We kicked off our Chamber-Strome Business Series with a fantastic presentation on Supply Chain Innovation. Our two expert presenters, Kristi Montgomery of Kenco Logistics Services and Nick Leonard of SVT Robotics shared their insight and expertise on the supply chain touching on the many changes that have occurred and are to come for this industry.

Kristi shared the three main innovation divers which include supply chain volatility, customer expectations, and time to train. Because of these drivers, she shared that 79% of warehouses report they are likely to invest in automation. A few examples mentioned during the conversation were the use of robotics, drones, and autonomous vehicles. With the concern of decreasing jobs, Kristi shared that automation also provides opportunities that are very beneficial. For example, she shared that disabled persons who suffer from mobility issues will now be able to take jobs due to advances in automation such as remote control work.

Nick shared that automation does not always mean physical labor and that automation can be in the form of technology such as apps for productivity and safety. During this presentation, our members learned that e-commerce programs such as locus can reduce labor by 50% and increase productivity by 4x. Automation such as robotic shuttle systems can improve safety, quality, and invoice accuracy.

We would like to thank Michael Corso and Atlantic Union Bank for their presenting sponsor remarks and sponsorship, as well as Dean Ken Kahn with Old Dominion University’s Strome College of Business for the partnership on this series. To learn more about future Chamber-Strome Business Series events, please visit our Events Calendar.

Visit the Hampton Roads Chamber for upcoming events and more event recaps.