In reality, all this emerging tech, whether it’s turning your world upside down or not, is having a very real impact on how businesses manage their supply chains. That in turn is changing how organizations are manufacturing and delivering goods. He outlined eight emerging technologies that are most likely to drive dramatic changes across the CPG supply chain. HP has a printer that can order ink and have it shipped directly to your door automatically. MORE

According to research from McKinsey & Company , the supply chain dimension has the lowest level of digitization (43%) compared to other dimensions, including products and services, marketing and distribution channels, business processes, and new entrants at the ecosystem level. MORE

Social media awash with pictures of supply chain professionals attending the Lady Gaga event at SAP’s Sapphire, celebrating with drinks at the Gartner event, or rocking to the ZZ Top performance at JDA’s Icon conference trumpeted excitement. Meanwhile, in my travels, supply chain discussions are moving to main street. Supply chain is making headline news as companies struggle to redefine supply chain flows with the increased friction for border crossings. What to Do? MORE

What supply chain technology trends are set to revolutionize your supply chain in 2017 and beyond? Everyone wants to communicate better and more productively, with the customer. The push will be for manufacturers to get better about analyzing disparate data sources, sensing demand, actually predicting market drivers, and responding quickly and precisely to enhanced customer expectations throughout 2017. Going to the Cloud. MORE

The rate of change is accelerating, driving the transformational initiatives of distributors and 3PLs to stay relevant, create differentiation and execute long-term growth strategy. It’s not just about the change or the expansion of services any longer, but about how fast and flexible their services can be delivered as the manufacturing and retail industries are reinventing themselves, too. And top logistics companies will be able to provide these on-demand expectations. MORE

I know that early detection is the key to wellness. While most consultants and technologists want to sell technology, and are eager to slap in a new piece of software, my caution is to slow down and better understand root issues before having a technology discussion. Here I share insights on how to get started using a four-step process. When a company contacts me to help them with their supply chain, the pain is usually a gap in customer service. MORE

As the biggest players in fulfillment, distribution and omnichannel retail continue to push boundaries, logistics and planning strategists are forced to innovate. Luckily, the current movers and shakers of the logistics and supply chain world are all too happy to dole out sage advice in the form of blog posts, interviews, podcasts — you name it. The tips below cover everything from unified supply chains to automated collaboration integration and beyond. MORE

This 3-part blog series will take a deeper dive into the importance of warehouse workforce management for wholesale distribution and third party logistics (3PLs) and how to create and sustain a high-performance workforce culture. In part 1 of the series, we’re going to take a deeper dive into how having a flexible technology platform can help optimize workforce productivity. The Importance of Warehouse Workforce Management for 3PLs and Wholesale Distribution. MORE

The rate of change is accelerating, driving the transformational initiatives of distributors and 3PLs to stay relevant, create differentiation and execute long-term growth strategy. It’s not just about the change or the expansion of services any longer, but about how fast and flexible their services can be delivered as the manufacturing and retail industries are reinventing themselves, too. And top logistics companies will be able to provide these on-demand expectations. MORE

Buying behaviors that were predicted to become the norm by 2030 are suddenly a reality. According to Forbes , ecommerce grew nearly 130% in April and May 2020 over the same period in 2019. Small to midsize 3PLs have been placed under tremendous pressure to meet this demand. With consumers slow to return to main street and the holiday peak fast approaching, the direct-to-consumer volume being fulfilled in warehouses shows no sign of slowing down. MORE

This 3-part blog series will take a deeper dive into the importance of warehouse workforce management for wholesale distribution and third party logistics (3PLs) and how to create and sustain a high-performance workforce culture. In part 1 of the series, we’re going to take a deeper dive into how having a flexible technology platform can help optimize workforce productivity. The Importance of Warehouse Workforce Management for 3PLs and Wholesale Distribution. MORE

Preview In his 2019 Foresight article, Niels van Hove examined eight technological hurdles that must be overcome to enable autonomous or ‘lights out’ supply-chain planning. He reasoned that to support such planning we need to implement a third wave of integrated supply-chain planning software. In this article, Niels argues that these technological advances can lead to either (a) planning-process and decision automation or (b) planning and decision augmentation. MORE