Attendees of WERC’s 46th Annual Conference explored how to seize growth opportunities amidst a period of rapid transformation in the warehousing, distribution, and fulfillment industry. The Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC), a division of MHI, hosted this event at the Hilton Orlando in Florida from June 4-7, 2023.
“It was wonderful to welcome so many first-time attendees to WERC 2023 who were eager to learn from leaders in our industry,” said Michael Mikita, EVP for MHI Knowledge Center and WERC. “Of course, we also saw a lot of returning attendees, demonstrating the strength of the conference’s practical and forward-looking educational sessions. We are grateful to our WERC 2023 sponsors for enabling our attendees to connect in Orlando and build a stronger professional network.”
Industry-Led Educational Sessions
“The conference delivered a rich agenda of industry-led educational sessions that were highly relevant to today’s warehousing and logistics professionals,” stated Chad Claude, director of operations, DHL Supply Chain, and WERC Advisory Council president. “With the immense competition for labor that companies currently face, the sessions geared toward recruiting and retaining talent provided valuable strategies for workforce development.”
From automating the warehouse to adopting a transportation management system, other conference sessions focused on optimizing emerging technologies. “As the tools used in the industry quickly evolve, the conference gave professionals a chance to hear about the real solutions companies are implementing,” said Rick Gott, director of Global Logistics, W.L. Gore, and WERC 2023 conference chair. “This experience of learning best practices from our peers is instrumental to moving the entire industry forward.”
New Benchmarking Report Released
At a thought leader session on June 6, WERC released its 2023 DC Measures Annual Survey & Report, which helps distribution professionals measure and improve their operations. For the first time, this 2023 report addressed the role that Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives are playing in the industry.
Women @WERC and Keynote Sessions
Other highlights of the conference included a Women @WERC luncheon on June 6 that taught attendees the art of effective communication. Three keynotes, Jim Knight, Libby Gill, and Joe Theismann, addressed WERC 2023 with powerful speeches about channeling adversity into success on a company-wide, professional, and personal level.
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About WERC
About MHI
MHI is an international trade association that has represented the material handling, logistics and supply chain industry since 1945. MHI’s over 900 members include material handling and logistics equipment and systems manufacturers, integrators, consultants, publishers and third-party logistics providers. MHI offers education, networking and solution sourcing for their members, the members’ customers and the industry as a whole through programming and events. The association sponsors the ProMat and MODEX expos to showcase the products and services of its member companies and to educate manufacturing and supply chain professionals. WERC is a division of MHI and provides education and research to the warehouse, distribution and logistics community.