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Flexcon to Showcase its Extensive Range of Innovative Supply Chain Solutions at ProMat 2023

flexcon

Flexcon to Showcase its Extensive Range of Innovative Supply Chain Solutions at ProMat 2023

Visit Booth #S1822 to Tap Into Over 50 Years of Expertise in Supply Chain Optimization

Flexcon, an industry leader that has been optimizing supply chains  with its material handling solutions for over 50 years, will be showcasing its latest innovations in Booth #S1822  at ProMat, March 20-23, 2023 in Chicago, IL. Visitors to the Flexcon booth will find dozens of styles of plastic  containers, bulk boxes, pallets and accessories that solve a range of challenges faced by manufacturers,  distributors, consultants, dealers and logistics companies. 

“Over 80% of the automation displayed at the show requires containers to operate and the container used has a significant impact on the whole system,” notes Ken Beckerman, Flexcon president and CMO. “At Flexcon,  our experienced team understands that with the right container, automation can operate optimally at higher  speeds and with fewer errors.” 

Utilizing advanced technologies in plastics and coated treated tempered hardboard, Flexcon designs a wide  variety of products with these materials that will be on display at their booth including: 

  • Products used in carousels, vertical lifts, ASRS and Autostore Systems.  
  • A full line of Autostore accessories including cladding/walls, dividers and clear panels. A low-cost line of plastic warehouse bins that ship flat, assemble easily and are the lowest cost plastic  bin on the market. 

“We currently serve more than 30% of ProMat’s exhibitors with the most efficient and cost-effective  products,” says Beckerman. Virtually any attendee will find it beneficial to visit us at this year’s show where  we can work together on a plan to address their challenges and upcoming projects.”

esg Maximizing Sustainability Reporting Using Transportation Invoice Data

Maximizing Sustainability Reporting Using Transportation Invoice Data

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will soon vote on implementing new standards in annual reporting. The update will require public companies to disclose information on climate-related risks and emissions if adopted.

Carbon emissions are broken down into three levels – production (Scope 1), electricity used for operations (Scope 2), and all other uses (Scope 3). As a result, tracking and reporting these emissions will be challenging for many enterprises.

Scope 3 contains all transportation, logistics, and other supply chain emissions, accounting for 27 percent of the world’s total. Therefore, when companies publish their 2025 annual reports, they will have to report full emissions data from all three scopes for the entire year of 2024. That may sound like it offers some lead time, but to collect the data throughout 2024, companies need systems to track the data in 2023.

 Bottom line? If you’re not tracking and measuring carbon emissions – you’re behind. That’s why it’s imperative that supply chain leaders start now to pursue a method for monitoring and reporting emissions. Tracking emissions from Scope 1 (production) and Scope 2 (electricity used in day-to-day operations) is relatively simple because the information is reflected in internal power usage records. 

 Scope 3, however, is much more complicated because of the different variables involved – perhaps the most complicated part involves supply chain activity. The company neither controls these emissions nor has easy access to the data. Trying to gather all that data from outside vendors is a nearly impossible task.

Technology should provide some powerful assistance. Many software platforms have advanced to the point where they can help companies mine this data from their existing records, so it shouldn’t be necessary to collect it all manually. Moreover, much of the same software used to track cost efficiency and other operational details can likely be adapted to track emissions.

Many companies don’t welcome tracking their emissions, but it’s a powerful new level of intelligence in your operations. Knowing your level of emissions and the ability to analyze and distill it will represent a powerful new level of intelligence in your operations. The SEC’s new rule could be a welcome incentive for companies committed to environmental excellence. Measuring emissions means more than mere regulatory compliance; it can serve as benchmarks for improvement.

Supply chain leaders should look for carbon emissions tracking platforms that dig deep into the data to see what generates the bulk of the emissions. Then company leaders will be empowered to make focused decisions that will improve their emissions footprint. They won’t have to guess. They will know.

Demand for corporate social responsibility is already strong, and it’s growing. Companies that can show progress toward sustainability in their supply chain operations will have a competitive advantage in the broader market. Anyone can say they’re committed to sustainability. However, those who demonstrate that their efforts are measurable, defined, and scalable will have proven the case.

The transportation and logistics industry is already working hard to adopt sustainable supply chain practices. It’s a priority because it impacts the planet’s health, and markets demand it.

We know that carbon and greenhouse gas emissions have increased by an astonishing 16,300 percent in the past 170 years. And we know transportation accounts for a substantial portion of that. The industry deserves a way to demonstrate its improvement on this front. The SEC is getting ready to demand it, but good business and good stewardship of the planet already do.

Josh Bouk is the President at Trax Technologies, the global leader in Transportation Spend Management (TSM) solutions. Trax elevates traditional Freight Audit and Payment (FAP) with a combination of industry-leading cloud-based technology solutions and expert services to help enterprises with the world’s more complex supply chains better manage and control their global transportation costs and drive enterprise-wide efficiency and value. For more information, visit www.traxtech.com.  

 

china

As COVID Resurges in China, Industry Leaders Convene to Prepare and Predict the Impact of the Chinese New Year this Year on Shipping, Trade and Supply Chains

Container xChange, an online container logistics platform, is hosting a free for all webinar to discuss and predict the impact of the Chinese New Year on China’s manufacturing industry, labor availability and on trade. The webinar is scheduled on Thursday, 12 January 2023, at 13:00 CET.

The eminent panel of speakers includes Cathy Morrow Roberson, Founder and President of Logistics Trends & Insights LLC, Mr. Sun, Director / General Manager @ CNTRANS and Christian Roeloffs, cofounder and CEO, Container xChange

“The infections in China and their impact on the supply chain is a very pertinent topic for many containers logistics and supply chain professionals in the industry. We know that traditionally the Chinese New Year halts the production and movement of containers for two long weeks (minimum) in China and the impact is generally felt for weeks after across the trade lanes. What we hear from the ground is that the consumer demand is considerably low and hence the impact of a shutdown in China is going to be limited as compared to the last year(s). But we believe it is difficult to predict and therefore, demands a closer look at the data and the market scenario.” said Christian Roeloffs, cofounder and CEO, Container xChange.  

“We bring a panel of experts to talk about how the Chinese New Year will impact trade and supply chain in China and for the rest of the world. We are hopeful that such discussions bring clarity to the industry professionals,”  he added.

The official public holiday for Chinese New Year only lasts a week and is scheduled this year for January 22 -28, 2023. However, in most previous years factory output in China has been impacted for far longer as many workers take extended holidays.

At the webinar, the panel will cover the predictions on how Chinese New Year will play out this year and how the industry can prepare for the coming times keeping in mind the resurgence of COVID infections in China.

About Container xChange   

The container is one of the most impactful innovations in history—using standardization to power globalization and lift billions of people out of poverty. But contrary to the standardized container itself, most processes in container logistics have not been standardized nor innovated — and are still frustratingly complex, manual and error-prone. Combined with thin margins, this makes it difficult for logistics businesses to survive and thrive.

Container xChange is the leading online platform for container logistics that brings together all relevant companies to book and manage shipping containers as well as to settle all related invoices and payments.

The neutral online platform…

  1. connects supply and demand of shipping containers and transportation services with full transparency on availability, pricing and reputation,
  1. simplifies operations from pickup to drop-off of containers,
  1. and auto-settles payments in real-time for all your transactions to reduce invoice reconciliation efforts and payment costs.

Currently, more than 1500+ vetted container logistics companies trust xChange with their business—and enjoy transparency through performance ratings and partner reviews. Unlike limited personal networks, excel sheets and emails you rely on, Container xChange gives its users countless options to book and manage containers, move faster with confidence and increase profit margins.