Covid-19, Warehouse Automation and National Security

Covid-19, Warehouse Automation and National Security

One big takeaway from Covid-19, is that we have learned the lengths people will go to for a roll of toilet paper, hand sanitizer or pasta, and even gluten-free pasta. Shoppers behaving badly was mildly amusing, albeit a little sad as panic buying emptied store shelves quicker then they could be restocked. Grocery stores and supply chains in general were wildly unprepared for a pandemic and the sudden surge in demand for certain products.

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Covid-19 and the Rapid Acceleration of Online Commerce

Covid-19 and the Rapid Acceleration of Online Commerce

Over the last ten years, online shopping has experienced slow and steady growth from a relatively small group of consumers who frequently shopped online. As a percent of total retail sales, online shopping has increased about 1% per year to 16% of total retail sales in 2019. It’s been a clear trend that was widely expected to continue sustained, albeit somewhat slow growth.

Fast forward to 2020, and to see how Covid-19 is reshaping purchasing habits…

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Ways to think about the Supply Chain of the Future: Artificial Intelligence

Ways to think about the Supply Chain of the Future: Artificial Intelligence

The fact that supply chains and logistics companies already have a vast amount of data and processes that could be turned into actionable insights rather quickly, just means that there is potential for AI to take supply chains on a journey from very good to perfect.

Artificial intelligence techniques allow for vast amounts of data to be analyzed, categorized, and then turned into actionable insights with reduced or no human input. As an example,

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My Entry to the DHL Logistics Innovation Challenge

My Entry to the DHL Logistics Innovation Challenge

I entered the 2017 DHL innovation challenge which was a contest to apply the principles of the sharing economy to logistics. There were more than 60 entries and the winner of this year’s challenge was Parcelly, a UK startup that provides on-demand collection points to resolve the problems associated with failed deliveries.

Below is the full written proposal and the video I submitted for the challenge. My idea was called Flexi-Deliv, a crowdsourced final mile hub and delivery platform that aims to create a hassle-free delivery experience for online shoppers through a sharing community of local businesses, neighbors, and couriers.  

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Click and Collect and Short Term Thinking

Click and Collect and Short Term Thinking

Click and Collect in store has become the latest Holy Grail in Retail enticing Retailers with the promise of driving conversions both online and in the store. There are a myriad of recent research that illustrates the popularity of click and collect with consumers.  Would click and collect just be a niche option if the last mile delivery problem was solved? [...]

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