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Material Handling Logistics Summit Update—January 2008
This newsletter is the first in a series of updates that you will receive as Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) and the College-Industry Council on Material Handling Education (CICMHE) advance the 52 initiatives identified at the Material Handling Logistics Summit in Whitefish, Montana in June 2007.
Much work is in progress, but much more needs to be identified, initiated, guided and completed. It is our goal to keep you well informed regarding progress on all the initiatives. Also, we need and welcome your feedback. Please forward Mike Ogle any activities you notice that could be connected to the Summit initiatives.
Below is a summary of the progress.
Web site and 2007 Summit Report
Last August, the Material Handling Logistics Summit Web site was created
at www.mhia.org/summit2007.
In addition, the 2007
Summit Report was created in September. It highlights
the Summit and the trends/challenges, impacts and initiatives/themes
that came out of it. A more detailed analysis of the data behind
the
items and rankings is in progress and will be released soon by Ben
Montreuil, president of CICMHE, and Mike Ogle.
MHIA Provides Additional Direct Support to CICMHE for Summit Initiatives
At its Long-Range planning meeting in July 2007, MHIA's Board of Governors
approved allocation of funds to CICMHE to pursue research and education
initiatives identified at the
Summit.
Up to $100,000 was allocated to fund material handling and logistics
research for the 2008-2009 academic calendar year. A call for proposals
will be released in late January with the first research awards
being announced in Summer 2008. Future funding cycles will require
significantly larger funding to provide the monies needed to sustain
the desired
level
of research and development of future researchers. Work is in progress
within MHIA's newly established Education Planning Committee to define
an ongoing structure and funding source to support future research needs.
Up to an additional $50,000 was allocated for CICMHE to pursue other initiatives directly related to the Summit. At CICMHE’s annual meeting last October, the organization committed up to $10,000 to research the best ways to utilize the Web to build a stronger academic community focused on material handling and logistics. Another up to $10,000 was allocated to bring students and professors to MHIA’s annual tradeshows, starting with the NA 2008 event (www.NAshow.com). Another $5000 to $10,000 will likely be used to develop and distribute teaching materials for business school courses focused on the value of material handling. Each of CICMHE’s four committees (Academic Services, Content, Events, Industry Services) have developed lists of the Summit initiatives that they plan to address.
MHIA is Working with High Schools and Community/Technical Colleges
to Increase Awareness and Training for the Material Handling and Logistics
Field
MHIA is addressing the issue of labor shortages through Allan Howie's work with
high schools and community/technical colleges, correctional agencies and military
out-placement advocates to help these groups to better understand how to train
and place people into the material handling and logistics industry.
- High School programs are currently under way in Chicago and Miami,
FL which involve partnerships with local industry and trade related
groups such as CSCMP. Important parts of these programs are the field
trips,
shadowing and work study components involving such organizations as
UPS, FedEx and Office Max.
- The MHIA textbook/workbook Fundamentals of Warehousing has
been adopted by the Chicago Public Schools, United States Marine Corps
and Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. This study guide includes
text, self help testing, PowerPoints for instructor use and standardized
examinations.
- The Material Handling Educational Foundation, Inc. (MHEFI) has committed
$25,000 for high school and community college/technical college use
on an as needed basis. These funds are to be used as “seed” or
start-up funds for schools that are initiating mentoring, shadowing
or work-study programs that supplement traditional classroom activities
for students.
- MHIA is working with Dr. Dick Symons, member of national accreditation
board for institutes of higher learning/business emphasis, toward creating
a curriculum that can be nationally accredited allowing students
to obtain “portable” credits that can used anywhere nationally
toward entrance and graduation at community and trade colleges as well
as four-year institutions.
- The initiative to create a vocational education program could be
addressed by conducting several “summits’ with high school
and community college instructional personnel as well as representatives
from industry. These meetings would be a “roll up your sleeves” type
working session in which potential employers would enumerate the exact
skill sets that persons entering the logistics and material handling
field should possess. It would be our task to assist the instructional
personnel in designing these programs and supplying needed materials
and expertise.
- MHIA could serve as a conduit to bring the military, MHEDA Gateway Program, and other agencies together and form a central “clearing house” for supplying potential candidates for employment in our industry.
MHEDA Provides Gateway to Industry
The Material Handling Equipment
Distributors Association
(MHEDA) and Summit participants Liz Richards and Mike Romano are
taking action on many fronts within their organization.
MHEDA's Gateway program seeks to address the number one challenge identified during the Summit; to find and attract people into the material handling industry. Gateway will provide information about careers in the industry and will also establish a resume-posting capability. MHEDA brings students and professors to their annual convention to meet professionals in the industry and learn more about their work and careers.
In addition, MHEDA is addressing another Summit Challenge by providing a regular feature on the "Green movement" in each issue of the MHEDA Journal.
Thank you once again
for making the inaugural Material Handling Logistics Summit a success
for all. We look forward to working with you and
keeping you
informed
in
2008.
Mike Ogle (CICMHE Managing
Director, MHIA’s VP of Educational & Technical
Services)
Ben Montreuil (CICMHE President, 2008-2009)
Carmen Murphy (CICMHE Managing Assistant)