Enterra Insights

NOVEMBER 2, 2023

By any measure, China’s rise as an economic power has been impressive — some people have even called it miraculous. Wikipedia notes, “The Chinese economic reform or Chinese economic miracle, also known domestically as Reform and Opening-up, refers to a variety of economic reforms termed ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’ and ‘socialist market economy’ in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that began in the late 20th century.

Supply Chain Planning Software 130

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Strategy Supply Chain Planning Modeling 130

Enterra Insights

OCTOBER 17, 2023

As China’s economy slows, its leaders worry that emerging foreign government and transnational corporate strategies focused on trade with China will make matters worse. In many respects, they only have themselves to blame. Supply chain disruptions during the pandemic highlighted global dependence on Chinese manufacturing — and those dependencies raised serious concerns among China’s trading partners.

Supply Chain Strategy 130

Supply Chain Strategy Material Savings Global Supply Chain Optimization 130

Enterra Insights

OCTOBER 10, 2023

Thanks to human fascination with dinosaurs and movies like Jurassic Park , most people are familiar with geological periods like the Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic. The latter period is the current geological epoch, which, according to Wikipedia , represents “the last 66 million years of Earth’s history. It is characterized by the dominance of mammals, birds, conifers and flowering plants, a cooling and drying climate, and the current configuration of continents.

Supply Chain Strategy 130

Supply Chain Strategy Supply Chain Software Prescriptive Analytics Software Modeling 130

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

Packaging New York Procurement Analytics S&OP 246

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

Waste Reduction Analytics Software Analysis Just-in-Time 130

Enterra Insights

JULY 27, 2023

Don’t let anyone fool you. Growing old is inevitable yet seldom fun. In his book Fableheaven , author Brandon Mull wrote, “The curse of mortality. You spend the first portion of your life learning, growing stronger, more capable. And then, through no fault of your own, your body begins to fail. You regress. Strong limbs become feeble, keen senses grow dull, hardy constitutions deteriorate.

Supply Chain Software 240

Supply Chain Software Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Planning Supply Chain 240

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

JUNE 8, 2023

Society seems to have an irresistible penchant to pigeonhole human beings — to place them in boxes in which they are expected to stay. It’s a habit we should have broken long ago. The late, great track athlete Wilma Rudolph once stated, “Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” As you might be aware, Rudolph suffered from polio as a child and wore a br

Innovation 130

Innovation Resources Exercises Report 130

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

Analytics Software Research Washington Report 130

Enterra Insights

APRIL 18, 2023

How volatile is today’s business world? McKinsey & Company analysts Homayoun Hatami and Liz Hilton Segel write, “If an executive had fallen asleep in 2019 and just woke up, [they] wouldn’t recognize [today’s] business world. … The COVID-19 pandemic rewrote the rules, and now a new and potent disruption seems to arrive every other day.”[1] Some of their McKinsey colleagues, Michael Birshan , Ishaan Seth , and Bob Sternfels , add, “We’re living in a world wh

Washington 130

Washington Resource Reduction Supply Chain Planning Software Cleveland 130

Enterra Insights

MARCH 30, 2023

A recent headline grabbed my attention: “Why Are We Still Talking About Digital Transformation?” The implication was clear — the time for talk is over and now it’s time for action. In the article, Annee Bayeux , Chief Learning Strategist at Degreed, explains, “Today, we face another Sputnik moment. The fourth industrial revolution — the introduction of technologies such as AI, robotics, cloud technologies and IoT — is leaving thousands of companies and millions of workers

Optimization Software 130

Optimization Software Demand Planning Software Predictive Analytics Software Waste Reduction 130

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

New York City Analytics Software New York Military 130

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

JANUARY 6, 2023

We all know the storyline that insists advanced economies have moved on from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age and have become service-focused rather than a manufacturing-focused. As Nick Santhanam , Chief Executive Officer of the Fernweh Group, explains, “Countless headlines over the past few decades have recounted a story of American industry in decline.”[1] He reports, however, that a new storyline is unfolding.

Manufacturing Procurement 130

Manufacturing Procurement Manufacturing South Carolina Pricing Training 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

Material Savings Procurement Analytics Denmark Procurement Solutions 130

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

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Modeling Software Boston 147

Enterra Insights

DECEMBER 15, 2022

Last year technology journalist Gordon Feller wrote, “The Internet of Things (IoT) is poised to disrupt and transform manufacturing and a number of other industries.”[1] Jump forward a year-and-a-half and you find technology journalist Shraddha Goled asking, “Is it too soon to write an obituary for IoT?”[2] What’s going on with this confused picture of the IoT?

Internet of things 130

Internet of things Supply Chain Network Software Analytics Software Predictive Analytics Software 130

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

Purchasing Skills Scenario Planning Policies New York 130

Enterra Insights

NOVEMBER 17, 2022

As I noted in the initial installment of this article, discussions about digital transformation (DX) often include foundational concepts upon which successful digital transformations can be built. The articles discuss such things as digital transformation strategies, stages, pillars, building blocks, and layers — and they are often provided in a bulleted format or “by the numbers.” In my earlier article, I discussed some recommendations for getting started (i.e., taking the first ste

Supply Chain Planning Software 162

Supply Chain Planning Software Modeling Software Predictive Analytics Software Logistics Network Optimization Software 162

Enterra Insights

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary notes that the term “by the numbers” means “in a way that follows the rules or instructions but that is not interesting or original.” Nevertheless, pundits continue to write articles stressing by-the-numbers thinking to help advance digital transformation (DX). To be fair, those articles don’t stress uninteresting or unoriginal ideas.

Analytics Software 130

Analytics Software Modeling Software Procurement Solutions Resource Reduction 130

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

Predictive Analytics Software Modeling Software Supply Chain Network Software Research 130

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

Food Security Supply Chain Planning Software Ukraine 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

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

Manufacturing Procurement Supply Chain Design Software Texas Supply Chain Design 26

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

Innovation Resource Reduction Policies Los Angeles 130

Enterra Insights

MAY 9, 2022

Ready or not, retailers were shoved into the omnichannel world thanks to pandemic lockdowns beginning early in 2020. This created a new retail landscape — on both the consumer and supplier side. On the supplier side, Saloumeh (Sally) Sabet, global lead of Consumer Goods Go to Market for Pitcher, explains, “Historically, the consumer goods suppliers with the most sales presence in the field used to be the ones leading the retail execution space.

Omnichannel 130

Omnichannel Retail Purchasing Skills Inventory Reduction 130

Enterra Insights

APRIL 13, 2022

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers made a run on some products (e.g., toilet paper) leaving store shelves empty and consumers looking for alternatives. As a result, e-commerce channels lit up as consumers hunted for products. Brand loyalty was tossed out the window as desperate consumers made product availability and price their motivating purchase factors.

Price Reduction 130

Price Reduction Waste Reduction Cost Reduction Strategies Purchasing Skills 130

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

Video Predictive Analytics Software Just-in-Time Procurement Solutions 130

Enterra Insights

MARCH 18, 2022

With many retail chains announcing the opening of new stores, the so-called “retail apocalypse” seems to be waning. This twist of events may surprise some observers considering the fact that the pandemic has hastened the growth of e-commerce. Journalist Suzanne Kapner ( @SuzanneKapner ) reports, “After losing ground to e-commerce, bricks-and-mortar stores are back in style.

Omnichannel 130

Omnichannel Expense Reduction Cost Reduction Strategies Inventory Reduction 130

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

Supply Chain Network Software Vendor Strategies Modeling Software Resource Reduction 130