According to a 2015 World Economic Forum study, organizations can increase revenue up to 20 percent and boost brand value up to 30 percent by investing in supply chain sustainability. But are organizations taking action to realize these benefits? And if so, how?

Middle market manufacturers help drive the U.S. economy and have been an important part of the economic recovery over the past few years. In fact, the 7,500 middle market manufacturers in the U.S. contribute about two percent to national economic output and generate about three million jobs, according to a recent HSBC report on middle market companies, Hidden Impact: The Vital Role of Mid-Market Enterprises.

Globally and in the U.S., a new breed of company - including manufacturers - are taking advantage of growth outside their home market and going international. To what extent are small and middle market businesses becoming more multinational? What's driving this trend?

For the past 15 years, America's trucking industry has periodically dealt with a shortage of truck drivers, but in 2016 this issue has ballooned into a full-blown problem that doesn’t appear to be going away any time soon.

Robotics has played a significant role in shaping the manufacturing environment for decades. Yet the impact of robotics in manufacturing has traditionally been directed at industrial manufacturing (think automotive manufacturing). This is all about to change as the new wave of robotics are equipped with intelligence systems, designed for flexibility and mobility, armed with sensors to enable human and robot collaboration, and are priced more attractively for a broader base of buyers.

Mexico manufacturing has come a long way from the early days of simple product assembly in bare bones "maquiladoras" just over the U.S. border.

As a manufacturer, if you make up less than 10 percent of your distributors' product mix, you are not getting the attention of management or, more importantly, sales representatives.

In March 2015, the United Kingdom passed the Modern Slavery Act, the first of its kind in Europe.