In trucking, hot-button topics like omnichannel distribution, e-commerce, electric vehicles and blockchain often blot the agendas of industry events and association meetings. Yet one topic that remains on the periphery unless we are talking about parts availability could wind up having a profound change to the industry – additive manufacturing.

Aerospace suppliers are starting to explore blockchain technology to keep tabs on their supply chain, potentially tracking parts such as that at the center of a Southwest Airlines accident last month.

In April 2016, Delta Air Lines shook up the aviation world by announcing it would buy 75 jets from Bombardier, the Quebec aircraft manufacturer. Such orders are the routine stuff of the aviation industry, but this one was anything but routine.

More than half (56 percent) of employers said they have struggled to find procurement talent in the last 12 months, according to the 2018 CIPS/Hays Procurement Salary Guide and Insights.