Alabama Global Supply Chain & Logistics Summit set for Birmingham
Supply chain management is a rapidly growing field in need of more trained professionals. (contributed)
The Alabama Global Supply Chain & Logistics Summit, an annual event designed to enhance the competitiveness of state companies at home and abroad, will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 17-18, in the Birmingham area.
The sixth installment of the Summit represents an opportunity for business people to engage with industry leaders from a variety of companies on the successful implementation of supply chain tactics. The conference will also focus on the latest innovations and technological advances in logistics.
The Summit, sponsored by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, will take place at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham – The Wynfrey Hotel, 1000 Riverchase Galleria, Hoover. The cost to attend is $85 per person, which includes breakfast, lunch and seminar materials.
To register or see the full agenda, visit the Birmingham Business Alliance’s website.
“To be competitive in a global marketplace, Alabama companies need to have an effective supply chain in place, and this conference will help them to improve their operations,” Gov. Kay Ivey said.
“It will provide Alabama businesses with critical intelligence, including best practices, that will position them to benefit from growth opportunities stemming from the expansion of our ports,” she added.
Comprehensive program
The Summit begins on the afternoon of Tuesday, Oct. 17, with an optional tour of a Birmingham business using innovation supply chain technologies. A full day of speeches and supply chain-focused panels follows on Wednesday, Oct. 18.
In a late development, representatives from Mercedes-Benz U.S. International will join the lineup of panelists and industry experts to discuss supply chain tactics and the importance of international trade to Alabama’s economy during the two-day conference. Mercedes will discuss the decision to locate its Global Logistics Center and a new after-sales North American hub in Bibb County.
Tripp Collins, chief operating officer of Gadsden’s Back Forty Beer Co., will provide a luncheon address describing how the company has managed to break into the export market amid changes in the craft beer industry.
Vic Modic, executive vice president of Trussville-based Amerex Corp., will speak that day on “Innovation and Technology in the 21stCentury Supply Chain.” Amerex, a unit of McWane Inc., is considered a leading manufacturer of firefighting equipment sold worldwide.
Panel sessions at the Summit will focus on implementing a successful supply chain operation, managing financial risk and the importance of international trade to Alabama’s economy.
“Supply chain efficiency and innovation continue to be relevant topics for our companies,” said Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce.
“At the Summit, businesses have the opportunity to learn how their peers have put in place supply chain strategies that have led to success both locally and internationally,” he added.
The Alabama Department of Commerce and Birmingham Business Alliance are organizing the Summit, along with the Export Alabama Alliance, a network of international trade agencies that help state companies expand their business to global markets.
“Trade and foreign direct investment are increasingly important to our economy,” said BBA President and CEO Brian Hilson. “This summit provides an opportunity for companies to network, share best practices and gain valuable insight to improve efficiencies and strategies used in global supply chains.”
For more information on the Summit, contact Beau Lore at the Alabama Department of Commerce, at beau.lore@commerce.alabama.gov or at 334-242-0450.
This story originally appeared on the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Made in Alabama website.
