Guest: Marc Schaffer on the big rail merger; AI imbeds in the warehouse; The people behind the tech

Our guest on this week's episode is Marc Schaffer, principal economist at Breakthrough Fuel. Sometime in the new year we will likely find out whether the huge mega-merger between two historic railroads will go through. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern aim to join forces to create a true transcontinental railroad. But it’s not without controversy. What will the effects be on our nation’s supply chains? This week's guest offers some insights.  Warehouses are getting smarter every day. A study released just after Thanksgiving shows that artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are no longer just experimental tools but are becoming core drivers of productivity, accuracy, and workforce evolution in the warehouse. This is according to a study from Mecalux and the MIT Intelligent Logistics Systems Lab at MIT’s Center for Transportation and Logistics.  This week we reported on a story about the people behind AI and other leading edge technologies. It wasn’t about the software coders who write the instructions for AI and large language models and other platforms. But rather it was about the electricians and manufacturing experts who keep all this stuff running. The reports came from Siemens USA, the American arm of the German industrial technology provider, and they announced a plan to train 200,000 electricians and manufacturing experts by 2030.  Supply Chain Xchange  also offers a podcast series called Supply Chain in the Fast Lane.  It is co-produced with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. A new series is now available on Top Threats to our Supply Chains. It covers topics including Geopolitical Risks, Economic Instability, Cybersecurity Risks, Threats to energy and electric grids; Supplier Risks, and Transportation Disruptions  Go to your favorite podcast platform to subscribe and to listen to past and future episodes. The podcast is also available at www.thescxchange.com (https://www.thescxchange.com/) . Articles and resources mentioned in this episode: • Breakthrough Fuel (https://www.breakthroughfuel.com/) • Study: AI now imbedded in 60% of warehouses (https://www.dcvelocity.com/editorial/...) • Siemens USA plans to hire 200,000 electricians and manufacturing experts by 2030 (https://www.dcvelocity.com/supply-cha...) • Visit Supply Chain Xchange (https://www.supplychainquarterly.com/) • Listen to CSCMP and Supply Chain Xchange's Supply Chain in the Fast Lane podcast (https://www.supplychainquarterly.com/...) • Send feedback about this podcast to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) This podcast episode is sponsored by: ID Label (https://www.idlabelinc.com/) Other links • About DC VELOCITY (https://www.dcvelocity.com/about) • Subscribe to DC VELOCITY (https://www.dcvelocity.com/subscribe) • Sign up for our FREE newsletters (https://www.dcvelocity.com/user/new) • Advertise with DC VELOCITY (https://agilebusinessmedia.com/dcv)