Steven Brown

One thing I’ve learned over the course of my career in supply chain and logistics management is this: the professionals who remain flexible and continuously expand their knowledge are the ones who create the greatest impact for their organizations. Industries evolve, systems change, and challenges shift daily. The professionals who stay adaptable and keep expanding their knowledge are the ones who help organizations move faster, reduce risk, and stay ahead. When you stay curious and open to change, you’re not just improving yourself, you’re strengthening the entire team. Stay flexible ✅ Keep learning ✅ Stay valuable ✅

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The fact U.S. manufacturing operations have become far more capital intensive over the past 25 years is another key impediment to tariffs having a substantial impact on manufacturing jobs in the USA even if production were to be reshored (which itself is highly debatable). Below is but one of many examples that looks at the ratio of real capital per employee for household furniture manufacturing [NAICS 3371], where a value of 100 = 2000. Real capital concerns inflation adjusted plant and equipment. The data extend through 2016 and come from the NBER-CES manufacturing database. Thoughts: •Real capital per employee doesn't behave in that exciting of a manner from 1958 till 2000. •After 2000 (the year we liberalized trade with China), we start to see a sharp increase in real capital per employee. As real output peaked in 2005, what we are observing is a reallocation of activity from less capital intensive to more capital intensive firms. •The series then skyrockets with the Global Financial Crisis, suggesting the GFC was devastating to less capital intensive firms. While it started to decline a bit from the post-GFC high, real capital per worker was still 77% higher as of 2016 than in 2000. •Why does this matter for the tariffs & manufacturing jobs debate? My answer: to the extent manufacturing is far more capital intensive today than 25 years ago, we are unlikely to see payrolls expand in the same type of manner even if domestic demand were to increase. Moreover, creating new businesses is more challenging because capital requirements are much higher to create a new factory that can compete effectively. Implication: one side effect of trade liberalization was to reallocate domestic production in many industries to more capital intensive firms (see Bernard, Jensen, & Schott 2006; https://lnkd.in/g_FHKtVg). The Global Financial Crisis further enforced this. Greater capital per worker inherently mutes any potential (emphasis again on potential) positive impact of tariffs on domestic manufacturing employment. #supplychain #manufacturing #economics #markets #freight

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If you are in Warehousing, Logistics Procurement and Supply Chain Industry you will agree with me, We Keep Watching People. When Will We Start Fixing Systems?? A driver is late. -First instinct? Check the tracker. -Second instinct? Review the camera footage. -Third instinct? Call him in for questioning. Nobody asked: Was the route planned properly? Was the load ready on time? Was traffic factored in?* This is one of the quietest problems in logistics and one of the most expensive. We have built entire monitoring infrastructures around the assumption that if something goes wrong, someone must have dropped the ball. So -we watch. -We track. -We report. -We audit. And still, the same problems come back next week. Here is what years in this industry have taught me: Most operational failures are not people failures. They are entirely system failures wearing a human face. ✓ When a warehouse records a shrinkage loss, the camera shows what happened. - It never shows you the gap in the receiving process that made it inevitable. ✓ When a fleet misses a delivery window, the tracker shows where the truck was. - It never shows you the dispatch plan that was already broken before the engine started. Technology is a powerful tool. But a tool pointed at people, instead of processes, only creates fear not performance. Logistics does not need more surveillance. It needs better system design, clearer process ownership, and leadership that asks harder questions before reaching for the monitor screen. The professionals in this industry are skilled, experienced, and committed. What they deserve is an environment built for them to succeed not one built to catch them failing. That is the standard worth pushing for.

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You can’t afford the wrong TMS. Rolling it out the wrong way? Even worse. Plus, finding the right Transportation Management System is only half the battle. Getting leadership buy-in and user adoption? That’s where most projects stall.
 This guide helps logistics leaders: → Make a business case for a new TMS to the C-suite → Win over skeptical ops teams
 → Avoid the red flags that sink TMS rollouts
 Download the guide 👇 https://hubs.li/Q03qMQ6Y0 #LogisticsTech #TransportationManagement #TMS

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Be the Leader Who Embraces Data Analysis in Warehouse Challenges Early in my career, I thought warehouse challenges were solved with more people, more space, or more stock. But I later learned: without data analysis, you’re only firefighting. Data alone is noise. Data analysis is the lens that turns noise into strategy. Here’s how applying analysis transforms the toughest warehouse challenges: 1. Stockouts & Overstocking - Data Analysis: ABC classification, demand forecasting, and trend analysis identify which SKUs drive value and which tie up cash. This ensures balance between product availability and working capital. 2. Picking Errors - Data Analysis: Studying error rates by item, picker, and shift highlights whether the issue is layout, training, or system setup so leaders fix causes, not symptoms. 3. Slow Order Fulfillment - Data Analysis: Time motion studies and throughput analysis show where bottlenecks occur whether in receiving, picking, packing, or dispatch allowing for process redesign. 4. Shrinkage & Losses - Data Analysis: Variance trend analysis and exception reporting reveal where losses concentrate (by product, location, or shift), guiding targeted controls instead of blanket measures. 5. Rising Costs - Data Analysis: Cost-per-order, labor productivity ratios, and overtime trend reviews reveal if inefficiency comes from poor scheduling, underutilization, or wastage. 6. Customer Complaints - Data Analysis: Linking WMS/CRM data with complaint categories helps trace issues back to operational gaps turning every complaint into a learning point. Warehouses aren’t driven forward by shelves or forklifts. They’re driven by leaders who analyze patterns, uncover insights, and make bold, informed decisions. If you want to stay ahead, don’t just collect data, analyze it. Because real leadership is not in the numbers, but in the decisions you draw from them. #Leadership #WarehouseManagement #OperationsExcellence #DataAnalysis #SupplyChain #ConsultWithPhelisters

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Amazon Web Services (AWS), which makes up about a third of the server infrastructure, has been down all day. Like many other universities, my employer, Colorado State University College of Business runs our Canvas classroom software through these servers. We're now going on about 12 hours that my students have not been able to access class materials - an issue that is particularly inconvenient for my MBA students who's first day of class is today. These things happen and we have found workarounds for students. The point of this post is not to complain. Rather, it is to consider a sourcing strategy that is clearly over reliant on a single supplier. I think a lot of people think of Amazon as the place with the next-day shipping, I'm not sure everyday folks realize just how many of our eggs are in their digital basket. My good friend Seongkyoon Jeong alerted me to the positive stock market bump (+3.44% or roughly $77 billion) that Amazon had today. To me, this seems like Wall Street realizing just how important Amazon is to the global economy - as well as how few alternatives exist. I'd be hard pressed to think of any other examples of a company having a service outage for a full day and gaining $77 billion in value. The question then becomes, how do we diversify the server supply base when there are so few players who can delivery the scale and cost of AWS? We saw pretty clear evidence today of the perils of being too reliant on a single supplier. But do purchasers of large volumes of server volume have a viable alternative? To me, this is a fascinating issue. I hope it will be to my students too. The topic of that newly-started MBA course is advanced sourcing and procurement. It looks like we may have just gotten a new case for class this semester.... #AWS #Canvas #procurement #sourcing #supplychain

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If you are trying to bring veteran-owned businesses into your supply chain, the challenge is rarely intent. It is execution. Most buyers support veteran outcomes in principle. The friction appears when that intent has to move through a real procurement process. Questions emerge quickly. Where do verified veteran businesses come from? How do you engage them fairly? How do you do it without adding risk, delay, or unnecessary administration? The Veteran Industry Portal exists to remove that friction. Launched by the Veteran Business Community (VBC) and Powered by BenchOn, the portal gives buyers a practical way to run expressions of interest, tenders, and workforce requests that are matched directly to verified veteran businesses. It replaces informal networks and manual introductions with a repeatable sourcing process that stands up to scrutiny. The outcome is simple. More work reaches veteran businesses, and buyers spend less time translating good intent into workable procurement. Have a read of the blog link in the comment below to deep dive into how the portal works, the sourcing benefits it provides and why its needed so urgently. #defence #defenceindustry #veteranowned #sourcing #procurement Sam O'Connor MP

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Lessons in #SupplyChainLeadership: Voices from the UNT Supply Chain Management Executive Speaker Series Big thanks to Kayla Blessman (HR Director, NT Logistics, Inc.) for a practical, high-impact lecture on how students can stand out in today’s job market. Her homework: update one section of your LinkedIn, tailor something on your resume, and schedule one career event or mock interview. Small reps add up. #ProfessionalDevelopment #CareerReady #Networking #InterviewTips #LinkedIn #Internships #SupplyChain #UNT #NTLogistics

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𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝗪𝗠𝗦 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 — 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝗲. I’ve seen it too many times… Teams get frustrated. Orders delayed. Picking feels slow. Inventory mismatches show up. First reaction? “The system doesn’t work.” But in reality… The system is doing exactly what it was told to do — …it’s just following flawed logic. 🔍 Here are some examples I’ve personally seen: Tasks assigned based on alphabetical zone order instead of SKU velocity Putaway rules ignoring actual bin sizes Pick paths starting in low-volume areas High-priority orders delayed because task types weren’t ranked properly Replenishment logic set to “auto” with no stock thresholds 💡 Lesson: Most WMS “problems” aren’t system bugs — they’re design decisions. Want faster operations? 📌 Rethink your logic. 📌 Align task flows with real behavior. 📌 Let the system work for the way you operate, not the other way around. Before blaming your WMS — redesign it from within. Have you ever solved a major issue just by tweaking config or logic? Drop your story — I’d love to learn from it! #WMS #SystemDesign #WarehouseOptimization #ProcessImprovement #TaskLogic #SupplyChainEfficiency #DigitalOperations #LogisticsLeadership Now I’ll design a visual showing: 👉 Left side: “What looks like a WMS issue” 👉 Right side: “What it actually is (logic/config/design flaw)”

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We’ve never had more data at our fingertips—but data alone doesn’t create clarity. I’ve seen leaders move quickly based on metrics, only to realize later they were solving the wrong problem. It usually comes down to this: comparing situations that aren’t truly comparable. You can’t compare an apple to an orange. When you do, strategy becomes guesswork, and results—good or bad—lose meaning. What should leaders do instead? • Slow down before reacting to outcomes. • Look beyond the data—ask why the numbers look the way they do. • Benchmark against the right situations, not just the most convenient ones. • Most importantly: go and see. Get close to the work. Firsthand observation is often the missing context that explains the numbers. The value isn’t just in reading data—it’s in interpreting it wisely and acting with precision. #ExecutiveLeadership #StrategicThinking #OperationalExcellence #ProblemSolving

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🚨 Catch-All in Export Control – Are You Covered? Even if your item, software, or technology isn’t on a control list… 👉 You might still need a license. Why? Because of Catch-All rules. These apply when your export has a critical end-use like: 🧪 Weapons of mass destruction 🪖 Military applications 🔐 Cyber surveillance 🚫 Human rights violations 🌍 National or international security threats 📌 In such cases, even “safe” items can become sensitive. ✅ What should exporters do? -Ask your customer about end-use and end-user -Check if the destination is sanctioned -Document anything that looks risky -Apply for a license if needed 🛡 Catch-All helps plug the gaps where control lists stop. It’s not just about what you export, but also where, how, and why it’s used. #ExportControl #CatchAll #TradeCompliance #DualUse #WMD #CyberSurveillance #HumanRights #Sanctions #RiskManagement #EUCompliance #EAR #ITAR #RespectUs #DecodedSeries #SupplyChainSecurity #ExportRisk #B2B #TechCompliance #ControlLists

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