Sat.Jul 11, 2015 - Fri.Jul 17, 2015

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Seven Mistakes to Avoid in Sales and Operations Planning

Supply Chain Shaman

Definition of a Mistake: An action or judgment that is misguided or wrong. Synonyms: Error, fault, blunder, oversight, miscalculation or a misunderstanding. Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) is important to building value chain agility and improving enterprise performance. (Agility is the ability to have the same performance in cost, quality, and customer service given a level of demand and supply volatility.

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The Most Important Distribution Center Metrics to Track and Understand

GlobalTranz

Throughout the supply chain, the use of metrics to track and understand processes provides an invaluable resource for ensuring increased production and customer satisfaction. Additionally, the use of metrics fosters positive relationships with coworkers and adherence to rulesets and best practices for the respective third-party logistics provider (3PL).

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Factory of the future: You’re closer than you think

DELMIA Quintiq

The deafening whirr of giant machines, the parade of parts on conveyor belts, the spinning, grabbing, twisting, bending and turning that magically transform raw materials and parts into products. There’s nothing quite as impressive as a factory, wouldn’t you agree? But let’s get back to reality. Consumer expectations are changing. They want their products to be customized and they want them now.

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FMCG: ERP’s – how will you cope when yours fails?

Enchange Supply Chain Consultancy

Yes I know, the recent blog posts have been a little Blog Gold meets Classic Blog with a touch of All Our Yesterdays and the History Channel but here is a fresh new offering. The last few months have been very busy both on the business and domestic fronts. The heiress has completed her Honours Degree in Fine Art so perhaps the annual student house move is a thing of the past.

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Monetizing Analytics Features

Think your customers will pay more for data visualizations in your application? Five years ago, they may have. But today, dashboards and visualizations have become table stakes. Turning analytics into a source of revenue means integrating advanced features in unique, hard-to-steal ways. Download this white paper to discover which features will differentiate your application and maximize the ROI of your analytics.

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Procter & Gamble’s Supply Chain Control Tower

Logistics Viewpoints

Procter & Gamble (P&G) has one of the best supply chains in the world. But when their top supply chain executives talk about supply chain management, it can be hard to understand what they are talking about. P&G has rather forgone talking about supply chain systems and instead talks about their investments in analytics. They […].

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Driving Continuous Improvement in Transportation Management

Talking Logistics

Live Episode: Thursday, July 23, 2015 at 12:00 ET. The first three episodes of this educational series focused on the link between transportation management and supply chain excellence , how to define and implement an effective transportation strategy , and the important role technology plays in helping companies successfully execute their transportation strategy.

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Sense and Respond – A Concept In Need of More Than Just Lip Service

Kinaxis

by Lori Smith “Sense and Respond”, or as we position it, “Know Sooner, Act Faster”, is a favorite topic on the Kinaxis blog. Many have had a lot to say on the topic (see here , here and here as examples). And now, so do our customers. Before we get to that, let me ask you, do you know what the first step is that leads to being able to sense and respond?

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M&A Supply Chain Strategies: Lessons from the Office Depot-OfficeMax Merger

Logistics Viewpoints

When two companies merge, the supply chain organizations also must merge. That means downsizing that department, making personnel choices, converging IT systems, and meeting the supply chain synergies promised to Wall Street. Mergers can go badly wrong, or they can be a new source of competitive advantage. Larry Hartley, the Senior Vice President of Supply […].

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Will Forecasts and/or Predictions Benefit The Alignment of Your Priorities and Your Supply Chain?

The Network Effect

Mark Roy/Flickr. This morning I read an article that addressed the use of forecasts and predictions to understand the future of retail. Although an interesting read, I take exception to understanding forecasts and predictions as one in the same. To me a forecast is a method to calculate future performance based on an analysis of varying factors and patterns.

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More Than 40 New Manufacturers Join Configura’s Platform in 2023

More than 40 manufacturers across the commercial interior, material handling, and kitchen and bath industries expand offers via Configura’s CET platform in 2023.

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The 3PL Industry is Suffering from Gresham’s Law

Talking Logistics

Earlier this year in Procuring Logistics Services is Not the Same as Buying Paper Clips , I wrote about an issue that continues to negatively affect 3PL-customer relationships: Procurement organizations looking to shift more and more risk on third-party logistics providers — while, of course, also demanding lower costs. As I wrote in that post, “Many shippers still don’t get it: there is no incentive for 3PLs to be innovative and creative if your objective is to beat them down on cost, shift all

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Strategic sourcing enters a new age. Are you keeping up? (Part 1)

ivalua

Since its inception in the late 1980s, strategic sourcing has always been about getting the best value for the goods and services purchased from third party suppliers. Strategic sourcing requires an intense focus on the total cost of ownership, while incorporating customer needs, organizational goals, and market conditions. The decision making process used to select suppliers must be fact-based and driven by a rigorous analytical approach.

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This Week in Logistics News (July 11 – 17)

Logistics Viewpoints

The economics studies in which I have engaged over the years have always highlighted the ways in which economic activity (production, supply chain, services) impacts financial factors such as stock markets and currency values. However, this week’s global news headlines have reinforced to me that cause and effect can be bi-directional, as these financial factors […].

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Seven Technologies Helping Grocery Shopping to get Personal

Enterra Insights

Last fall, Neil Z. Stern (@neilstern1), a senior partner of McMillanDoolittle, had the opportunity to visit a unique store in … Continued. The post Seven Technologies Helping Grocery Shopping to get Personal appeared first on Enterra Solutions.

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How to Create a Blueprint for Fleet Resilience

Speaker: Jeff Dickinson - President and CEO of Railgistixs Transport, Supply Chain and Logistics Thought Leader

Despite the ongoing transformation of the supply chain and logistics landscape, the steadfast importance of carrier safety remains a core principle. From prioritizing preventative maintenance to optimizing fleet utilization, the fundamentals persist. If you’re overlooking and neglecting essential safety precautions today, this could result in expensive repairs and potential safety hazards in the future. 🚧 Join Jeff Dickinson for a conversation on how to mitigate risk, enforce compliance,

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How Shippers And Logistics Providers Can Keep The Relationship Fresh

Talking Logistics

The relationship between a shipper and a logistics provider often starts as a transactional process. The shipper has an immediate need, which leads to a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Quote (RFQ) process then ultimately selects a third-party logistics (3PL) supplier to execute on that need. It’s a routine industry practice that can yield immediate and significant results.

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Master data management and the hidden costs of customer service

The Network Effect

CWCS Managed Hosting/Flickr. Note this the second installment in a series of posts on how master data management affect a company’s financial health. In my first post, I explored whether Wall Street should care about your master data management strategy. . Fiscal responsibility is core to the makeup of all corporations, whether public or private.

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Checklist Software Selection 3.0

Supply Chain Movement

Ten questions to help you choose the right software vendor. The market for business software is continuing to evolve with cloud-based solutions for sales & operations planning, supply chain visibility and even ERP. Software systems are crucial in supporting and managing business processes and facilitating the necessary innovation within them. Rather than immediately considering the functionality of a solution, it is important to first check a software supplier’s experience, references, guara

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The Digital Enterprise: Are You Prepared for the Digital Future?

Enterra Insights

“The future is here and it is connected,” writes Eva Milko (@evamilko).[1] Milko envisions a future that moves beyond “the … Continued. The post The Digital Enterprise: Are You Prepared for the Digital Future? appeared first on Enterra Solutions.

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Mastering Order Management: Backorders & Out-of-Stock Inventory

The unfortunate truth is that you will always have low stock and backorder issues with your supply chain. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be prepared to handle them. This brief video explores some of the primary drivers of inventory issues – and how modern technology and best practices can mitigate these issues and ensure a superb customer experience.

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This Week in Logistics News (July 13-17, 2015)

Talking Logistics

My 15 year old Subaru has a parasite. Well, technically, a “parasitic drain” on the battery. That’s what the AAA guy who came yesterday afternoon to jump start my car told me. The car is dead again this morning. I don’t have the time, tools, or knowledge to deal with this parasite, which is the latest ailment my car suffers from (the air conditioner crapped out a couple of years ago and I had to get the exhaust pipe repaired after it broke off on my way to the airport some months ago).

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S&OP Maturity – Going Beyond the Demand-Supply Match

Logility

We’ve seen many companies reach plateaus in their S&OP maturity. For some organizations, the momentum slows shortly after they successfully balance demand and supply volumes. This is the point where, in order to keep the S&OP benefits growing, ownership of the S&OP effort must expand beyond the primary jurisdiction of the supply chain team.

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5 Parcel Challenges You Can Overcome to Transform Your Small Package Shipping and Crush the Competition

4WL Consulting

When you are running a small to medium-sized business and regularly ship small packages and parcels, you face certain challenges that your larger competitors do not have to overcome. Companies that ship thousands of small packages a week often get lower rates and better service than their counterparts who may only ship 25 or 50 parcels each week. A 3rd party logistics company (3PL) can help you overcome those challenges so you can stay competitive with your larger competitors and crush your smal

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The Internet of Things Will Affect the Supply Chain and Much More

Enterra Insights

“The world is on the threshold of a new era of innovation and change with the rise of the Industrial … Continued. The post The Internet of Things Will Affect the Supply Chain and Much More appeared first on Enterra Solutions.

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How To Package & Price Embedded Analytics

Just by embedding analytics, app owners can charge 24% more for their product. How much value could you add? This framework from Software Pricing Partners explains how application enhancements can extend your product offerings. You’ll learn: How to take a disciplined approach to pricing The three elements of the Packaging Decision Framework Ways to structure your new embedded analytics offering Download the White Paper to learn about How To Package & Price Embedded Analytics.

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“1+1=3? Opportunities in Logistics (Takeaways from Descartes Evolution 2015 Conference)

Talking Logistics

The theme of this year’s Descartes Evolution 2015 Global User & Partner Conference , held in May in Miami, Florida, was “Logistics Integration — What’s Next?” It was an appropriate theme for Descartes, a company that has grown and evolved its solution footprint significantly over the past decade, with 28 acquisitions since 2005, including 7 acquisitions since the last user conference in 2013.

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Supply Chain Execution in the IoT Age

PINC

Today, Steve Banker published a really interesting article about the The Evolution of Warehouses in the Age of IoT , which talks to opportunity to use IoT and Big Data technologies in warehouses. One great use case Steve describes is about using sensors to alert warehouse operators about exception events in the cold chain where food product temperatures exceed defined thresholds.

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Fuel Surcharges: How They Work and Why Fuel Levies Matter to Australian Shippers

CHAINalytics

By Richard Koch | Associate Director, Logistics Operations | Chainalytics APAC Most Australian ground transport operators/carriers levy fuel surcharges on shippers’ freight charges. These controversial surcharges are largely misunderstood, with good reason: Most carriers do not differentiate between short- and long-haul service when providing fuel cost estimates as a percent of customers’ total freight costs. […].

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Elementum Whiteboards: China's Market Crash

Elementum

In our newest whiteboard video, we explain how China's bust happened, and what it could mean for the global supply chain.

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CADDi Receives 2023 Top Tech Startup Award by Food Logistics, Supply & Demand Chain Executive

The 2023 Top Tech Startup Awards by Food Logistics, Supply & Demand Chain Executive spotlights the top software and technology startups in the supply chain and logistics space.

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As simple as possible, but not simpler

Supply Chain Movement

When I recently returned from a customer appointment with a frowning face, a colleague asked what was the problem. To my own surprise, I was not able to explain to him why the particular case was so complex. After all, he concluded, the demand was stable, the product portfolio was limited and products had no short shelf lives. My colleague was right.

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All Things Belgian : Supply Chain of Belgian Beer Follow Up

Arkieva

A few weeks ago, I talked about the Supply Chain of Belgian Beer (click here to read that) and shared some trivia. Some folks suggested a follow up on frites or french fries. I will share a few more interesting things I learned about Belgium during my trips there. And just to be upfront, unlike the last post, this one does not even attempt a connection to supply chain issues.

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How Real-Time Information Can Reduce Supply Chain Waste

ModusLink Corporation

We live in an increasingly real-time world where the idea of instant information directing our actions and decision-making has seeped into nearly every aspect of our lives – transforming the way we live. Baseball fan? When was the last time you opened a newspaper and looked at a box score the day after the game? […]. The post How Real-Time Information Can Reduce Supply Chain Waste appeared first on ModusLink Global Solutions.