Enterra Insights

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

“We live in a world of rapid transformation,” writes Hischam El-Agamy , Executive Director at IMD, “a world where digital disruption and megatrends are affecting all industries.”[1] One of those megatrends is the ubiquitous adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). Vijay Neti , a Managing Director with Accenture, writes, “I don’t see a day go by, where I don’t hear of AI and its profound impact — part beneficial and part detrimental — to humans. … As it exists

Supply Chain Software 130

Supply Chain Software Supply Chain Planning Software Optimization Software Analytics Software 130

Enterra Insights

AUGUST 31, 2023

Nothing is more central to the consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector than supply and demand — and few things affect supply and demand like economic trends. During the pandemic, when going out in public worried many consumers, savings increased and buying patterns changed. For example, spending on clothing and cosmetics dropped while spending on home goods and staples rose.

Packaging 246

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Enterra Insights

AUGUST 10, 2023

Decisions are important in both our personal and professional lives. Good business leaders understand the importance of decision-making and continually seek to improvement how decisions are made throughout their organizations. According to Bain analysts, Michael C. Mankins and Lori Sherer , “The best way to understand any company’s operations is to view them as a series of decisions.”[1] They add, “We know from extensive research that decisions matter — a lot.

Waste Reduction 130

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Enterra Insights

JULY 21, 2023

The last time Tony Bennett took the stage was in 2021, when he appeared with Lady Gaga at Radio City Music Hall. The show was titled “One Last Time.” When he passed today at the age of 96, I felt the need pay him a tribute “One Last Time.” Although I didn’t know Mr. Bennett personally, he was a key member of our collective New York Italian cultural family.

New York 245

New York San Francisco Just-in-Time Washington 245

Enterra Insights

JULY 6, 2023

We live in a data-driven world. Don’t believe it? Yossi Sheffi , Director of the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics, insists, “The well-worn adage that a company’s most valuable asset is its people needs an update. Today, it’s not people but data that tops the asset value list for companies.”[1] Why is data so important? According to Biswanath Choudhary , Chief Operating Officer at SG Analytics, “In a data-driven world, we are expected to draw conclusions, make predictions

Supply Chain Software 130

Supply Chain Software Analytics Software Predictive Analytics Software Optimization Software 130

Enterra Insights

JULY 4, 2023

As most people are aware, Independence Day marks the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 — a document declaring the American colonies’ independence from Great Britain. For the most part, the document was a finger-pointing exercise explaining why the American colonies wanted to be independent from Great Britain.

Supply and Demand 130

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Enterra Insights

JUNE 2, 2023

Five decisions early on that can impact equity and growth long term. According to a recent report by CB Insights, the global venture ecosystem slowed down in Q2 2022; funding decreased by 23%, marking the second-largest quarterly drop in funding in a decade. Securing capital is always a challenge and in an economic slowdown, it can be even more challenging.

Forecasting 130

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Enterra Insights

MAY 9, 2023

Researchers almost start drooling at the prospect of having access to a programmable, universal quantum computer. As astrophysicist and science writer Alfredo Carpineti observes, “Quantum computers have the potential to revolutionize information technology, processing problems that even our most powerful supercomputers can’t solve.”[1] He goes on to note that quantum computers always seem to be tantalizingly out of reach.

Analytics Software 130

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Enterra Insights

MARCH 7, 2023

Back in 1971, the late Helen Reddy had a smash hit with the song “I Am Woman.” The opening lyrics to that song read, “I am woman, hear me roar in numbers too big to ignore. And I know too much to go back an’ pretend. ‘Cause I’ve heard it all before and I’ve been down there on the floor. And no one’s ever gonna keep me down again.” The song became a feminist anthem and, sadly, was more aspirational than factual.

New York City 130

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Enterra Insights

FEBRUARY 14, 2023

Valentine’s Day is an occasion for sweethearts to exchange cards and gifts. Traditionally, gifts have included flowers, chocolates, and jewelry. Those are still excellent choices. However, the current joke circulating ahead of this Valentine’s Day is: If you want to give your sweetheart something really expensive this year, give them eggs!

El Paso 130

El Paso San Diego California Los Angeles 130

Enterra Insights

JANUARY 26, 2023

Humans like things tidy. They cherish order and stability. It’s little wonder then that so many of us are anxious in an ever-changing world. To become less anxious, we need to embrace change. The nineteenth century English poet John Keats was accurate when he wrote, “There is nothing stable in the world; uproar’s your only music.” It’s a tune we should learn to love.

Innovation 130

Innovation Predictive Analytics Software Modeling Software S&OP 130

Enterra Insights

JANUARY 25, 2023

One of the most promising technologies to emerge over the last decade is digital twin technology. Technology writer Aminu Abdullahi explains, “A digital twin is essentially an avatar of a physical object in the virtual world, allowing people to operate it remotely, manage it, and monitor its performance by collecting data from embedded sensors.

Supply Chain Design Software 130

Supply Chain Design Software Modeling Predictive Analytics Software Optimization Software 130

Enterra Insights

DECEMBER 30, 2022

Humans seem to have an innate desire to know their place in time. Marking the passage of days, months, and years precedes written history. We live by the seasons and mark our lives in years. The third chapter of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament, reads in part, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.” Albert Einstein taught that time is relativ

Material Savings 130

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Enterra Insights

DECEMBER 29, 2022

The Digital Age requires companies to transform both their Industrial Age mindsets and their organizational frameworks. Many Industrial Age organizations are characterized by functional silos that may have worked well in the past but struggle to keep pace in today’s business environment. Ravi Vasantraj , Senior Vice President, and Global Head of Business Process Services at Mphasis, insists, “It is absolutely necessary to break away from the traditional mindset of viewing application

Supply Chain Planning Software 147

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Enterra Insights

DECEMBER 27, 2022

Half-a-decade ago, Professor Richard Florida wrote, “When we think of the city of the future, we might think about flying cars and scenes from ‘Star Trek’ or ‘The Jetsons.’ But coming new technologies are shaping deeper and more fundamental changes in our cities.”[1] Chief among those technologies is artificial intelligence (AI). “Artificial intelligence,” he wrote, “could … help systems be more dynamic.” For example, in the area

Optimal Sourcing 130

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Enterra Insights

DECEMBER 8, 2022

Large natural language programming (NLP) systems are making headlines thanks to the remarkable conversations in which they can now engage. Some of those conversations have convinced individuals they are, in fact, talking to a real person. You might have read that Google fired Blake Lemoine, a senior software engineer at its Responsible AI unit, over his claim that a chatbot system called LaMDA (Language Model for Dialog Applications) was sentient.

Modeling Software 130

Modeling Software Analytics Software Predictive Analytics Software Modeling 130

Enterra Insights

DECEMBER 7, 2022

Inflation, in the United States, was one of the major topics of discussion during the 2022 midterm elections. The crisis has been growing for nearly two years. Last December, reporter Jeanna Smialek wrote, “Inflation has become central to the American zeitgeist in 2021 in a way that it hadn’t been for decades.”[1] That zeitgeist deepened as 2022 unfolded.

Purchasing Skills 130

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Enterra Insights

NOVEMBER 9, 2022

Science fiction authors love to write about artificial general intelligence (AGI) systems that go rogue, conclude the humans are a danger, and decide Earth’s entire population must be wiped out. In recent years, these concerns have moved from science fiction into science. Luminaries such as Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk have expressed concerns for the future.

Predictive Analytics Software 130

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Enterra Insights

OCTOBER 12, 2022

There is an old English idiom that states “in the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.” According to the Cambridge Dictionary , this idiom was meant to highlight the fact that in a difficult situation, all other things being equal, the person with additional skills “is in a better position to be more successful” than people who don’t possess those skills.[1] When it comes to supply chain operations, this principle certainly holds true.

Supply Chain Visibility 130

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Enterra Insights

SEPTEMBER 20, 2022

I recently had the opportunity to speak at the Agro&Food Security Forum in Warsaw, Poland. The event gathered government representatives of Ukraine and Poland, leading Ukrainian experts and market operators, as well as the international agricultural community. This is a new and very important platform for the global dialogue in the search for effective solutions to ensure global food security.

Food 130

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Enterra Insights

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

Even as political battlelines in the United States harden, the push for “Made in America” products is being made from both the right and left. In some cases, support for “Made in America” is more show than actual support. For example, an email I received from Axios noted that one far-right clothing company was recently fined by the Federal Trade Commission for ripping out “Made in China” tags and replacing them with “Made in America” tags.

Manufacturing Procurement 130

Manufacturing Procurement Resource Reduction Price Reduction Cost Reduction Strategies 130

Enterra Insights

AUGUST 3, 2022

“Today,” writes tech freelancer Apoorva Bellapu, “it is practically impossible to lead our lives without data.”[1] In the business world, she implies, it is impossible to conduct routine operations without data. She explains, “This is for the sole reason that data has become one of the most critical aspects of businesses.” How critical?

Data 130

Data Analytics Software Procurement Analytics Supply Chain Planning Software 130

Enterra Insights

JULY 12, 2022

With inflation shredding consumers’ budgets, consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers and retailers are feeling the impact. Food writer Simon Harvey ( @SidflashHarvey ) believes things are only going to get worse before they get better. He predicts, “Decades-high inflation rates in the western world are likely to get worse before they peak, presenting operational challenges right across the supply chain.”[1] CPG manufacturers are caught in this inflationary maelstrom.

Modeling 130

Modeling Predictive Analytics Software Optimization Modeling Predictive Analytics 130

Enterra Insights

JULY 8, 2022

Earlier this week, the European Parliament “voted its stamp of approval for the two laws — one focused on anticompetitive behavior, the other on content deemed illegal in Europe.”[1] The first law, called the Digital Markets Act (DMA), will ban “certain practices used by large platforms acting as ‘gatekeepers’ and enable the Commission to carry out market investigations and sanction non-compliant behavior.”[2] Benjamin Mueller ( @Ben_CDI ), a senior policy ana

Supply Chain Network Software 130

Supply Chain Network Software S&OP Policies Purchasing Skills 130

Enterra Insights

JUNE 20, 2022

Racial tensions continue to run high in America despite advances in civil rights legislation and enlightened court rulings. Conservatives accuse liberal extremists of pushing a toxic Critical Race Theory while liberals accuse conservative extremists of pushing an even more toxic Replacement Theory. These battling ideologies have made teaching history a dangerous endeavor in some school systems.

Manufacturing Procurement 26

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Enterra Insights

JUNE 16, 2022

According to journalist David Edwards, the business landscape started to digitalize the moment computers were introduced into it over half-a-century ago. Currently, he notes, “One of the most popular and relevant areas of business digitization now is RPA (robotic process automation). The key idea is that the robot performs the same actions as a person, only faster and often better.”[1] In the case of RPA, the term “robotic” can be misleading.

Analytics Software 130

Analytics Software Optimization Software Modeling Software Tools 130

Enterra Insights

MAY 27, 2022

When the pandemic struck and the economy began to shut down, many businesses struggled to stay afloat. Just as they were getting back on their feet, supply chain snarls and rapid inflation dealt them another blow. Faced with a growing number of challenges, many companies asked: Should we stick with what has worked in the past or pursue innovations that could set us up for the future?

Innovation 130

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Enterra Insights

MAY 24, 2022

The marketing world loves to target consumers by age — grouping them into so-called “generations.” The latest generation to be targeted has been given the nickname Generation Z. Since this group of young people — those born between 1995 and 2012 — are young and very aware of the world around them, it wouldn’t surprise me if they renamed themselves in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russia 130

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Enterra Insights

APRIL 27, 2022

According to Yossi Sheffi ( @YossiSheffi ), Director of the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics, big data is an organization’s most valuable asset. He writes, “The well-worn adage that a company’s most valuable asset is its people needs an update. Today, it’s not people but data that tops the asset value list for companies.”[1] When data becomes a business’ most valuable asset, then becoming a digital enterprise must be its most important priority.

Supply Chain Network Software 147

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Enterra Insights

APRIL 6, 2022

Every day we make myriad decisions without giving much thought to many of them. Businesses are no different. Bain analysts, Michael C. Mankins and Lori Sherer ( @lorisherer ), explain, “The best way to understand any company’s operations is to view them as a series of decisions.”[1] They add, “People in organizations make thousands of decisions every day.

Analytics Software 130

Analytics Software Modeling Software Predictive Analytics Software Modeling 130

Enterra Insights

APRIL 5, 2022

Talking about the metaverse is all the rage. That’s because numerous pundits believe the metaverse is the next big thing. As most people are aware, Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, is so convinced the metaverse represents the future, he changed the name of his company to Meta. He’s even started calling his employees “metamates.” The term “metaverse” was coined in the 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash , written by American science fiction write

Video 130

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Enterra Insights

APRIL 1, 2022

For centuries, April Fools’ Day has been a day dedicated to pranks and laughs. It’s a day when people looking for serious news need to fact-check anything they read, watch, or hear — because some of the news is deliberate, just-for-fun fake news. In years past, companies have joined in on the fun. For example, in April Fools’ Day advertisements, Open Table once claimed it had created an app that let you taste a restaurant’s food by simply licking your phone.

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Enterra Insights

MARCH 11, 2022

The late Warren Bennis, a pioneer in the contemporary field of Leadership studies, once stated, “Trust is the lubrication that makes it possible for organizations to work.” He could have replaced the word “organizations” with “world” and he still would have been correct. Trust has always been the foundation upon which the global economy has been built.

Supply Chain Network Software 130

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Enterra Insights

MARCH 7, 2022

The “Song of the Witches,” in Shakespeare’s MacBeth , begins with the familiar line, “Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and caldron bubble.” Those might well be lyrics for a modern tune about the state of digital marketing and the data required to make it work. Martech reporter Trishla Ostwal ( @trishlaostwal ) reports several Democratic members of Congress have introduced “a bill that would dramatically alter the ways tech companies like Google and F

Modeling Software 173

Modeling Software Demand Planning Software Expense Reduction Cost Reduction Strategies 173

Enterra Insights

FEBRUARY 25, 2022

The world is rightfully concerned about Russia’s ruthless and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Not only is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attack an assault on democracy, it is an assault on world order. In a television speech that precipitated the invasion, Putin warned, “To anyone who would consider interfering from the outside — if you do, you will face consequences greater than any you have faced in history.” Some experts see that as a not-so-veiled threat of nuclea

Ukraine 130

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Enterra Insights

FEBRUARY 22, 2022

The manufacturing sector covers such a broad spectrum of products and processes that any discussion about industry trends must take place at a very high level. One of the megatrends that has been driving manufacturing for over a decade is digitization. Technology writer Dennis Scimeca ( @DennisScimeca ) explains, “Just like manufacturers that failed to switch from manual to automated processes during the Industrial Revolution found themselves obsolete, so it goes with the digital era.

Manufacturing Procurement 130

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Enterra Insights

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

Few topics are as discussed or as important as big data. As I’ve noted in the past, the amount of data being generated is so enormous that the modifier “big” is a totally inadequate — maybe even laughable — modifier. Fortunately, with ever-improving analytics, data size is not as important as it was in the past. Nevertheless, “big data” is a term that has demonstrated what marketers call “stickiness” over the past decade.

Big Data 130

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