Supply Chain Shaman

MAY 12, 2025

Form and socialize your own hierarchy of metrics. Design your supply chain with a focus on the form and function of inventory. Here is the metrics framework that I am using at present in my outside-in classes. For example, don’t focus on forecast error.

Modeling 221

Modeling Waste Reduction Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software 221

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 14, 2014

I think about this discussion with Keith often as I work on the Supply Chain Index and edit the chapters of Metrics That Matter. In Figure 1, I share a composite orbit chart of progress of Cisco Systems, Intel, Samsung and Flextronics on the Effective Frontier at the intersection of inventory turns and operating margin for 2006-2012.

Manufacturing Procurement 345

Manufacturing Procurement Optimal Sourcing Procurement Analytics Modeling 345

ToolsGroup

MAY 8, 2025

Most S&OP efforts break down due to disconnected systems, siloed data, and a lack of cross-functional engagement. According to Gartner , early stages of S&OP maturity often lack formal processes, metrics, and cross-functional participation. Some organizations do collaboration well. Others excel at modeling and optimization.

Inventory Reduction 156

Inventory Reduction Price Reduction Cost Reduction Strategies Supply Chain Planning Software 156

Supply Chain Shaman

JULY 12, 2013

Focus the organization on understanding the “probability and patterns of demand” and how to design push/pull decoupling points, supplier networks and inventory buffers to improve agility (focusing on form and function of inventory in the supply chain). Next week, I will be writing on my new book Metrics That Matter.

Supply Chain Design Software 322

Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software Modeling Modeling Software 322

GlobalTranz

NOVEMBER 17, 2016

Supply chain leaders are enthralled with the idea of using big data, but they tend to fail to understand how to disseminate big data in their organization properly. Ask Traditional Questions, and Let Big Data Provide Answers. Inventory location and management. However, the fundamental problem remains.

Supply Chain Design Software 120

Supply Chain Design Software Big Data Supply Chain Software Continuous Improvement 120

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 16, 2014

Despite two decades of advancement in supply chain technologies, companies are struggling to gain balance at the intersection of operating margin, inventory turns and case fulfillment. I have learned that supply chain systems are more complex than I originally thought, and that the relationships between supply chain metrics are nonlinear.

Supply Chain Design Software 319

Supply Chain Design Software Network Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Network Software 319

The Network Effect

JUNE 11, 2014

In part one I laid out the 5 stage maturity model that shows how organizations can turn their “big data” into “big visibility” The stages are 1) Representation; 2) Accessibility; 3) Intelligence; 4) Decision Management; 5) Outcome-Based Metrics and Performance.

Supply Chain Design Software 194

Supply Chain Design Software Agile and Lean Supply Chain Supply Chain Design Prescriptive Analytics Software 194

Logility

FEBRUARY 23, 2021

In addition, they wanted to incorporate the inventories from their parts suppliers and their geographic locations so they could minimize empty return-trip trucks and duplicate runs, as well as minimize the inventory that they had to keep on hand in their distribution centers while knowing which suppliers had what parts in stock.

Inventory Reduction 134

Inventory Reduction Inventory Logility Logistics Network Optimization Software 134

Supply Chain Brain

JUNE 17, 2025

Humans will still be very much in the picture, he argued, but one of the most important elements in the relationship between human and machine will continue to be trust.

Supply Chain Planning Software 100

Supply Chain Planning Software Optimal Sourcing Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Software 100

Supply Chain Shaman

APRIL 1, 2015

I am speaking this morning at the Terra Technology conference and doing a book signing of my new book, Supply Chain Metrics That Matter. In parallel, I have been hard at work on a report on multi-tier inventory optimization for the last two weeks. It is morning in Orlando. The sun is rising. This inbound news adds to the story.

Supply Chain Design Software 150

Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software Network Design Software Optimization Software 150

Supply Chain Shaman

FEBRUARY 1, 2024

Optimization engines to improve functional metric performance resulted in an exploding number of planners. Rolling up a perpetual inventory signal takes eleven hours. The company was working on improving real-time ATP without consideration of the data synchronization issues. days to get a perpetual inventory signal and 2.2

Supply Chain Planning Software 392

Supply Chain Planning Software Optimal Sourcing Manufacturing Procurement Waste Reduction 392

Logistics Viewpoints

MARCH 9, 2023

CPG companies that utilize an autonomous supply chain technology see a reduction in their inventory and cost and an increase in revenue. Big data is used to understand a customer’s propensity to buy, the tendency to return, conversion of clicks to orders, demand sensing signals, individualized promotions, etc.

Supply Chain Planning Software 282

Supply Chain Planning Software Modeling Forecasting Software Optimization Software 282

Ware2Go

MARCH 27, 2025

Inventory shrinkage happens when your merchandise gets damaged or goes missing in a warehouse or in transit. Then, we’ll get into how the right technology and the right partnerships can safeguard your business against inventory shrinkage. What Is Inventory Shrinkage? billion in losses across the fiscal year.

Inventory Reduction 52

Inventory Reduction Inventory Cost Reduction Strategies Price Reduction 52

Unleashed

FEBRUARY 20, 2020

For smaller businesses just starting out, they may not have adequate resources to capture this information — and managers may not know what metrics to look out for. In this article, we explore what big data is and its benefits for small businesses, from tracking sales trends to keeping an eye on competitors. What is big data?

Big Data 80

Big Data Data Inventory Management Software Supply Chain Software 80

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 13, 2017

If the arrow is red, the industry is moving backwards on a metric. The industry made progress on revenue/employee, but struggled on growth, margin, inventory turns. Companies, based on culture, tend to focus on singular metrics. If the arrow is green, progress was made. Is this because this value chain is a laggard? Stay tuned.

Supply Chain Planning Software 0

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Software Supply Chain Planning Supply Chain 0

GlobalTranz

OCTOBER 2, 2017

Last mile delays and problems during delivery can eat away at fuel costs and seriously devalue a brand, but shippers Fan leverage technology, such as Big Data, to make small changes and improvements to last mile logistics processes. Be Consumer-Centric. An effective last mile logistics strategy must be focused on consumer needs.

Inventory Reduction 500

Inventory Reduction Cost Reduction Strategies Logistics Network Optimization Software Supply Chain Strategy 500

Supply Chain Brain

JUNE 9, 2025

Supply Chain Finance & Revenue Management Digital Edition SupplyChainBrain 2025 ESG Guide: Is ESG Still Relevant?

Canada 98

Canada Optimal Sourcing Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software 98

Supply Chain Shaman

JULY 3, 2017

It is hard work to maintain the status quo in metrics performance. A balanced portfolio of metrics delivers the greatest value. As a result, supply chain leaders focus on unrealistic goals of inventory or costs, they will throw the system out of balance. Companies balance supply chain metrics better in good times than bad.

Inventory Reduction 199

Inventory Reduction Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Cost Reduction Strategies 199

GlobalTranz

DECEMBER 27, 2017

This year, most were interesting in supply chain optimization - from distribution to inventory management - and Key Performance Indicators. Download: The Impact of Big Data in the Supply Chain & Transportation Management Industry Webinar Replay, Transcript & Presentation. The Top 10 Supply Chain Blog Posts from 2017.

Supply Chain Software 197

Supply Chain Software Supply Chain Optimization Optimal Sourcing Supply Chain Strategy 197

Supply Chain Shaman

OCTOBER 11, 2023

We speak about the need to move from a functional understanding to a global, holistic capabilities, but the traditional supply chain leader defines bonus incentives and process performance goals based on functional metrics. Measurement. Organizations speak of the bullwhip, but don’t measure it or monitor the effects.

Supply Chain Planning Software 417

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Software Forecasting Software Supply Chain Network Software 417

Supply Chain Shaman

SEPTEMBER 4, 2017

Over the course of the last quarter, with the help from Cloudera, we built a data lake of with data from 1449 public companies. We loaded 493 financial metrics from balance sheets and income statements for each company into the data lake for the period of 2004-2016 using YCharts data.

Supply Chain Planning Software 191

Supply Chain Planning Software Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Planning Supply Chain Software 191

GlobalTranz

AUGUST 31, 2018

Using New Technology for Maximizing Warehouse Space Is the Solution New technologies and warehouse automation are poised to enable warehouse managers to increase inventory without necessarily increasing space. Robotics can also be used to move large inventory, taking advantage of vertical space without sacrificing worker safety.

Supply Chain Design Software 149

Supply Chain Design Software Warehousing Analytics Software Forecasting Software 149

GlobalTranz

NOVEMBER 21, 2017

Obstacles to fully utilizing analytics included inaccurate data , cost, and lack of timely data. for example, used predictive analytics to make changes in their inventory processes and have since seen an increase in their production and purchase orders. But the benefits far outweigh the challenges. Hanesbrand Inc. ,

Analytics Software 237

Analytics Software Procurement Analytics Agile and Lean Supply Chain Modeling Software 237

Logistics Viewpoints

MARCH 27, 2023

As demand forecasting accuracy increases, and the standard deviation associated with the forecast decreases, the need to hold “just in case” inventory also goes down. This leads to lower inventory carrying costs and thus better case flow. Demand forecasting should be tightly integrated to an inventory optimization application.

Forecasting 271

Forecasting Forecasting Software Modeling Optimal Sourcing 271

Logility

MAY 7, 2020

Figure 1: Demystifying Data Units. Embracing big data brings the promise of reduced costs, improved customer service, reduced risk and the ability to capture new opportunities. However, capturing the data you need is just the start of the journey. Figure 2: Results Achieved Using Big Data Analytics.

Supply Chain Planning Software 195

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Planning Supply Chain Software Scenario Planning 195

GlobalTranz

DECEMBER 29, 2014

Warehouse Metrics to Track to Improve Profitability and Operations : Today’s warehouse managers often accrue massive amounts of performance data, but sometimes find they can apply little of it toward making productivity gains or customer service improvements. Download the Webinar Replay. Read the Full Post. Read the Full Post.

Logistics Network Optimization Software 321

Logistics Network Optimization Software Reverse Logistics Manufacturing Procurement Logistics 321

Supply Chain Brain

JUNE 20, 2025

Advertise Contact Us Supplier Directory SCB YouTube About Us Login Subscribe Logout My Profile LOGISTICS Air Cargo All Logistics Facility Location Planning Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage Global Gateways Global Logistics Last Mile Delivery Logistics Outsourcing LTL/Truckload Services Ocean Transportation Parcel & Express Rail & Intermodal (..)

Logistics Network Optimization Software 85

Logistics Network Optimization Software Optimal Sourcing Israel Supply Chain Planning Software 85

Supply Chain Shaman

JANUARY 22, 2013

Buzz words filled the air at the NRF Big Show, held at the Javitz Convention Center in New York last week. Words like big data, omni-channel fulfillment, smarter commerce, mobility and customer-centric retail filled the room. Multiple channels are competing for inventory and this requires a new form of interoperability.

Supply Chain Design Software 257

Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Network Software Analytics Software Modeling Software 257

EazyStock

OCTOBER 10, 2018

Big data is a term used to describe a massive volume of both structured and unstructured data that’s too large to be processed using traditional database and software techniques. In most enterprise scenarios, the volume of data is too big, moves too fast and exceeds processing capacity of existing applications.

Inventory Management Software 45

Inventory Management Software Big Data Inventory Management Supply Chain Planning Software 45

Supply Chain Brain

JUNE 17, 2025

Advertise Contact Us Supplier Directory SCB YouTube About Us Login Subscribe Logout My Profile LOGISTICS Air Cargo All Logistics Facility Location Planning Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage Global Gateways Global Logistics Last Mile Delivery Logistics Outsourcing LTL/Truckload Services Ocean Transportation Parcel & Express Rail & Intermodal (..)

Rail Software 91

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

Logistics Viewpoints

JULY 19, 2021

But then executives may ask for higher sales or margins, or lower stock if key financial metrics are not being met. This is a Big Data problem to which they apply machine learning. Much of these savings have resulted from carrying 20% less inventory – and less working capital – while still meeting projected demand.

Supply Chain Planning Software 284

Supply Chain Planning Software Scenario Planning Supply Chain Planning Negotiating Skills 284

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 29, 2015

In our research for the book Supply Chain Metrics That Matter , we find that this is the case for 90% of companies. While companies want to improve costs and inventory, most are going backwards. While many consultants will wave their hands and promise improvements in costs and inventory through projects, take pause.

Supply Chain Design Software 150

Supply Chain Design Software Inventory Reduction Supply Chain Planning Software S&OP 150

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 21, 2014

I also think that Quintiq’s leadership in concurrent planning to solve new problems is promising, especially in the design of transportation and inventory flows. Service level is our most important metric. Reliability in both of these metrics is critical. Interview of a Supply Chain Leader: Redesigning for Value.

Case Study 282

Case Study Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design 282

Supply Chain Shaman

AUGUST 2, 2017

Metrics Definition. The organization needs to be clear on the Metrics That Matter and the alignment of vertical silos’ metrics to the balanced portfolio. Forecasting hierarchies need to roll up to define business requirements, and inventory needs to be reported by form and function. Form and Function of Inventory.

S&OP 186

S&OP Supply and Demand Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software 186

Logility

FEBRUARY 26, 2020

Accurate forecasts help minimize inventory, maximize production efficiency, streamline purchasing, optimize distribution, maximize customer service, ensure confidence in company financial projections. Without clean, consistent data, demand planners will struggle to create accurate forecasts. The Rise of AI and Automation.

Forecasting 162

Forecasting Forecasting Software Optimal Sourcing Supply and Demand 162

Supply Chain Shaman

NOVEMBER 28, 2016

Over the period of 2009-2015, only 88% of companies made improvement on the Supply Chain Metrics That Matter. (As As a group, these metrics have the highest correlation to market capitalization. They include growth, inventory turns, operating margin and Return on Invested Capital (ROIC)). Inventory Turns. Improvement.

Supply Chain Design Software 195

Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software Agile and Lean Supply Chain Supply Chain Software 195

ToolsGroup

JULY 10, 2018

It often employs statistical metrics like MAPE (mean average percentage error), which has hit a wall in recent years due to increased demand volatility and this approach's mostly backward-facing nature. Demand signals can include downstream demand such as “sell out” or POS data and downstream inventory levels. Demand Planning.

Supply and Demand 192

Supply and Demand Demand Planning Software Forecasting Forecasting Software 192