Guest: Kristi Montgomery of Kenco on the importance of innovation; Problems with our cold chains; New roads ahead for transportation.

In this episode, guest Kristi Montgomery, vice president of Innovation, Research & Development at Kenco, discusses the need for innovation. She heads up the Kenco Innovation Labs, an internal think tank and testing center that develops new technologies and methodologies to help solve customer problems within the supply chain. She discusses why innovation is so critical to a company's future.While vaccines are being rolled out, we learn about new research that shows how inefficiencies and lack of good data are causing major problems for companies using our nation's cold chains.  What's causing these issues and what are the consequences for not having reliable tracking and data for the pharmaceuticals and food that move through cold chains?Also, two transportation-related stories: What challenges does incoming Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg face, and will infrastructure be on the top of the list for attention under the Biden administration? And a new research center in The Netherlands will test ways to make last-mile deliveries more efficient, especially in urban areas.Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:KencoManual process and lack of visibility lead to big losses in the cold chain.Logistics trade groups say infrastructure should be top goal for ButtigeigFederal regulators loosen rules for commercial trucks and bus licensesDutch investors found $295 million center for research in urban logisticsDC VELOCITY's Covid-19 coverageVisit DCVelocity.com for the latest news. Send feedback about this podcast to [email protected] sponsored by Yale Materials HandlingOther linksAbout DC VELOCITYSubscribe to DC VELOCITYSign up for our FREE newslettersAdvertise with DC VELOCITYTop 10 Supply Chain Management Podcasts