Visit Flexcon at Promat, Booth #S1822, March 20-23 in Chicago
It’s official. The term ‘supply chain’ has become part of our everyday lexicon. The term has been added to Merriam-Webster’s 2022 online dictionary, along with words like subvariant and side hustle. Those three words actually kind of sum up our reality now in the year 2023. ‘Side hustles’ have increased as economic uncertainty continues amid inflation worries and job losses. ‘Subvariant’ reminds us that global health risks are just one viral mutation away. The term ‘supply chain’ conjures images of empty shelves and long wait times—never a good look.
While ProMat’s 2023 trade show may highlight side-hustling opportunities, it is designed to help those in the manufacturing and supply chain industry address the disruptions of the last few years. The trade show’s goal is to ensure resiliency in the supply chain by way of education, exhibition, and engagement. This is exactly why you will see the Flexcon team at ProMat 2023, March 20-23, in Chicago.
Education
ProMat offers 157 on-floor seminars with topics such as autonomous robots and data analytics. As new technology floods the supply chain with solutions, attendees can learn how to expedite warehousing through design changes. They can listen to industry experts like John Paxton from the Materials Handling Institute, speak about how to deploy solutions that maximize selection speed. Technology can improve resiliency. The industry’s inability to bounce back from disruption made headlines from 2020 through 2022, and many companies did whatever was needed to meet customer expectations. With very little breathing room, organizations are now looking for long-term solutions that can adapt to variations in supply and demand.
The Education Conference offers seminars on subjects to help businesses improve their long-term resilience. Whether it’s how to handle small parcels or how to build an automation strategy, attendees can learn ways to address today’s challenges. Panel discussions and presentations are scheduled throughout the four-day conference, maximizing the number of sessions attendees can sit in on. Nowhere can you learn as much in four days as at ProMat 2023’s Touch the Future Conference. In fact, 92% of trade show attendees go to exhibitions to learn about new solutions and trends.
Exhibition
For new attendees, ProMat can be overwhelming. With 500,000 square feet of exhibit space and 1,000 vendors, there’s no way one person can see every exhibit. That’s why seasoned attendees have a plan in advance to prioritize the exhibits they want to visit. With a prioritized list, ProMat veterans map out their routes on the exhibit hall floor plan. The goal is to avoid wasting valuable time spent trekking from one end of the hall to another (your feet will thank you). This year’s layout divides the hall into solution-oriented sections—manufacturing, fulfillment and delivery, information technology, and automation/robotics. This layout change maximizes an individual’s time by grouping vendors based on what solution they offer customers.
Trade shows provide a unique opportunity to compare solutions and gain hands-on experience. Having providers in one place saves research time and make it easy to speak with vendors. Attendees who manage their time well should have sufficient time to address their business priorities. Talking to exhibitors can generate new ways to approach a challenge you may be facing, or to gain insights into an aspect of a process that isn’t working. And then, there’s the swag. Few attendees admit it, but exhibitor giveaways are the unspoken fun of any trade show. Just don’t get carried away. All that swag has to fit in your luggage or car.
Engagement
Perhaps the most informative part of any trade show is connecting with other professionals. It’s the networking that happens over coffee or cocktails. Exploring possible solutions with others can identify new approaches to a problem. Organizations that have addressed a problem can provide insight into what worked and what they would do differently. Making connections means having someone to contact when you need another perspective. Communicating can lead to collaboration. You can save yourself and your company’s time and resources by consulting with someone who has already been through the process.
Whether with someone working across the country or across the world, attendees can exchange their knowledge and experience to ensure a resilient supply chain. Especially if another subvariant of COVID-19 should appear. From experience, we know that supply chain disruptions have ripple effects that can extend beyond a single entity’s sphere of influence.
Flexcon at ProMat: Booth #S1822
Flexcon designs industrial plastic material handling containers. Our solutions include corrugated plastic, molded plastic, and fabricated totes, bins, and trays. They maximize space because they are stackable and nestable. Our products are compatible with automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS). When you’re looking to automate operations, remember that technology is only as good as the storage container it is transported in. It doesn’t matter how fast a robot can move if it can’t find or retrieve the item because the container is faulty.
We understand that containers don’t generate the excitement that automated systems and robots do. But we know that technology’s success depends on how items are stored. We’re good with being the supply chain’s quiet heroes. Stop by booth #S1822 at ProMat 2023, March 20-23, in Chicago to see how our containers can improve operations.