Globalization resilient: DHL report

DHL and New York University’s Stern School of Business have released the DHL Global Connectedness Index 2022. Analyzing data from 171 countries and territories, it shows how global flows of trade, people, capital, and information move.

The report shows that international flows have been resilient in the face of shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

After a slight decline in 2020, the composite DHL Global Connectedness Index rose to above pre-pandemic levels in 2021.

The data point to a further increase in 2022, despite slower growth in some flows. International trade in goods was 10 percent above pre-pandemic levels in mid-2022. International travel remained 37 percent below 2019 levels in 2022 but doubled compared to 2021.

“The latest DHL Global Connectedness Index data clearly debunks the perception of globalization going into reverse gear,” said John Pearson, CEO of DHL Express. “Globalization is not just a buzzword, it’s a powerful force that has transformed our world for the better.”

Projects aim to reduce climate change impacts on rail sector

The federal government is providing up to $5.4 million for 20 projects across Canada under the Rail Climate Change Adaption Program, an initiative of the Rail Safety Improvement Program.

The program supports research, development, and implementation of innovative technologies, tools, and approaches to identify and reduce the impacts of climate change on Canada’s rail sector.

The recipients selected for funding will evaluate new designs and technologies, implement innovative technologies, and develop an understanding of the risks and impacts on railways to address flooding, fires, permafrost degradation, and so on.

Nathalie Pilon appointed chair of the board of directors of the Montreal Port Authority

The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) has appointed Nathalie Pilon as the chair of its board of directors. Pilon has been a member of the MPA board since 2017, when she was appointed by the federal government on the recommendation of the Minister of Transport.

Drone Delivery Canada lands federal contract

Drone Delivery Canada (DDC) has signed a contract with the Canadian government to work with Transport Canada in operating and evaluating its drone delivery platform using DDC’s heavy-lift Condor remote piloted aircraft. The $1.2-million contract is with the government’s Innovative Solutions Canada program.

DDC will provide Transport Canada with a Condor drone and collaborate with the ministry in operating, testing, and evaluating the Condor’s capabilities. The contract extends until December and covers shortand long-range flights, along with extreme environmental testing. The multi-package payload compartment of the Condor can carry about 20 cubic feet of cargo. The Condor measures 22ft long, has a rotor diameter of roughly 20ft and is capable of vertical takeoff and landing.

Supply continuity, inflation critical to procurement

Supply continuity and inflation are the top-two priorities for procurement in 2023, while talent management jumped to the top of procurement’s list of planned improvement initiatives, says CPO Agenda research from The Hackett Group.

But strategic priorities are driving procurement’s focus on reducing spend cost, and pursuing digital transformation, improving analytics and insight capabilities remain critical.

Talent management is procurement’s primary planned improvement initiative, The Hackett Group found. But it was absent from procurement’s list of top priorities for 2023, partly because executives view talent management as relatively mature. Several other priority improvement initiatives show lower maturity levels, including supplier relationship management, responsible procurement, and thirdparty risk management, among others. Procurement must also do more with less, the research says. An expected 10.6 per cent increase in workload, combined with smaller increases in procurement staffing and budgets, will drive a productivity gap of 7.4 per cent and efficiency gap of 7.8 per cent.

Procurement has a high level of adoption of end-to-end and core technologies, the research found, and projected growth rates are high. Large-scale deployment of some technologies is still limited, but there is a high level of piloting for supplier risk and performance management tools, along with tail spend management solutions. Nearly half those surveyed have large-scale deployments of spend analytics tools, and another 44 per cent have pilots.

She was president of ABB in Canada, member of the executive board of ABB Americas and president of Thomas & Betts Canada, where she had been with the company since 1996 as vice-president of finance and information technology.

Pilon has more than 30 years of experience in the construction and electrification industry and was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2011 by the Women’s Executive Network.

She received the Leadership Award from the Association of Québec Women in Finance (AFFQ) in 2015, and in 2018, an honorary doctorate from Concordia University.

She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from HEC Montreal, is a Fellow of the Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec (FCPA), and is a board member of HEC Montreal, CSA Group, Nouveau Monde Graphite, Kinova and Lassonde.

BY MARIA A. GREAVES-CACEVSKI