Conexus Has Big Plans for Indiana's Logistics Industry
Indiana has plenty to brag about concerning its logistics industry—Conexus Indiana says the state ranks first nationwide for interstate access and mileage, ninth in rail miles and 15th in foreign and domestic waterborne shipping. While Indiana is already a national leader, Hoosier logistics experts believe taking steps to improve even further could make the state a global leader. To help map those steps, Conexus recently issued the first phase of its statewide strategic plan to advance Indiana's position as the "Crossroads of America."
"This [plan] lists the things we need in the future to make us even
better," says David Holt, vice president of operations and business
development for Conexus, the initiative to grow the state's logistics
and advanced manufacturing industries. "If we implement these things, I
think we will be number one—not just in the nation, but probably in the
world."
The plan focuses on three key areas that impact the state's logistics
sector: infrastructure, public policy and work force development.
Conexus developed the plan after conducting a two year study with its
Logistics Council Executive Committee (LCEC), a group of 36 logistics
executives throughout the state.
"If you're very, very good today and don't do anything, you're going to
be very, very mediocre tomorrow," says Mark Howell, president of
Brightpoint Americas and a member of the LCEC. "However, if you're very,
very good today and you get the best minds, dedicate the time, energy
and focus, take ownership of issues and drive things forward, you have
an opportunity to be excellent." Listen
In the key area of infrastructure, the plan identifies a list of what
Holt calls "go gets"—action items that, if implemented, could
significantly strengthen the state's position as a logistics leader.
These items include: developing several large intermodal facilities in
key regions of the state; reconstructing and redesigning decaying locks
along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and the Great Lakes; supporting
important highway and other infrastructure projects in congested areas
to be certain they move forward; ensuring communities—such as
Bloomington and Jasper in southwestern Indiana—have direct interstate
access; and finally, maximizing Indiana's airports to increase
international freight movement. Listen
"These [action items] were all developed through logistics businesses
saying, 'We need to do something and have a plan for the entire state,'"
says Holt. "Rail, water, trucking, etcetera all lived in their own
silos, and there was never a cohesive plan that put the whole jigsaw
puzzle together. We feel this plan puts that jigsaw puzzle together, and
it shows a cohesive strategy that everyone agrees on in all of those
sectors."
In addition to executing strategies within Indiana's infrastructure,
Conexus also plans to work with the LCEC to identify public policy
changes that could benefit the industry, then submit those
recommendations to the Indiana General Assembly and Congress. Listen
Conexus leaders believe the organization is already making significant
progress in work force development, the plan's final key area. As a
leader of one of Indiana's largest logistics companies, Howell says he's
most excited about the plan's mission to ensure Indiana's work force is
prepared to support a logistics industry that's becoming increasingly
high-tech.
"The logistics industry today is a great career path, but you have to
bring to the logistics industry a continually evolving skill set," says
Howell. "The science of logistics is becoming more important; the
technologies that are deployed and the speed at which they change. Not
only do we need to attain the right number of employees, we need to make
sure those employees have the skill sets that are necessary to be
successful." Listen
Howell is confident Indiana's "inherent" advantages—like a geographic
position that puts more than two-thirds of the nation's people and
businesses within a day's drive—will ensure a strong logistics industry
for many years to come. Additionally, he believes following Conexus'
strategic plan could help the state capitalize on opportunities that
have never been greater. Listen
"The importance of supply chain and supply chain companies is
increasing; Brightpoint itself is sending out more than 20,000 orders a
day—people who are ordering mobile phones this afternoon will be talking
on them tomorrow morning. That type of commerce and globalization is
progressing very rapidly," says Howell. "So if you take the combination
of great infrastructure, great public policy and great workforce, then
marry that to a rapidly growing, high demand service offering, it
creates tremendous opportunity for the state."
Conexus leaders say the "work has just begun" by mapping a plan to
enhance Indiana's logistics industry. In the coming months, the
organization will work toward advancing many of the strategies the plan
outlines—hoping to make the "Crossroads of America" perhaps the
crossroads of the world.