Expert insights. Personalized for you.
90, then 80, followed by 76. The highway rolls ahead of me. There are endless mile markers. It is a long day. Today, I am cruising major freeways traveling from Chicago to my new home in Pennsylvania. MORE
This is a story for the Eds, Franks, and Toms working together in supply chains across the globe. It is also a story for a young supply chain manager attempting to make a difference, but feeling stymied. Sharing My Experience. The year was 1982. MORE
“…the art of the possible, the attainable — the art of the next best” ? Otto von Bismarck. This morning I landed in Frankfurt. Keeping with my normal Sunday night ritual, I poured myself a cup of tea to pen my weekly post for the Supply Chain Shaman. MORE
My left arm hurts. I have been on a waiting list to get the shot for three years. This week, I rolled up my sleeve and got the Shingrix vaccine. Glaxo SmithKline introduced Shingrix in 2017, but shortages prevailed. I paused when the pharmacist asked, “Do you mind which arm gets the shot?” I replied, “Isn’t it all the same?” However, two hours after getting the shot, my arm throbbed and turned red. I now understood. Shingrex has side effects. MORE
Personalization. Market microsegmentation. New product launch. There are many good reasons to add items to product portfolios, but companies are better at adding than eliminating items. Discontinuing products is a struggle with tension between supply chain and marketing functions. Why is this an important topic? The lack of product rationalization results in the long tail of the supply chain with increasing complexity. Lumpy demand for product with low volume requires a supply chain redesign. MORE
Grounded during this pandemic, and unable to interact with clients in person, I try to write 3,000 words a day. Morning after morning, fueled by good black coffee, I type away. I share insights, based on research, for the supply chain leader. I write for this blog, craft reports from research for our newsletters, create blogs for Linkedin, and build articles for Forbes. I am also developing a framework for my new book. Stay tuned. MORE
François-Régis Le Tourneau leads the efforts at L’Oreal for Standards & Prospective Process Improvement. At the Supply Chain Global Summit 2018 , Francois discussed the impact of digitalization, Industry 4.0, MORE
Each day through the COVID-19 pandemic, I tune into Anthony Cuomo’s (governor of New York) daily briefings. It is my break in the day. As a multi-tasker, when Governor Cuomo broadcasts, I use the time to work out on my rowing machine. His opening line is, “Let’s start with facts. While we all have opinions, let’s start by reviewing the facts.” ” When he says this, I smile and row harder. I wish that all discussions could start with the facts. Reflection. MORE
On a cold Boston winter day, I slipped into my seat on a back row in a packed conference room at AMR Research. Heavily booked and running from meeting to meeting, I was late. As I squeezed into the middle seat of a crowded conference room, I got the stare. You know, the look of peers communicating the signal, you are late.) I struggled to manage myself as I settled in elbow-to-elbow with the group to listen to the presentation. MORE
Today, I am reflective. My last post on the Supply Chain Shaman blog was forty-five days ago. I spent the month of March trying to help business leaders mitigate the impact of the pandemic. My first focus was on China sourcing. MORE
Yowza: Excitement or approval. Get a cup of coffee. This is a long post. <Bear <Bear with me… > Here I share a nine-step process in an attempt to help companies unravel the process for buying supply chain planning software. The genesis for this post stems from frustration. MORE
Inquiry is increasing. Company dissatisfaction with supply chain planning is growing. The goal is to improve insights while decreasing the number of planners. The growing dissatisfaction is on the inadequacies of today’s technologies. Yesterday, I facilitated a group of business leaders attempting to drive innovation in supply chain practices. The last five years were tough for the group. MORE
…the weekend is just around the corner. Happy Valentine’s Day to all my blog readers. This is my 440th blog post and the tenth anniversary Supply Chain Shaman. It seems hard to believe that I have been typing away over these years building an audience of over 20,000 global readers. MORE
The Supply Chain Insights Global Summit is over, but we hope the energy to define Supply Chain 2030 is just beginning. Our goal is to build a guiding coalition to think differently to improve outcomes. Today only 12% of supply chain teams are driving improvement, performing better than their competitors and driving value (as determined by Price to Tangible Book Value). As companies prepare for Supply Chain 2030, we think that it is time to rethink the basics. MORE
Across from me, sits an empty chair. In fact, sadly, there are many empty chairs in the room. Five people canceled at the last minute due to travel restrictions. Today, I am facilitating the Network of Networks share group in Antwerp. The reason the seats are empty? MORE
We finished dinner. I pressed my neatly folded napkin to my lips. As we waited for coffee, silence hung heavy in the air. My client writhed in her seat and hung her head as she asked, “I read your article on control towers, but I am confused. What is an easy definition? I am embarrassed to ask, but we were discussing the topic at our board meeting yesterday, and I must admit that we have more confusion than clarity.”. I smiled. For me, this type discussion is the norm. MORE
As I flew to Dallas, I worked on this post. Before boarding the plane, I watched a traveler pull a diet Coke from the bin and thought about the struggle to source sweetener with the rise of COV-19. As I poured the dog food into the bowl for my pups, I wondered if I was going to have to switch kibble due to the looming issues of sourcing taurine—a health additive in many pet foods. MORE
In the 1980s, I had a flip phone. (On On the left, I share a picture for those that never experienced the evolution of the cellular phone.) The device was limited to voice/calls–no music, no text, and no apps. This device was a portable phone. MORE
When I was six, my mother volunteered me for a new polio vaccine trial. It was risky, but my determined mother took a chance. She believed in science and patted my shoulder reassuringly as I rolled up my sleeve. During my toddler years, polio fear gripped the nation. Mothers, anxious that children would catch the disease swimming, kept families secluded indoors in the sweltering heat in the days before air conditioning. MORE
This afternoon, I poured myself a cup of tea to pen congratulation emails to the Supply Chains to Admire award winners. This is the fun part of my job. MORE
Remember the Peter, Paul and Mary song, Puff the Magic Dragon ? It was a song from my youth. While there is a raging debate on song intent— Was the goal of the song to celebrate a children’s story from Oliver Wilde about the loss of innocence or is it a statement about the use of drugs? —in in this blog, I am going to rely on the account of the songwriter, that the song is a childhood story about a dragon that lived in Honalee. MORE
During August, I moved and I spent the weekend painting my new shed with gloppy, wet deck paint. As I methodically pivoted the roller to apply the stain, I made quite a mess. Standing in the hot sun covered in paint was a good time for reflection. MORE
I remember standing in the temperature screening queue in Doha. As the line wound around multiple stations, my backpack cut into my shoulders. I was tired and cranky as I read the overview of MERS. As an United States resident, I was blissfully unaware of this virus and worried about catching my flight to Singapore. My ignorance of a potential pandemic was low. Changing My Mental Model. MORE
I watch the news channels on mute. The reason? I hate political pundit debates. When the nonsensical banter reaches a crescendo, I shake my head and ask myself the question of “Why?” I wonder why people are listening. Fondly I remember the days of Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather with eye-witness accounts and on-the-ground reporting. Phenomenal photography brought the stories to life. In my lifetime, the 24-hour news cycle eroded the essence of TV news. News is the first write of history. MORE
For the past six years, I have spent my labor day weekend preparing for the Supply Chain Insights Global Summit. Next week, I will welcome over 100 participants to the annual event. The event is designed to Imagine Supply Chain 2030. The format of the conference is different than most. There are no vendor booths or paid speaking engagements. I handpick each of the speakers and work with industry leaders to develop content. MORE
At what point does erosion cause the side of a mountain to give way? It is usually the small shifts… over time, there is degradation. And, then suddenly, the mountain gives way collapsing to the land below. S&OP Slip Slidin’ Away. MORE
July is my birthday month. In the middle of busy travel, I made time for the annual physical. The reason? I know that early detection is the key to wellness. It is a familiar ritual. The nurse quickly assesses blood pressure, pulse, blood oxygen, height and weight. Lab work testing follows vital sign analysis. Only when the tests are complete, can I have a meaningful conversation with the physician about my health. MORE
My aged hand drapes the barre on the celebration of Global Ballet day. Dutifully, no matter how bad I performed in the last class, I return to the barre, extend my right hand and start a new class. There is a soothing familiarity to refine moves that defy my capabilities. MORE
It was not my goal; but by accident, it became my mission. MORE
Excellent firms don’t believe in excellence – only in constant improvement and constant change. Tom Peters. The idiom, rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, symbolizes working on something pointless or insignificant because it will soon be overtaken by events. After finishing the Supply Chains to Admire report and the Youtube series (to be released this week), this is my feeling. Here, in this blog, I explain. What Is Supply Chain Excellence? MORE
Supply Chain Shaman
SEPTEMBER 10, 2020
During August, I moved and I spent the weekend painting my new shed with gloppy, wet deck paint. As I methodically pivoted the roller to apply the stain, I made quite a mess. Standing in the hot sun covered in paint was a good time for reflection.
Supply Chain Shaman
APRIL 15, 2020
Today, I am reflective. My last post on the Supply Chain Shaman blog was forty-five days ago. I spent the month of March trying to help business leaders mitigate the impact of the pandemic. My first focus was on China sourcing.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Supply Chain Shaman
JULY 19, 2020
Excellent firms don’t believe in excellence – only in constant improvement and constant change. Tom Peters. The idiom, rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, symbolizes working on something pointless or insignificant because it will soon be overtaken by events. After finishing the Supply Chains to Admire report and the Youtube series (to be released this week), this is my feeling. Here, in this blog, I explain. What Is Supply Chain Excellence?
Supply Chain Shaman
AUGUST 24, 2020
In the 1980s, I had a flip phone. (On On the left, I share a picture for those that never experienced the evolution of the cellular phone.) The device was limited to voice/calls–no music, no text, and no apps. This device was a portable phone.
Supply Chain Shaman
JULY 6, 2020
This is a story for the Eds, Franks, and Toms working together in supply chains across the globe. It is also a story for a young supply chain manager attempting to make a difference, but feeling stymied. Sharing My Experience. The year was 1982.
.jpg)
|
Supply Chain Shaman
SEPTEMBER 3, 2018
It was not my goal; but by accident, it became my mission.
Supply Chain Shaman
FEBRUARY 5, 2020
At what point does erosion cause the side of a mountain to give way? It is usually the small shifts… over time, there is degradation. And, then suddenly, the mountain gives way collapsing to the land below. S&OP Slip Slidin’ Away.
Supply Chain Shaman
APRIL 30, 2020
My left arm hurts. I have been on a waiting list to get the shot for three years. This week, I rolled up my sleeve and got the Shingrix vaccine. Glaxo SmithKline introduced Shingrix in 2017, but shortages prevailed. I paused when the pharmacist asked, “Do you mind which arm gets the shot?” I replied, “Isn’t it all the same?” However, two hours after getting the shot, my arm throbbed and turned red. I now understood. Shingrex has side effects.
Supply Chain Shaman
JUNE 23, 2020
Grounded during this pandemic, and unable to interact with clients in person, I try to write 3,000 words a day. Morning after morning, fueled by good black coffee, I type away. I share insights, based on research, for the supply chain leader. I write for this blog, craft reports from research for our newsletters, create blogs for Linkedin, and build articles for Forbes. I am also developing a framework for my new book. Stay tuned.
Speaker: Trish Uhl, Founder of Owl's Ledge LLC and the Talent & Learning Analytics Leadership Forum
Digital is disrupting every part of an organization's value chain at a record pace, creating a critical need to transform operations and employees' ways of working. Formal training alone can't keep up; it's often too slow, too generic, inconvenient, inefficient, unduly expensive and lacks or lags methods for measuring business-related effectiveness. Trish Uhl show you how to start leveraging Learning Engineering, a multidisciplinary approach that combines modern technology, data analytics, decision science, learning sciences and change management with human-centered engineering design methodologies to ultimately deliver targeted learning outcomes and business results that keep pace with the business and merge learning into the flow of work and lead Digital Adoption.
|
Supply Chain Shaman
MARCH 9, 2020
As I flew to Dallas, I worked on this post. Before boarding the plane, I watched a traveler pull a diet Coke from the bin and thought about the struggle to source sweetener with the rise of COV-19. As I poured the dog food into the bowl for my pups, I wondered if I was going to have to switch kibble due to the looming issues of sourcing taurine—a health additive in many pet foods.
Supply Chain Shaman
OCTOBER 5, 2018
François-Régis Le Tourneau leads the efforts at L’Oreal for Standards & Prospective Process Improvement. At the Supply Chain Global Summit 2018 , Francois discussed the impact of digitalization, Industry 4.0,
Supply Chain Shaman
FEBRUARY 13, 2020
…the weekend is just around the corner. Happy Valentine’s Day to all my blog readers. This is my 440th blog post and the tenth anniversary Supply Chain Shaman. It seems hard to believe that I have been typing away over these years building an audience of over 20,000 global readers.
Supply Chain Shaman
AUGUST 12, 2020
On a cold Boston winter day, I slipped into my seat on a back row in a packed conference room at AMR Research. Heavily booked and running from meeting to meeting, I was late. As I squeezed into the middle seat of a crowded conference room, I got the stare. You know, the look of peers communicating the signal, you are late.) I struggled to manage myself as I settled in elbow-to-elbow with the group to listen to the presentation.
Speaker: Bhomik Jain, Paul van Nierop & Aanand Pandey
Companies around the world are struggling to cope with COVID-19 disruption. Are supply chain networks resilient enough to weather the storm? Watch this webinar to learn about our research findings in the realm of network design and optimization, and uncover the capabilities you need to build resilience and agility.
Supply Chain Shaman
DECEMBER 17, 2019
My aged hand drapes the barre on the celebration of Global Ballet day. Dutifully, no matter how bad I performed in the last class, I return to the barre, extend my right hand and start a new class. There is a soothing familiarity to refine moves that defy my capabilities.
Supply Chain Shaman
OCTOBER 4, 2018
90, then 80, followed by 76. The highway rolls ahead of me. There are endless mile markers. It is a long day. Today, I am cruising major freeways traveling from Chicago to my new home in Pennsylvania.
Supply Chain Shaman
JUNE 2, 2020
When I was six, my mother volunteered me for a new polio vaccine trial. It was risky, but my determined mother took a chance. She believed in science and patted my shoulder reassuringly as I rolled up my sleeve. During my toddler years, polio fear gripped the nation. Mothers, anxious that children would catch the disease swimming, kept families secluded indoors in the sweltering heat in the days before air conditioning.
Supply Chain Shaman
SEPTEMBER 13, 2016
The Supply Chain Insights Global Summit is over, but we hope the energy to define Supply Chain 2030 is just beginning. Our goal is to build a guiding coalition to think differently to improve outcomes. Today only 12% of supply chain teams are driving improvement, performing better than their competitors and driving value (as determined by Price to Tangible Book Value). As companies prepare for Supply Chain 2030, we think that it is time to rethink the basics.
Advertiser: ZoomInfo
Every sales forecasting model has a different strength and predictability method. It’s recommended to test out which one is best for your team. This way, you’ll be able to further enhance – and optimize – your newly-developed pipeline. Your future sales forecast? Sunny skies (and success) are just ahead!
Supply Chain Shaman
JUNE 12, 2020
Each day through the COVID-19 pandemic, I tune into Anthony Cuomo’s (governor of New York) daily briefings. It is my break in the day. As a multi-tasker, when Governor Cuomo broadcasts, I use the time to work out on my rowing machine. His opening line is, “Let’s start with facts. While we all have opinions, let’s start by reviewing the facts.” ” When he says this, I smile and row harder. I wish that all discussions could start with the facts. Reflection.
Supply Chain Shaman
JULY 22, 2019
I watch the news channels on mute. The reason? I hate political pundit debates. When the nonsensical banter reaches a crescendo, I shake my head and ask myself the question of “Why?” I wonder why people are listening. Fondly I remember the days of Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather with eye-witness accounts and on-the-ground reporting. Phenomenal photography brought the stories to life. In my lifetime, the 24-hour news cycle eroded the essence of TV news. News is the first write of history.
Supply Chain Shaman
JUNE 19, 2018
This afternoon, I poured myself a cup of tea to pen congratulation emails to the Supply Chains to Admire award winners. This is the fun part of my job.
Supply Chain Shaman
NOVEMBER 7, 2017
Inquiry is increasing. Company dissatisfaction with supply chain planning is growing. The goal is to improve insights while decreasing the number of planners. The growing dissatisfaction is on the inadequacies of today’s technologies. Yesterday, I facilitated a group of business leaders attempting to drive innovation in supply chain practices. The last five years were tough for the group.
Advertisement
Today's supply chains are networked, global ecosystems. An event upstream in a different country or region can cause considerable disruption downstream. The COVID-19 pandemic is an extreme example of how this unfolds in practice. How prepared are supply chain teams to react and recover, from a planning maturity stance? Download this report to get exclusive insights on planning maturity!
Supply Chain Shaman
AUGUST 7, 2019
July is my birthday month. In the middle of busy travel, I made time for the annual physical. The reason? I know that early detection is the key to wellness. It is a familiar ritual. The nurse quickly assesses blood pressure, pulse, blood oxygen, height and weight. Lab work testing follows vital sign analysis. Only when the tests are complete, can I have a meaningful conversation with the physician about my health.
Supply Chain Shaman
MARCH 5, 2019
We finished dinner. I pressed my neatly folded napkin to my lips. As we waited for coffee, silence hung heavy in the air. My client writhed in her seat and hung her head as she asked, “I read your article on control towers, but I am confused. What is an easy definition? I am embarrassed to ask, but we were discussing the topic at our board meeting yesterday, and I must admit that we have more confusion than clarity.”. I smiled. For me, this type discussion is the norm.
Supply Chain Shaman
SEPTEMBER 24, 2018
Yowza: Excitement or approval. Get a cup of coffee. This is a long post. <Bear <Bear with me… > Here I share a nine-step process in an attempt to help companies unravel the process for buying supply chain planning software. The genesis for this post stems from frustration.
Supply Chain Shaman
DECEMBER 4, 2019
Across from me, sits an empty chair. In fact, sadly, there are many empty chairs in the room. Five people canceled at the last minute due to travel restrictions. Today, I am facilitating the Network of Networks share group in Antwerp. The reason the seats are empty?
Advertiser: ZoomInfo
Sales enablement is the strategic process of providing sales teams with the content, guidance, and mentorship needed to engage targeted buyers. It’s all about equipping sales professionals with the tools they need to put their best-selling foot forward. And if sales teams want to continuously sell better -- and faster -- their sales enablement process must have a game-winning strategy. It's time for you to start selling smarter - and hitting your sales number - with the best B2B database in the market. Get started today.
Supply Chain Shaman
JUNE 24, 2018
“…the art of the possible, the attainable — the art of the next best” ? Otto von Bismarck. This morning I landed in Frankfurt. Keeping with my normal Sunday night ritual, I poured myself a cup of tea to pen my weekly post for the Supply Chain Shaman.
Supply Chain Shaman
JANUARY 9, 2019
Personalization. Market microsegmentation. New product launch. There are many good reasons to add items to product portfolios, but companies are better at adding than eliminating items. Discontinuing products is a struggle with tension between supply chain and marketing functions. Why is this an important topic? The lack of product rationalization results in the long tail of the supply chain with increasing complexity. Lumpy demand for product with low volume requires a supply chain redesign.
Supply Chain Shaman
SEPTEMBER 1, 2019
For the past six years, I have spent my labor day weekend preparing for the Supply Chain Insights Global Summit. Next week, I will welcome over 100 participants to the annual event. The event is designed to Imagine Supply Chain 2030. The format of the conference is different than most. There are no vendor booths or paid speaking engagements. I handpick each of the speakers and work with industry leaders to develop content.
Supply Chain Shaman
FEBRUARY 27, 2020
Remember the Peter, Paul and Mary song, Puff the Magic Dragon ? It was a song from my youth. While there is a raging debate on song intent— Was the goal of the song to celebrate a children’s story from Oliver Wilde about the loss of innocence or is it a statement about the use of drugs? —in in this blog, I am going to rely on the account of the songwriter, that the song is a childhood story about a dragon that lived in Honalee.
Speaker: Aanand Pandey, Supply Chain Analyst & Consultant, AIMMS
This short video explains how scenario modeling can help you improve supply chain resilience and your ability to respond and recover quickly from disruptions. Looking at scenarios side by side provides valuable insights that makes it easier to evaluate impact on your operations, ability to service customers and margin, and the best options to restart supply when supply lanes reopen.
340 
Let's personalize your content