In the Now

Many countries are calling for the full use of electric vehicles by 2030. Is that doable? And what are the ramifications of putting that much additional demand on current electric grids, many of which continue to struggle to keep up with current demand? Could graphene be a material option to address mass production needs?

We are joined by Tim Yarbrough, a director and advisor for Frayt, a shipping start-up that takes a unique approach to connecting drivers and shippers. We talk about the shipping industry and what it takes to make a great company in the modern age. Check them out at frayt.com

In this episode, we explore the 'urban exodus' where Americans are leaving major metro areas and headed to more rural areas of the country. In addition, billionaire entrepreneurs are trekking into space from rural launch zones. Whereas traditional NASA-led missions to space would occur in Cape Canaveral, these personally led missions are instead launching from areas in rural Texas and New Mexico. 

Naturally this all has a ripple effect on local economies, from residential to commercial. Tony and Jonathan ponder what it could mean for the future of supply chains given the fact that major manufacturing hubs are typically located near major cities.

Check out the Bloomberg article that the guys cite in this episode here. 

The COVID-19 pandemic hit the steel industry hard as manufacturing demand slowed and capacity rates at steel mills ramped down tremendously. But as demand picked back up, the available steel wasn't there. Could this situation have been avoided with the use of Big Data? We talk to a data scientist working in the steel industry today to get his thoughts on this, as well as a predictive model for freight.

What does it mean to be introduce a disruptive model to a traditional industry? In our premiere episode, we explore what it means to be disruptive, how current industries are being disrupted, and make the case for SteelNow as a disrupter to the traditional industry of metal distribution.