contains multitudes. The report also takes a look at firms' progress on achieving their Scope 3 emissions goals.
The full State of Supply Chain Sustainability report is available free at sscs.mit.edu.
Host & Executive Producer: Benjy Kantor2023-11-2937 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersThe Magic Conveyor Belt: Supply Chains, A.I., and the Future of WorkIn this episode, MIT CTL Director Yossi Sheffi, an expert with nearly five decades of experience in the supply chain and logistics areas, sits down with Susan Lacefield, Executive Editor of Supply Chain Quarterly. Yossi and Susan discuss the miracle of modern global supply chains—a magic conveyor belt that moves goods from mines and forests to supermarket shelves. They also discuss supply chain resilience in the face of major disruptions, the growing role that AI will play in supply chains, and how that affects practitioners, businesses, and consumers alike.
Executive Producer: Benjy Kantor
Marketing Writer & Pr...2023-09-2939 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersBlue Sky, Gray Sky – Part 2"Hope is not a strategy."
In this episode, we are joined by Kathy Fulton, Executive Director of the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN), who discusses her work connecting private-sector resources with disaster response needs: a "gray sky" response, after a disaster hits. For instance, if a supplier has excess food they need to offload, ALAN will connect them with a warehouse with the capacity to accept the delivery. ALAN forges partnerships between various players in the supply chain as well as between the public and private sectors, which, along with information sharing among all parties, are critical to fostering...2023-08-1536 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersBlue Sky, Gray Sky – Part 1In the wake of a disaster, restoring supply chains can be critical in assuring that the most vital needs of affected communities are met.
In this episode, Tim Russell and Lauren Finegan of the MIT Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab discuss the fundamentals of humanitarian logistics and disaster response—including how to best build resilient communities, how the public and private sectors can work together for optimal disaster response, and how their research and work helps inform and strengthen disaster response work worldwide.
Learn more about the work of the MIT Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab.
...2023-07-3130 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersThe New Competitive Edge: Analytics-Driven Supply Chain Design for Value CreationSupply chain design has traditionally been conducted with only one dimension in mind: cost minimization. The conventions of supply chain design date largely from the 1990s. But major technological strides have been made in the years since, allowing for much more complex considerations to be taken into account. So most companies, by using this obsolete approach, are putting themselves at a competitive disadvantage.
Today's episode features Milena Janjevic, Research Scientist at the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics, and Mike Bucci, a Senior Director for Solutions Delivery at Coupa Software. Milena and Mike discuss how they're seeing the...2023-05-1145 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersShipper Ghost Lanes - Hidden Costs and ConsequencesTruckload transportation services procurement is costly and time-intensive. These months-long procurement events typically result in thousands of contracts between shippers and carriers. The contracts cover each of the shipper’s product distribution lanes or origin-destination pairs.
Due to truckload supply and demand uncertainty, shippers often adopt a coverage strategy to secure contracted capacity on combinations of lanes to meet expected demand. However, this strategy leads to unnecessary costs and inefficiencies. We find that many lanes never end up being utilized. We refer to contracted lanes on which no business materializes as "ghost lanes."
On today’s ep...2022-11-0224 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersEmpathetic Leadership in the Field–More Insights with the MIT CTL Military FellowsThis episode marks the second installment of research scientist David Correll speaking with the 2021–22 MIT CTL military fellows: US Army Col. Joe Parker, Lt. Col. Brian Young, and Louisiana National Guard Lt. Col. Stephen J. Luebbert.
Today’s conversation is all about empathetic leadership. Parker, Young, and Luebbert discuss how leading teams in high-stress environments like military combat requires empathy and humility. They revisit continual process improvement, applying the "red cell" strategy, and the after-action review process. Sharing their personal stories, they portray how effective leaders listen to those around them and enthusiastically welcome positive and negative feed...2022-08-1153 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersSupply Chains across Sectors - A Conversation with the MIT CTL Military FellowsIn today’s episode, research scientist David Correll speaks with the 2021–22 MIT CTL military fellows: US Army Col. Joe Parker, Lt. Col. Brian Young, and Louisiana National Guard Lt. Col. Stephen J. Luebbert. The fellows discussed their experiences in the military and the MIT SCM program.
For written and downloadable transcripts visit ctl.mit.edu
Their conversation explores the differences and similarities between private-sector and military supply chains in strategy, leadership, and on-the-ground implementation. We learn how in the private sector, cost and efficiency drive supply chain decision making, whereas in the military portability, safety, and...2022-04-2631 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersModerna’s Road to the Vaccine and BeyondJoin MIT Global SCALE Connect for an in-depth conversation with Paul Granadillo, SVP Global Supply Chain at Moderna. MIT Professor Yossi Sheffi speaks with Paul about how the pandemic vaccine response reshaped manufacturing, business, and supply chains at Moderna.
Mr. Granadillo shares his professional experiences learned from joining the company during a time of growth. He describes some of the methods Moderna uses to meet its logistics and production requirements during the ramp-up to a global Covid-19 vaccine rollout.
Recorded at MIT SCALE Connect, the winter education convening of the MIT Global SCALE Network.
2022-02-1129 minMIT Supply Chain FrontiersBottleneck Analysis to Understand Systems in DisruptionBottleneck analysis aiming to increase asset productivity has commonly been applied inside the four walls of production and distribution facilities. The pandemic disrupted global supply chains with dramatic shifts in demand and constraints in supply with cascading effects. Shippers then dynamically shifted traditional origin-destination patterns causing stress on the networks of logistics service providers.
As a result, bottlenecks in the global movement of goods continue to emerge in new locations and for longer durations. Today we speak with Jarrod Goentzel, director of The Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab about how they study dramatic disruption of supply and demand d...2021-12-0929 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersVoices from Beyond the Open Road - Utilization, Shippers, and Driver Quality of Life pt. 2Earlier this year, MIT CTL's David Correll spoke with over-the-road truckers about their experiences in order to shed light on why it is that U.S. truckers appear to be both scarce and underutilized at the same time.
During the year, Dr. Correll oversaw three MIT SCM master's capstones that addressed truck driver utilization and retention in contrast to shipper and receiver policies and practices. These were completed as part of the MIT FreightLab's Driver Initiative.
In today's episode, we hear how a variety of factors influence driver utilization, and how they may impact the w...2021-09-2938 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersAmazon Last-Mile Routing Research Challenge Uncovers New Research Methods on a Global ScaleThe MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL) and Amazon engaged with a global community of researchers across a range of disciplines, from computer science to business operations, to supply chain management, challenging them to build data-driven route optimization models leveraging massive historical route execution data and machine learning models.
While we congratulated the winning teams and all participants in the news, Dr. Matthias Winkenbach joins today's Frontiers to share some insights and outcomes that the production of a research challenge brought about.
He speaks about how convening researchers from across all levels of academia...2021-08-1123 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersKey Performance and Key Learning Indicators in Digital TransformationToday, on MIT Supply Chain Frontiers, editorial director, Ken Cottrill speaks with Maria Jesus Sáenz, director of MIT Digital Supply Chain Transformation Lab, about how companies use artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify key performance and key learning indicators during digital transformations.
Sáenz shares examples of how companies may use AI and ML to collaborate on data models and leverage publicly available data to craft more accurate forecasts or discover hidden efficiencies. Learn more about how AI and machine learning are used in digital transformations at digitlsc.mit.edu
View and download fu...2021-06-1520 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersGlobal Supply Chain Risk and Innovation with Mark BakkerIn today’s episode, Research Scientists Alexis Bateman and Inma Borrella speak with Mark Bakker, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Global Operations at Hewlett Packard Enterprise about the tools and skills needed for sustained global supply chain management when facing disruptions.
Mark shares his insights about how HP Enterprise balanced demand and supply during uncertain conditions brought about by various disruptions. He shares tips about the skills and attitudes needed to succeed in today's business environments.
2021-05-1338 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersChampions for Change - Women Leaders in Supply Chain ManagementThis year for international women's day, the MIT Women in Supply Chain Initiative (WISCI) hosted a leadership panel to celebrate women working in the supply chain field. Today's episode offers highlights from the conversation.
Julie Van de Kamp, Vice President of Customer Experience at U.S. Xpress, Inc, and Tricia Brannigan, VP Procurement - Head of Global Procurement at The Hershey Company share candidly with WISCI Lead, Katie Date, about their approaches to managing, mentorship, and work-life balance. The panel discusses strategies for creating more gender parity in their own organizations and in those of their suppliers.2021-04-0837 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersVoices from the Open Road: Utilization, Shippers, and Driver Quality of LifeSupply chains in the U.S. rely heavily on over-the-road trucking to reliably and safely provide essential supplies to businesses and consumers. These networks are comprised of innumerable relationships between shippers who have goods to move and carriers who they contract to move them. It is often warehouse workers and truckers who are the "end users" of these complex relationships.
Today, MIT CTL research scientist and FreightLab co-director David Correll chats with three experienced voices in trucking to better understand what life is like on the ground—or on the road if you will. David speaks with De...2021-02-2331 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersSupplier Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Challenges and OpportunitiesInitial research indicates that there are both commercial and social benefits to DE&I programs within organizations. MIT CTL and MIT Sustainable Supply Chains make a case for companies to revisit their efforts (HBR article) and, if necessary, commit themselves to take supplier diversity efforts more seriously.
During a recent MIT CTL roundtable*, professionals from across industry met to discuss the challenges and opportunities currently facing the implementation of supplier diversity within organizations. From measurement and metrics to leadership collaboration, the discussion proposed some avenues for additional consideration.
In today's episode, Nalini Bates from Procter...2021-01-2716 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersFlexibility for the Future - How Disruption Fosters InnovationLike never before, companies have learned during the pandemic to pivot quickly across multiple dimensions. They ramped up production, changed their processes, and adopted new technologies, at speed unimaginable before the crisis. In only six weeks, contract manufacturer Flex ramped up its ability to produce ventilators while New Balance designed and produced thousands of masks, in a matter of days. Such transformations can afford many successful companies with new competitive advantages.
In this conversation, you will learn how two companies use these lessons to set themselves up for the post-pandemic future in the B2B and B2...2020-12-1538 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersRapid Systems Assessments for Crisis Response with MIT Humanitarian Supply Chain LabEvery corner of the globe has suffered from supply chain disruptions during the coronavirus pandemic. Beginning in March with a focus on U.S. food supply chains, the MIT Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab (HSCL) began providing evidence-based analysis to the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to inform strategic planning around the supply chain risks. At around the same time, work was being done in Uganda as part of ongoing systems mapping and assessment of smallholder farmers. This episode explores the similarities and differences between the two projects and offers pathways for how you can engage in similar...2020-11-1827 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersFood Security and Supply Chain Management with Chris Mejía ArguetaFood security is top of mind given supply chain considerations caused by a global pandemic. MIT CTL congratulates the World Food Program staff for their recent Nobel Peace Prize awarded for their work in alleviating hunger. On the topic of food security, MIT CTL’s Ken Cottrill speaks with Chris Mejía Argueta, the director of the MIT Food and Retail Operations Lab about food deserts and some of the innovative projects that leverage supply chains to combat food insecurity. Access to nutritious, affordable food remains a challenge to a growing segment of the world's people. From Somerville, MA in...2020-10-2111 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersSupply Chain Decision Making and Design in Times of Disruption with LLamasoft CEO, Razat GauravInnovation in supply chain decision making and design has flourished in recent years. The availability of high-quality data coupled with an urgent need to respond to disruption has fostered rapid change in how organizations coordinate, cooperate, and improve their operations. Join LLamasoft CEO, Razat Gaurav in conversation with MIT CTL's Matthias Winkenbach to get a glimpse of how the world's most successful companies are organizing to meet their decision and design challenges through data democratization, the use of micro-apps and by engaging in a federated solutions approach. Learn more at MIT CTL. Visit the MIT Computational and Visual Education (CA...2020-08-2429 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersTruck and Drone Cooperative Delivery Vehicle Systems - Social ImplicationsIn the past decade, the logistics industry has experienced substantial growth and its fair share of technological disruption. Particularly in urban settings, consumer demand for same-day or two-hour delivery has ballooned and companies have struggled to meet demand without incurring substantial “last-mile” delivery costs. Farri Gaba, a research associate with Megacity Logistics Lab at MIT CTL, speaks with us about truck-and-drone cooperative delivery vehicle systems. We have a look at some of the broader social and ethical implications caused by emerging drone technology and how the Lab is addressing them with a working paper and research initiative. Learn more abou...2020-06-2915 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersTransportation Innovation with Michelle Livingstone, Vice President - Transportation at The Home DepotChris Caplice discusses insights on transportation, people management, and creating the workforce of the future with Michelle Livingstone of The Home Depot. Drawing on over 25 years of experience, Ms. Livingstone comments on her role leading a highly talented team that oversees the movement of all domestic and international shipments into Home Depot‘s distribution centers and outbound to stores. This episode hosted by MIT Freight Lab
Download the audio transcript here.
2020-05-0818 min
MIT Supply Chain Frontiers50 Years of Earth Day: MIT Perspectives in the Face of Radical ChangeRecorded on the 50th Earth Day to explore what the path forward may look like to the 2050 Climate Goals and a more sustainable future in the face of radical change. We explored the ecological, political, technological, and industrial perspectives on the intersections of sustainability, climate change, and innovation, what this means now and for the future.
Hosted by MIT Sustainable Supply Chains @ MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics #MITEarthDay50
Read full transcript here.
2020-05-0235 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersSustainability in supply chains with Alexis Bateman, CTL Research Scientist and Director, MIT Sustainable Supply Chain InitiativeJoin MIT CTL's Ken Cottrill in a candid conversation on the State of Supply Chain Sustainability research area. Learn about a comprehensive new study underway, the first of its kind. Learn more at https://sustainable.mit.edu/
Download the full transcript here.
2020-04-2320 min
MIT Supply Chain FrontiersResilience and disruption response with Erez Agmoni, Regional Head of Supply Chain Warehousing and Distribution - America at MaerskJoin MIT CTL's Alexis Bateman in conversation with Erez Agmoni about disruptions, supply chain design, and resilience tips for the supply chain and logistics professional. Interview recorded as part of mit.ctl.sc3x - Supply Chain Dynamics. Learn more about these free online courses here.
Download the full transcript here.
2020-04-2335 min