The inaugural Global Cold Chain Expo, which took place June 20-22 at Chicago’s McCormick Place, was a success, with over 1,200 cold chain professionals from 18 countries in attendance.

Forrester Research, Inc., Cambridge, Mass., forecasts that cognitive technologies such as robots, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and automation will replace 7% of U.S. jobs by 2025.

The study reveals that traceability is hindered by time pressures, supply chain permeation and product characteristics that create confusion about what to trace.

The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), Lombard, Ill., released its 27th Annual State of Logistics Report, which was produced in collaboration with global strategic management consulting firm, A.T. Kearney, Chicago, as the author and researcher, and Penske Logistics, Reading, Pa., continuing in its longstanding role as top supporter of the report.

Port Tampa Bay, Tampa, Fla., partnered with Tampa developer Richard Corbett and Port Logistics Group to finalize the financing of an on-dock cold storage facility.

The study finds spending by the seven largest U.S. railroads created $274 billion in economic activity, generated nearly $33 billion in state and federal tax revenues and supported nearly 1.5 million jobs nationally in 2014 alone.

Silk, a plant-based food and beverage brand of WhiteWave Foods, Broomfield, Colo., announced a year-long sponsored research initiative with the Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHGE) at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, to research differences in how food companies, academics, industry leaders and the general public perceive the challenges facing the food industry and its attempts to feed the world in a healthy and sustainable way.

Despite declining unit counts for the last two years, independent restaurant operators represent a third of broadline foodservice distribution dollars, and their spending has increased year-over-year for the past two years, according to a study produced by The NPD Group, Port Washington, N.Y.

Today’s 3PLs must be able to work with other partners and vendors in the supply chain to provide real-time data, forecasts and key performance indicators to react promptly to issues.