MODEX 2012, an international expo for manufacturing, distribution and the supply chain, opens on February 6 in Atlanta. The event will include more than 500 exhibits and an educational conference featuring 70 educational sessions. Each day will start out with a keynote address on critical industry issues.
Monday’s keynote: The State of Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Rick Blasgen, chief executive officer, Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), will discuss the importance of supply chain management as a critical business success factor, the trends CSCMP is seeing around the world, and how global supply chains drive change. Blasgen will also discuss cultivating talent within the supply chain field.
Tuesday’s keynote: The Expansion of the Panama Canal and its Impact on Supply Chains and Global Trade
Alberto Alemán Zubieta, chief executive officer, Panama Canal Authority, will discuss how expansion of the Panama Canal, scheduled for completion in 2014, will change global freight movement and open up new opportunities. By allowing much bigger container ships and other cargo vessels to easily reach the Eastern United States, it will alter patterns of trade and is already providing incentives to East and Gulf Coast ports to deepen harbors and expand cargo-handling facilities. He believes the end result will be faster and cheaper shipping of some goods between the United States and Asia. During this keynote, Zubieta will detail how these infrastructure improvements will benefit importers and exporters and explain how companies can prepare for the impact on their operations.
Wednesday’s Keynote: How Supply Chain and Logistics Performance Impacts Trade
Dr. H. Donald Ratliff, Georgia Tech, Regents Professor and Executive Director, Georgia Tech Supply Chain & Logistics Institute, will detail how a company’s supply chain and logistics performance impacts their export efforts. He will provide insight into which elements of supply chain and logistics performance need improvement and how to make these improvements.
Floor Education and Collocated Events
In addition to the keynotes, MODEX 2012 will feature 70 focused educational seminars conveying a broad array of manufacturing, distribution and supply chain topics. These seminars will be held in specially designed theaters on the show floor. In addition, the following groups will be collocating their educational events with MODEX 2012:
• The American Society of Transportation and Logistics (ASTL)
• The Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility (AIM)
• The Atlanta Roundtable of Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP)
• The Center for Excellence in Logistics and Distribution (CELDi)
• The College-Industry Council on Material Handling Education (CICMHE)
• The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP)
• Ergonomic Assist Systems and Equipment Council (EASE)
• The Georgia Institute of Technology Supply Chain and Logistics Institute
• The Georgia Logistics Summit
• The Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE)
• Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA)
• Metro Atlanta Chamber Supply Chain Leadership Council
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• The Panama Canal Authority
• The Reusable Packaging Association (RPA)
• Technical Career Education Program (TCEP)
• The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) International Trade Administration
