Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY

AGiLE Business Media

The editors of DC VELOCITY magazine bring you weekly updates on logistics, material handling, and supply chain news.

  1. 23h ago

    Guest: Kathy Fulton of ALAN on disaster response; The market heats up for humanoid robots; Containers lost at sea

    Our guest on this week's episode is Kathy Fulton, executive director at the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN). It is officially the beginning of hurricane season – a period where these storms, as well as tornados and other natural disasters, such as this week’s earthquakes in Venezuela, leave behind considerable damage to towns in their wakes. It is during these times that the logistics industry snaps into action to help those in affected areas, as today’s guest discusses with our DC Velocity senior editor, Victoria Kickham.  Those of us who grew up in the Jetsons and Star Wars eras have been imagining for a long time the advantages that humanoid robots could bring to everyday tasks. Senior News Editor Ben Ames has been tracking just how rapidly humanoid robotic technologies are now advancing. Hundreds of millions of containers ship worldwide every year and almost all of them make it safely to their destinations. However, there are some containers that do not - as Victoria Kickham reported this week. The number of shipping containers lost at sea more than doubled in 2025, driven by some major maritime accidents as well as severe weather. Articles and resources mentioned in this episode: American Logistics Aid Newwork (ALAN)Humanoid robots could drive hot demand for co-bot armsAgility Robotics will go public to boost rollout of humanoid robotsVisit DC VelocityVisit Supply Chain XchangeSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.com This podcast episode is sponsored by: Werner

    22 min

  2. Jun 19

    Guest: Eric Fullerton of project44 on plastic shortages due to oil restrictions; The logistics behind the World Cup; Getting the most from robots and their humans

    Our guest on this week's episode is Eric Fullerton, Vice President of Data Insights and Product Marketing at project44. There is now an agreement in place to end the fighting between the United States and Iran – and we hope it will be a lasting peace. But it will be a while before the world gets back to normal and we can recover from the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz. And that includes not just the flow of oil, but also products made from petroleum, such as plastics. We may find some products delayed or scarce due to waiting on plastic parts. Our guest joins DC Velocity’s Senior News Editor Ben Ames to explain the situation and to predict how long it will be before these supply chains normalize. For the next month or so the entire world is focusing on North America and the biggest sporting event on the globe – soccer’s World Cup. Putting on such a huge event takes a lot of planning – and lots and lots of logistics support. Senior Editor Victoria Kickham reports on the people who do the logistics work to make sure that the World Cup comes off without a hitch. We’ve seen a huge explosion of new robotics tools in our supply chain facilities, whether we’re talking about handheld and wearable computers or material handling automation or mobile robots. This week Ben Ames shares a report he saw  on how workers can get the most out of those new tools. This was a study from researchers at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. And they found that the best way to combine humans and robots for ideal results in warehouse work is for employees to circulate between working with various co-bot partners, not with a single dedicated robot. Articles and resources mentioned in this episode: project44Logistics workers score big in World Cup prepResearch shows that warehouse workers do best when they switch between co-botsVisit DC VelocityVisit Supply Chain XchangeSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.com This podcast episode is sponsored by: ID Label

    19 min

  3. Jun 12

    Guest: Andrei Quinn-Barabanov of Moody’s on inflation risks; Growth drives new demands for cobots; A shift in robotic final mile delivery

    Our guest on this week's episode is Andrei Quinn-Barabanov, supply chain practice lead at Moody’s. New inflation reports came out this week showing that last month we reached the highest inflation rates of the past three years. Inflation is even higher when it comes to transportation cost increases. To help us understand how such inflation affects our supply chains, our guest joins DC Velocity’s Senior News Editor Ben Ames. The market outlook for collaborative robots remains strong as the equipment advances to accommodate heavier duty use around the world. Senior Editor Victoria Kickham reports that new research from Interact Analysis that shipments of these cobots designed to work with and alongside humans are predicted to grow at an average annual rate of more than 17% between 2025 to 2030. Ben Ames reports that this week that a change is coming to robotic last mile fulfillment. Starship Technologies is an Estonian tech startup that makes autonomous, self-driving bots. If you’ve been on any large university campuses in the last few years, you’ve probably seen them driving along pathways and college quads, delivering small items like e-commerce orders for snacks and burritos. But now Starship says they plan to wind down their operations on U.S. university campuses and shift their focus to retail grocery chains and hot food delivery in cities across Europe and the U.S. Ben shares why the company has shifted their strategy. Articles and resources mentioned in this episode: Moody'sCobot shipments to rise more than 17% by 2030. China maintains market dominance.Starship steers delivery robots off college campuses and toward grocery sectorVisit DC VelocityVisit Supply Chain XchangeSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.com This podcast episode is sponsored by: ID Label

    19 min

  4. Jun 5

    Guest: Jim Mozer of Crown and ITA on forklift safety; Venture capital invests in warehouses; Strengthening global disaster response

    Our guest on this week's episode is Jim Mozer, Senior Vice President at Crown Equipment Corporation. He is representing the Industrial Truck Association, the industry association for the lift truck industry. This coming Tuesday, the supply chain industry hosts National Forklift Safety Day. Now in its 13th year, this day is set aside annually to remind us of the importance of safe practices when working on and around forklifts. National Forklift Safety Day is sponsored by the Industrial Truck Association. Our guest and DC Velocity Group Editorial Director David Maloney discuss what will take place at Tuesday’s National Forklift Safety Day event in Washington, D.C. The logistics sector has seen a tremendous impact in recent years from venture capital and other investment firms, through mergers and acquisitions, taking private companies public on the stock market, and other strategies. This week Senior News Editor Ben Ames wrote a story about more big money making changes in the industry, but it wasn’t in a sexy area like robotics or drones, it was in good old fashioned warehouses. Earlier this week, German logistics giant DHL Group announced the launch of its DHL Academy of Humanitarian Logistics (DAHL). Senior Editor Victoria Kickham reports on this global training initiative designed to give humanitarian organizations and local responders practical logistics knowledge and skills—ultimately allowing them to better prepare for and respond to crises. Articles and resources mentioned in this episode: Industrial Truck Association (ITA)BKM and Kayne Anderson acquire $1.81 billion of industrial real estateDHL Group launches DHL Academy of Humanitarian LogisticsVisit DC VelocityVisit Supply Chain XchangeSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.com This podcast episode is sponsored by: ID Label

    19 min

  5. May 29

    Guest: Matt Lekstutis of Efficio on China and world trade; The upbeat forklift market; Automation comes to the high seas

    Our guest on this week's episode is Matt Lekstutis, director at Efficio, a supply chain and consulting firm. Two weeks ago, President Trump had an historic meeting with China’s President Xi. It was a highly anticipated gathering, as there was a lot to talk about, including the war against Iran and the ongoing oil constraints. Our guest this week talks with DC Velocity Group Editorial Director David Maloney to unwrap what took place and to discuss international trade and world-wide threats to our supply chains.  Senior Editor Victoria Kickham reports that buyers of forklifts and pallet-handling equipment are upbeat in 2026, with many expecting to increase capital expenditures on those items this year as compared to last year. This information is based on a recent Voice of Market report from London-based research firm Interact Analysis. The researchers surveyed decision-makers involved in the use, selection, and purchase of automation technologies for their facilities globally. We’ve been writing for years about autonomous vehicles, first with AGVs and AMRs in warehouses, there are self-driving forklifts, outdoor delivery robots on sidewalks, increasingly self-driving cars, a small but growing number of self-driving trucks, and some flying drones both indoors and out. But a story that caught the eye of Senior News Editor Ben Ames this week was about autonomous commercial ships. Articles and resources mentioned in this episode: OfficioReport: Market sentiment for forklift and pallet handling tech improvesIMO launches safety code to regulate autonomous shipsVisit DC VelocityVisit Supply Chain XchangeSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.com This podcast episode is sponsored by: ID Label

    22 min

  6. May 22

    Guest Hannah Hurckes of Boss Lady Logistics on fallout from the Supreme Court’s broker decision; Gaining “Momentum” with Agentic AI; A robotics acquisition

    Our guest on this week's episode is Hannah Hurckes, Founder and CEO, Boss Lady Logistics. Last week the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously on a case that could end up changing the freight industry as we know it, especially the brokerage part of freight movement. Hurckes shares the details and the impacts of this landmark ruling with DC Velocity Senior Editor Victoria Kickham. The buzzword of the season in supply chain software right now is agentic AI. But that technology, and artificial intelligence overall really, is still so new that there are probably more questions than answers about how it will affect each user’s own business processes. This week Senior News Editor Ben Ames traveled to Las Vegas to attend the Manhattan Associates Momentum conference, where much of the discussion focused on some new tools to help users implement agentic AI into their workflows and deal with the “blackbox” problem. Warehouse robotics and automation company Locus Robotics said this week it has acquired Nexera Robotics. Nexera is a Vancouver-based developer of advanced robotic grasping technology. This is a big deal because it will help advance Locus’ newest offering—its Locus Array system--which it released at the MODEX show in April. Victoria Kickham reports. Articles and resources mentioned in this episode: Boss Lady LogisticsManhattan Associates launches marketplace of AI AgentsManhattan tool explains the why behind agentic AI decisionsBlue Yonder launches AI agent testing systemLocus Robotics acquires Nexera RoboticsVisit DC VelocityVisit Supply Chain XchangeSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.com This podcast episode is sponsored by: Werner

    19 min

  7. May 15

    Guest: Patrick Van den Bossche of Kearney on the 2026 Reshoring Index; Will AI take away jobs? Safety in trucking fleets

    Our guest on this week's episode is Patrick Van den Bossche, partner at Kearney, a global management consulting firm. There has been a huge effort in recent years to return manufacturing to the United States, as much of this production has been outsourced to overseas factories for decades. But have these attempts been successful? Van den Bossche is the lead author of new research called the 2026 Reshoring Index Report and offers his insights and findings from the report on whether the current state of reshoring initiatives..  Artificial intelligence has so many up sides that investors are betting big right now on the benefits of the technologies – you can just look at the stock market for evidence of that. But we do hear of the downside of the many jobs AI may eliminate. Ben Ames reports on new research that shows which types of jobs are most vulnerable and the areas of the world that might be most affected (Hint: the U.S. is high on the vulnerablity list). There is a wealth of data in trucking today, much of it derived from the telematics and other advanced technology tools that connect what’s happening in the truck to a company’s broader IT system. Companies can use this vast array of data to improve safety and enhance operations. But while most small and mid-sized fleets claim to be “data rich,” they say they are starved for ways to best use the information they get from all of those tech tools. Articles and resources mentioned in this episode: KearneyAllianz report: Unemployment rates could be shaken by immigration, Iran War, and AIFleets struggle to turn safety data into actionVisit DC VelocityVisit Supply Chain XchangeSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.com This podcast episode is sponsored by: Werner

    22 min

  8. May 8

    Guest: Omar Qari of Logicbroker on how retailers and brands respond to shifting geopolitical uncertainty; Carton diversity drives sortation designs; China doubles down on robotics

    Our guest on this week's episode is Omar Qari, CEO of Logicbroker. Every industry has had to adjust to the ongoing geopolitical uncertainty – the Iran war, high fuel prices, volatile tariff policy – the list goes on. So, how are retailers and brands making the needed adjustments to deal with these shifting trade conditions and uncertain supply availability? Our guest offers his insights with Senior News Editor Ben Ames. Most warehouses have packages of some kind that they need to sort - either inbound cases that have to go to storage or processing areas or goods in outbound packages that have to be sorted to dock doors. Senior Editor Victoria Kickham wrote for this month’s DC Velocity about how the wide diversity of these cartons is driving changes in automated sortation system design. Ben Ames reports that it’s no surprise  that robotics technology is taking on a larger role in how supply chains operate. We’ve also seen for some years now that many of the Asia-Pacific nations are leaders in that category, both in building robots and in using them for applications like manufacturing. But we saw a report this week about exactly how China sees that sector developing in coming years. This comes from China’s latest Five-Year Plan, which is China's blueprint for operating its economy. And sure enough, the country said it will continue to place robotics at the heart of its industrial system, along with artificial intelligence.  Articles and resources mentioned in this episode: LogicbrokerSortation Report: Pushing the limitsChina places AI-powered robots at the center of its five-year planVisit DC VelocityVisit Supply Chain XchangeSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.com This podcast episode is sponsored by: Werner

    20 min
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About

The editors of DC VELOCITY magazine bring you weekly updates on logistics, material handling, and supply chain news.

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  • Creator
    AGiLE Business Media
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    308
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY
  • Show Website
    Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY

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