The Week of January 16th:10 things eft’s been reading
From BlaBlaCar to 5 trends to expect in retail in 2017 – and a hefty dose of driverless vehicles.
Macy’s didn’t do great this holiday season. The usual cop-out is to blame Amazon, but Recode would like to challenge that assumption. ‘Amazon didn’t kill Macy’s. Macy’s did.’ [Recode]
Uber and Lyft aren’t the only companies changing transportation. BlaBlaCar has been around for over 10 years and boasts a $1bn+ valuation. ‘How BlaBlaCar created a global transport network’ [BBC]
VCs and Angels aren’t the only ones with their eyes on the startups transforming supply chain. Target is also getting involved. ‘Target invests in Mpls. start-up that helps retailers monitor supply chains.’ [StarTribune]
The environment is playing a bigger and bigger role in the decisions made by supply chain executives. P&G is not exception – they plan on creating 0 manufacturing waste by 2020. ‘P&G Vows Zero Manufacturing Waste from All Production Sites by 2020’ [Industry Week]
This week we just launched the 3PL and Supply Chain Summit which features a keynote by Otto founder Anthony Levandowski. Here’s a video of Otto’s first delivery. [Wired]
Everyone’s involved in driverless vehicles. Now Amazon has entered into the fray with a slightly new angle. ‘Amazon patented a highway network that controls self-driving cars and trucks.’ [Recode]
CES is the center of the tech world. It’s increasingly becoming a major hub for supply chain and logistics professionals as well – to get inspired to innovate, to find the latest products and solutions or even to serve as center-stage. ‘CES 2017 – A Logistics View’ [Hit.The.Button.]
Two major US delivery start-ups are doing some robotics testing. ‘Postmates and DoorDash are testing delivery by robot with Starship Technologies’. [TechCrunch]
The New Silk Road has had a transformative impact on China-Europe trade. ‘All aboard the China-to-London freight train’ [BBC]
Retail has changed, but those shifts probably haven’t finished. Forbes has identified 5 ways in which customers are going to shop differently in 2017. ‘5 Trends That Will Change The Way Your Customers Will Shop in 2017’ [Forbes]