Have you thought about scaling your business? With the tremendous growth in manufacturing and distribution businesses in today's marketplace, it is certainly worth considering.
Chicago logistics is all about connectivity. Connecting the east with the west, Chicago is a natural hub. 5 international airports, 7 Class I railroads carrying 50% of the nation's freight (think of the enormity of that figure!), 3rd largest intermodal port in the world, 3rd largest interstate highway system in America, and more.
How significant is freight to your bottom line? For example, when I was a VP of Operations for an absorbent healthcare products manufacturer (adult diapers, hospital underpads), freight was a BIG concern.
Where would you prefer to locate your operation? Most likely as close to customers and your supply base as possible. In this case, it means rates are going through the roof - if you can even get them.
At the Southern California Supply Chain and Logistics Summit conference, there were several keynote speakers from industry icons such as Amazon, UPS, Union Pacific and more. One might expect quite a lot of interesting insights into the latest supply chain trends yet the most common theme among the presentations tied back to the skills gap.