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. As I squeezed into the middle seat of a crowded conference room, I got the stare. When Gartner purchased AMR Research in December 2009, the methodology became the Gartner Supply Chain Top 25. The reason?

Gartner 243

Gartner Supply Chain Software Procurement Analytics Manufacturing Procurement 243

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 7, 2021

AMR Research was an industry analyst firm in Boston. Gartner purchased the firm in 2010.) My desire was to make the rankings of the Top 25 supply chain report data-driven based on balance sheet results. When companies were growing, I also discovered that the cost and inventory metrics better aligned with peers.

Gartner 198

Gartner Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software Eliminating Excel in Purchasing 198

Supply Chain Matters

DECEMBER 20, 2023

The product announcement was made in conjunction with the Amazon AWS re:Invent conference held in 2022. The data is then layered with machine-learning based analytics, reportedly based on Amazon’s noted nearly 30 years of supply chain experience in extracting data from ERP and specialty supply chain applications.

Supply Chain Planning Software 59

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Modeling Supply Chain Planning 59

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 29, 2014

This week, I spoke at the Llamasoft Summercon Conference. The conference was low-key. They came to Boston to tell us the story of Llamasoft. We laughed, and felt a bit silly, leaving the conference room holding our new furry tchotchkes. I smiled as I began to present the story of the “Metrics that Matter.”

Supply Chain Design Software 268

Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Design Network Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software 268

Enterra Insights

FEBRUARY 26, 2019

Jennifer Overstreet, Director of Digital Content at the National Retail Federation, reports Li & Fung, CEO Spencer Fung, told participants at a 2018 NRF conference, “The supply chain will become faster, digital and more innovative. Predictive Analytics. 3D Printing and On Demand, Additive Manufacturing.

Supply Chain Planning Software 100

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Software Demand Planning Software Supply Chain Strategy 100

Supply Chain Shaman

AUGUST 26, 2015

Many organizations will play the shell game of reporting forecast error so that the numbers look better: either calculating the forecast at a higher level in the forecast hierarchy (not at the item level) or reporting the data as a Weighted Mean Absolute Error. It was a cold, crisp winter in Boston.

Supply and Demand 150

Supply and Demand Forecasting Modeling Forecasting Software 150

Supply Chain Shaman

FEBRUARY 25, 2016

Dear Supply Chain Leader, Today, sitting in my seat in 11K on a Cathay Pacific flight between Hong Kong and Boston, I want to report that there is no Easter Bunny. Today I also want to report that, based on over a decade of scientific discovery, traditional supply chain practices are not best practices. Sorry to break the news.

Supply and Demand 150

Supply and Demand Prescriptive Analytics Software Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software 150