Last summer it seemed like the media reports of record-breaking temperatures, wildfires and droughts were never-ending. And like farmers and ski resort managers, heat and cold are of particular interest to me because of my role at UPS as a temperature-sensitive packaging professional.

Keeping medicines at the right temperature is essential if they are to work well, and it’s vital to the health of patients. Whether you need an annual flu shot or your regular supply of insulin, it’s likely that a great deal of work has gone into designing the packaging it’s shipped in. Packaging may be the only protection that stands between your medicine and the outside world, from the manufacturer to the point of care, whether that’s a doctor’s office, an outpatient surgery center or even your own home. In fact, a recent UPS survey investigating healthcare supply chain challenges found that product protection is one of the biggest challenges healthcare manufacturers face.

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Today’s healthcare executive faces the most increasingly complex regulatory environment seen since the enactment of Medicare in 1965.  In addition to federal standards, they must comply with state regulations and the regulations for each country in which their company conducts business. Considering the scope and range of the fast changing healthcare regulatory environment – is it any wonder healthcare executives lose sleep over regulatory compliance?

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During Fashion Week, the latest styles appeared online within seconds of coming down the runway. There’s no time to waste. People see it, and they want it, now.

This same immediacy applies to a retailer’s supply chain. You don’t want to wait until next year to rock the fall trends from the designers and luxury brands.

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Every year, sustainability professionals come together to discuss trends and expectations for the future. The meetings, like Net Impact and BSR, buzz with heady discussions about the world’s social and environmental issues: poverty, human trafficking, child labor, transparency, and climate change.

When we get home, business-based attendees have to sort through the aspirational talk to determine which social and environmental issues should guide corporate sustainability programs. Relevancy isn’t always direct or obvious but it’s critical for companies who want to remain leaders in sustainability.

Based on my review, here are the business-relevant trends worth watching in 2013:

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I have spent over a decade working with companies of all sizes. One thing every company wants to know, regardless of their size, is how to reduce expenses.

Most companies start by looking at the very end of their supply chain. They try to squeeze pennies out of their transportation spend, which generally doesn’t provide the results they’re looking for. Soon they realize that they need to look at broader alternatives to improve their bottom line: reduce costs or increase sales.

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Have you started planning your Thanksgiving meal yet?  By now, you’ve probably thought about all the logistical details like: what items are required to bring the meal together; who’s responsible for bringing each dish; what time guests should arrive; and where dinner should be served so there’s enough room for everyone.

Without having full knowledge and control over many of these elements, you can only trust that everyone involved will come through – on time and as promised.  You have no way to tell beforehand that a guest is going to hold up dinner by arriving 45 minutes late or that someone will forget to bring the mashed potatoes or that unexpected guests will show up, requiring more space at the table!

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One cool thing about working at UPS is the chance to learn about the many different types of companies we serve, and how their supply chains factor into their success.  Healthcare companies are some of the most interesting: they make products that patients’ lives may literally depend on, and their supply chain needs can be quite specialized and complex. It can be pretty radical stuff!

To see what I’m talking about, check out this video profiling UPS customer EndoChoice Inc., “a platform technology company providing devices, diagnostics and procedural support for specialists treating a wide range of gastrointestinal (GI) diseases.” Talk about specialization! EndoChoice has been on the Inc. 500 list for the past three years, and CEO Mark Gilreath has some nice insights on how logistics was one key to their rapid growth.

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On Wednesday, UPS Customer Solutions president Jim Coughlan spoke to attendees of the Supply Chain in Action executive forum taking place near Phoenix. The participants were corporate logistics managers from Fortune 1000 companies, as well as academicians and students from universities with logistics programs.

Jim took part in a conversation with other business leaders addressing a range of topics from supply chain practices and trends to how online commerce impacts the global economy. According to comScore, U.S. retail e-commerce spending reached a record $161 billion in 2011.  And Goldman Sachs forecasts e-commerce to be nearly $1 trillion by the end of next year. Before he left, I asked Jim for his thoughts about e-commerce.

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Speaking at Fortune Brainstorm Green 2012, UPS COO David Abney described the maturation of sustainability at UPS as a priority for customers, employees, the Board of Directors and other stakeholders in the organization.  

“The terminology [of sustainability] has changed, but it’s changed for very sound business reasons,” Abney said, adding that customers have become a powerful catalyst for sustainability in recent years.  

 “What really has changed is the number of customers looking at us to manage their supply chains from an environmental perspective. Customers were demanding we pay attention (to sustainability),” he said in response to questions from Fortune reporter Geoff Colvin.

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In this first full week of fall, UPS rushed in cooler temperatures at the Cold Chain & Temperature Management conference in Philadelphia. (Yes, there’s a forum for everything.) At the conference we unveiled a “cool” new air freight container called PharmaPort^TM 360. Picture a pharmaceutical-grade flying refrigerator that safely keeps medicines like vaccines at the right temperature while being shipped. Well, this isn’t your everyday Frigidaire.

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