Supply Chain Brain

JUNE 22, 2025

Bowman, SupplyChainBrain In the rush to adjust sourcing strategies in line with current trends in international trade, the answer might be to think small. manufacturers have spent the last few decades consolidating production at gigantic offshore plants, especially in China. It could even entail some degree of domestic production.

Manufacturing Procurement 76

Manufacturing Procurement Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Design Optimal Sourcing 76

ToolsGroup

SEPTEMBER 30, 2024

This sector is driven by several factors, including the ageing vehicle population, the rise of e-commerce platforms , and technological advancements in vehicle manufacturing. Moreover, the proliferation of e-commerce is reshaping how aftermarket products are purchased.

Manufacturing Procurement 156

Manufacturing Procurement Optimization Software Supply Chain Planning Software ToolsGroup 156

The Logistics of Logistics

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023

Paul is the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Verusen , a supply chain intelligence platform, purpose-built to help manufacturers streamline their MRO supply and materials management. For manufacturers: Optimizes inventory and harmonizes data to reduce costs, improve visibility, and make better sourcing decisions.

Optimal Sourcing 299

Optimal Sourcing Material Savings Sourcing Strategies Inventory Reduction 299

Supply Chain Shaman

DECEMBER 7, 2023

Today, I speak at the North American Manufacturing Association, Manufacturing Leadership Conference, in Nashville on the use of data to improve supply chain resilience. Interestingly, in Q3 2023, 38% of manufacturers, distributors and retailers missed their target for revenue guidance for the quarter. The result was restatement.

Supply Chain Design Software 395

Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software Modeling Supply Chain Software 395

Logistics Viewpoints

AUGUST 9, 2022

While consumers may see some short-term benefit in the form of discounted goods, many retailers have had to reset investor expectations , reflecting the expected hit on margins from carrying so much inventory. Inventory management is challenging enough in normal times. So, what is it going to take to enable better inventory management?

Inventory Management Software 261

Inventory Management Software Inventory Management Inventory Reduction Supply Chain Planning Software 261

Logistics Viewpoints

APRIL 2, 2025

Companies that previously prioritized cost-cutting and centralized sourcing quickly found themselves exposed to serious production and distribution risks. In response, many organizations have shifted toward decentralized and regionalized supply chain models, distributing production and sourcing across multiple regions.

Modeling 165

Modeling Modeling Software Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software 165

Supply Chain Shaman

MAY 31, 2014

Manufacturing teams used to manage the supply chain group. Today, in most organizations, the supply chain team manages manufacturing. The irony is that fewer and fewer people within the supply chain team understand manufacturing. Instead, many of these teams just accept manufacturing strategy as a constant.

Supply Chain Planning Software 299

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Manufacturing Procurement Supply and Demand 299

o9 Solutions

JUNE 9, 2025

Instead of high-level frameworks, attendees heard directly from global manufacturers including RHI Magnesita, Teleflex, and Marelli. Following a successful pilot in North America, RHI Magnesita expanded the rollout to Europe. The agenda prioritized outcomes over abstraction.

Manufacturing Procurement 52

Manufacturing Procurement Europe Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software 52

Logistics Viewpoints

DECEMBER 12, 2022

This manufacturer produces plastic reusable material handling containers and plastic fuel tanks. The Company operates eighteen manufacturing facilities, nine distribution centers located throughout North and Central America. Mr. Baker spent over 34 years leading procurement teams at The Dow Chemical Company.

Supply Chain Planning Software 261

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Planning Procurement Solutions Manufacturing Procurement 261

QAD

MARCH 31, 2020

It’s a niche industry, but also one of the cornerstones of discrete parts manufacturing. They’re complex machines assembled from thousands of parts, many purchased from highly specialized manufacturers. Inevitably, the procurement process is complex and challenging to manage. Purchasing for Complex Products.

Manufacturing Procurement 140

Manufacturing Procurement Procurement Solutions Optimal Sourcing Procurement 140

Logistics Viewpoints

JUNE 20, 2022

Mr. Bailey has worked most of his career at VF – as an industrial engineer in facilities, in strategic sourcing, running offshore operations, and now as the person in charge of the company’s entire supply chain. VFC’s supply chain sourced over 410 million units of apparel, footwear, and accessories in their last fiscal year.

Agile and Lean Supply Chain 274

Agile and Lean Supply Chain Supply Chain Planning Software Manufacturing Procurement Supply Chain Software 274

GlobalTranz

JANUARY 7, 2016

Editor's Note: This is a two part series featuring Chuck Intrieri, who along with providing excellent insights over at his industry leading The Lean Supply Chain blog, is also a consultant who works with companies for Cost Reduction, Supply Chain Optimization, Logistics, Manufacturing, and 3PL Selection. What is Manufacturing?

Manufacturing Procurement 120

Manufacturing Procurement Manufacturing Eliminating Excel in Purchasing Purchasing Skills 120

Logistics Viewpoints

MARCH 8, 2021

Frasquet is the executive director of corporate procurement, although his responsibilities include a much broader set of supply chain responsibilities than just sourcing. Belcorp Corporation, headquartered in Peru, manufactures cosmetics and personal care products for women in 14 nations across South and Central America.

Supply Chain Design Software 318

Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Transformation Modeling 318

Logistics Viewpoints

MARCH 9, 2023

Commerce is global and regional at the same time, the world is getting smaller and more interconnected, and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) manufacturers operate in this build-anywhere and sell-anywhere market. Here we have compiled a list of the top six challenges that CPG companies face in the post-pandemic market.

Supply Chain Planning Software 283

Supply Chain Planning Software Modeling Forecasting Software Optimization Software 283

Logistics Viewpoints

NOVEMBER 17, 2022

This shortage and sudden uptick in demand weren’t something that most can manufacturers were prepared for. The deepening power crisis has already taken 900,000 tons of smelting capacity offline in North America and Europe. Many breweries were also reported to be paying premiums to purchase cans just to meet their immediate needs.

Packaging 293

Packaging Food Manufacturing Procurement GEP 293

ToolsGroup

APRIL 13, 2020

McDonald’s Mesoamérica, like restaurant operations around the world, experienced a significant change in demand as the Coronavirus supply chain effects spread through Latin America. If you do the math there, you have to make 748,000 inventory decisions per month. Decisions were made within 24 hours. We had to close within one day.

Supply Chain Planning Software 296

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Software Forecasting Software Supply Chain Optimization 296

Supply Chain Brain

JUNE 17, 2025

That includes everything from raw materials and manufacturing to packaging and logistics. In North America, 81% of consumers said they would stop buying products from brands they learned were harming the environment. Known as Scope 3 emissions, these are also the most difficult to measure and manage. Retailers are following suit.

Rail Software 91

Rail Software Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Software 91

Logistics Bureau

JANUARY 14, 2025

The explosion in globalisation, and corresponding reduction in transport availability over the last decade or so, have together kiboshed some of the factors which once fueled a steady growth in offshore manufacture and procurement. Indirectly, the rest of the world benefits too.

Cost Reduction Strategies 75

Cost Reduction Strategies Manufacturing Procurement Transportation Material Savings 75

Cathy Roberson

MAY 11, 2025

Reported April 24 Over 60% of our business is from products that are manufactured, bagged, assembled or grown in the United States and only 12% of our business is direct imports. Recall, we purchased targeted additional inventory in late fiscal '25 and early fiscal '26, ahead of tariffs. billion to $1.6 Christopher J.

Manufacturing Procurement 75

Manufacturing Procurement Purchasing Skills Retail Inventory Reduction 75

Logistics Viewpoints

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

Department of Transportation, which has selected 37 projects to be given funds made available by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s (BIL) Mega Program and the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) Grant Program. Multiple members of the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) were the recipients of the funds.

Cost Reduction Strategies 301

Cost Reduction Strategies Inventory Reduction Logistics Network Optimization Software Manufacturing Procurement 301

Logistics Viewpoints

MARCH 21, 2021

AGCO is an agricultural equipment manufacturer. When a supply chain disruption occurs, it is not uncommon for complex equipment and automotive manufacturers to have different plants in their company fight each other for the same components. AGCO Logistics Team Accepts Prestigious Supply Chain Award. We never had that before.”

Supply Chain Design Software 317

Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Software Modeling 317

Supply Chain Shaman

DECEMBER 12, 2024

In parallel, PE/venture capitalists purchased/consolidated network solutions, slashing R&D and delaying investment, reducing industry capabilities. In 2001, China joined the World Trade Organization, increasing access to China as both a channel and a supply source. Inventory Management. Take two actions.

Supply Chain Planning Software 195

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Manufacturing Procurement Supply Chain Design 195

Supply Chain Shaman

SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

Source Wikipedia. Consumers became more loyal to retail brands, and retailers increased the number of products manufactured and marketed as house brands. Current State of Perpetual Inventory. Replenishment is fueled by an effective perpetual inventory signal. Collaborative relationships need a good signal for inventory.

Optimal Sourcing 353

Optimal Sourcing Forecasting Forecasting Software Supply Chain Network Software 353

Supply Chain Shaman

JANUARY 8, 2014

He is responsible for manufacturing, procurement, supply chain planning, logistics, quality, social responsibility and final product engineering. Prior to joining Starbucks, he worked at the executive leadership level in Europe, Latin America and North America at ICI, a global chemical company. What have you learned?

Procurement Analytics 279

Procurement Analytics Manufacturing Procurement Metrics Procurement Solutions 279

Logistics Viewpoints

AUGUST 22, 2023

The paradigm is shifting from foundational visibility to real-time decision-making, with positive implications for supply chain teams spanning sourcing & procurement, to production, to yard & DC operations and beyond. Why is this shift such a big deal? We don’t have to think back very far. Lesson learned.

Real-time Visibility 246

Real-time Visibility Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Software 246

ThroughPut

APRIL 17, 2025

As companies across North America and Europe reconfigure their supply chains to reduce dependency on overseas operations in the wake of recently announced tariffs, there is a growing need for fully transparent, granular, and holistic visibility into manufacturing and supply chain operations as a whole. ThroughPut.AI

Optimal Sourcing 52

Optimal Sourcing Inventory Reduction Supply Chain Optimization Supply Chain Visibility 52

Supply Chain Game Changer

JUNE 25, 2025

Across partners, objectives for delivering on-time and in-full can also be at cross purposes with keeping costs low, both from an inventory carrying perspective, as well as from a logistical perspective. While it helps companies become more cross-connected, the approach is also manual and tedious. Bad news travels slow. Or so we thought.

Supply Chain Planning Software 94

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Software Optimization Software 94

ToolsGroup

DECEMBER 16, 2019

BOSTON (December 13, 2019) ToolsGroup, a leader a global leader in supply chain planning software, has been named a leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Supply Chain Inventory Optimization 2019 Vendor Assessment. Our customers overcome demand volatility and supply chain complexity for outstanding service levels with reduced inventory.

Optimal Sourcing 31

Optimal Sourcing ToolsGroup Modeling Supply Chain Optimization 31

Logistics Viewpoints

MARCH 29, 2021

Run” will include using the platform for inventory optimization and to support interesting internet-of-things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) projects. HarbisonWalker International Manufactures and Distributes Refractory Products. The sourcing centers are key to just-in-time, same-day, next-day deliveries.

Optimal Sourcing 191

Optimal Sourcing Innovation Manufacturing Procurement Supply Chain Planning Software 191

Logistics Viewpoints

OCTOBER 20, 2021

These retailers are making sure that consumers know what inventory is available so they can shop to match their needs rather than buying something that is simply available. The key is to make sure all the costs are transparent up front during the purchasing process. Are charges known at time of purchase? Industry Trends.

Supply Chain Network Software 246

Supply Chain Network Software Logistics Network Optimization Software Demand Planning Software Supply Chain Software 246

Logistics Viewpoints

JUNE 28, 2024

The company said that it has already replaced 95 percent of the plastic air pillows with paper filler in North America and is working toward complete removal by year’s end. It is the company’s largest plastic packaging reduction effort in North America to date and will remove almost 15 billion plastic air pillows from use annually.

Logistics Network Optimization Software 285

Logistics Network Optimization Software Waste Reduction Logistics Price Reduction 285

Supply Chain Shaman

SEPTEMBER 24, 2017

In manufacturing-based companies, 70-80% of costs are in the processes of source, make and deliver. While the practices of finance are over 200 years old, in contrast, supply chain as a cross-functional practice (the combination of make, source and deliver) was recently defined in 1982. Is talent a cost or an asset? Talent Gaps.

Cost Reduction Strategies 262

Cost Reduction Strategies Inventory Reduction Resource Reduction Manufacturing Procurement 262

QAD

FEBRUARY 28, 2019

But what if every pizza shop in America all of a sudden asked a single pizza oven manufacturer to build and ship an extra oven per shop? How does a manufacturer organize operations to meet unexpected demand shifts without creating inefficiency for the rest of the year? But inventory is expensive. Technology Solutions.

Manufacturing Procurement 100

Manufacturing Procurement Analytics Software Predictive Analytics Software Supply Chain Planning Software 100

Logistics Viewpoints

JULY 31, 2023

This multinational operates 280 factories and 500 warehouses, that source raw materials from 52,000 suppliers in over 150 countries, processes 25 million customer orders annually, that are then shipped to customers in over 190 nations. It was believed a SCP transformation would reduce inventory, improve service and free up cash flow.

Inventory Reduction 242

Inventory Reduction Supply Chain Planning Software North America Material Savings 242

Logistics Viewpoints

SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

Raw materials are in short supply, many manufacturers have temporarily mothballed production lines, transportation costs are rising, and labor is getting tight on our roadways , railways and ocean vessels. Until we have this kind of pervasive visibility, inventory management will continue to be largely an exercise in futility.

Rail Software 246

Rail Software Real-time Visibility Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software 246

Logistics Viewpoints

APRIL 29, 2022

Amazon announces new changes to inventory limits. Bank of America sounding the alarm on collapsing freight demand. It includes free shipping of online purchases, free grocery deliveries to the home for orders of at least $35, prescription discounts and other benefits. Canada’s Walmart tries ring scanners.

Logistics Network Optimization Software 245

Logistics Network Optimization Software New York City Logistics Inventory Reduction 245

Supply Chain Shaman

JANUARY 9, 2024

Nvidia, Northrup Grumman, PACCAR Inc, PCA (Packaging Corporation of America), ResMed, Rockwell Automation, Ross Stores, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) Company, Tempur-Pedic, TJX, Toro, Toyota, West Pharma, United Tractors, and Urban Outfitters. An average margin of 21% with inventory turns of 1.58

Supply Chain Planning Software 386

Supply Chain Planning Software Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Planning Gartner 386