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Latest News ISM reports non-manufacturing turns in a solid October performance October non-manufacturing output trends up, reports ISM PMMI announces second-annual On the Rise Award winners SureWerx USA acquires Sure Foot Corporation 2019 Warehouse/DC Operations Survey: Tight labor and space pressures drive technology surge More News Master Scheduling: A Formal Process for Unlimited Supply Chain Flexibility Thursday, November 7, 2019 | 2pm ET All Resources In last year’s “Warehouse and Distribution Center (DC) Operations Survey,” the tight labor market stood out as the overriding challenge for warehouse operations managers. For the 2019 edition, not only did labor scarcity remain the top challenge, but also the results show that respondents are taking action to mitigate the problem. In fact, this year’s respondents report that they’re using multiple methods of strengthening their workforces. One of these is increasing pay, which 54% said that they did this year. Other strategies include enhanced training and better benefits. These struggles to find and retain an effective workforce are being done against a backdrop of continued business growth and the ongoing impact of e-commerce fulfillment activity. For 2019, 42% are involved in e-commerce, and 20% said that they service an omni-channel environment. Other telling data points are outlined below. Business confidence appears solid: When asked if their operation was planning to expand in the next 12 months, 79% said, “yes,” which is 3% higher than last year. Capital expenditure (capex) plans remained healthy. The average projected capex for the next year was $1.27 million, nearly identical to last year. While the average respondent was at a smaller operation this year, which likely lowered the median, 9% plan to spend $10 million or more. Inability to attract and retain a qualified hourly workforce was again the leading industry issue, cited by 50% of respondents. This was […]