Now They Know - Inbound Logistics

Logistics, Supply ChainKeith Biondo is the publisher of Inbound Logistics magazine.Some search categories on the Inbound Logistics platform are up more than 108%. What are companies looking for? Logistics solutions, such as more carrier lift in certain areas, fulfillment help, warehouse solutions, transportation management technology, and 3PL solutions, to name a few. The scramble for logistics solutions and expertise is on.Everyone needs what you do, and they need it now. And now they really know they need you. What does it take for the highest levels of federal, state, and local governments to understand the importance of what you do? And to mention that importance every single day?The most uninitiated, unaware consumer stuck in a Netflix silo now gets it. Even my three-year-old grandson is saying “supply chain.” Yes, there are many important parts to a fluid operational economy, but one thing is certain: Name any product from Amazon to Zappos, from apples to zip lines (that three-year-old again), and none of that would flow without you. Your knowledge, experience, dedication, and, in some cases, courage in the face of real risks, make it work. Nothing would flow without you, and now they know. And yet with all that, many in your profession are giving even more. Here are just a few examples: Tool and equipment retailer Harbor Freight donated its entire supply of personal protective equipment—N95 surgical masks, face shields, and nitrile gloves—to front-line hospitals with 24-hour emergency rooms in the communities served by its stores. Ruan Transportation Management Systems executives Dan Van Alstine, president and chief operating officer, and Blake Grolmus, dedicated operations leader, donated and handed out lunches to truck drivers on I-80 in the face of closed rest stops and restaurants. SpotSee, a supply chain and transportation monitoring service company, donated temperature indicators to Texas state health departments for COVID-19 specimens. Lineage Logistics made a $5 million donation and launched a Share A Meal campaign to help provide 100 million meals to people in need in response to COVID-19. It is also sharing its temperature-controlled warehouse space, supply chain logistics expertise, and financial resources. J.B. Hunt Transport Services provided a one-time $500 bonus to drivers and personnel at field operations and customer facilities supporting the drivers who have kept the country’s freight moving during the pandemic.Dedicated, hardworking, skilled, and unstoppable are those who work in transportation and logistics. If they didn’t know that before, they all know it now.