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Supply Chain Resilience. Really?

Supply Chain Shaman

Today, I speak at the North American Manufacturing Association, Manufacturing Leadership Conference, in Nashville on the use of data to improve supply chain resilience. I am currently doing research on inventory management. In the research, I ask inventory planners to define resilience. Today, this is not the case.

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Supply Chain Performance Declined In the Last Decade. The Question is Why?

Supply Chain Shaman

Rise in Inventories. Less Effective at Inventory Management. Inventories grew twenty days over the decade. Yes, companies held more inventory (measured in days of inventory) in 2019 than at the start of the 2007 recession. Sadly, most of it is the wrong inventory. Despite spending 1.1% Alignment Barriers.

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Demand Planning: Whipped And Chained by Tradition

Supply Chain Shaman

If S&OP efforts were that effective, don’t you think that we would have made more progress against inventory levels, margin, and growth? The issues are largely rooted in politics and the lack of clarity on supply chain excellence. Or planned orders to purchase orders?) And how do we measure it? (Is I don’t know.

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Holding Ourselves Accountable for Business Results

Supply Chain Shaman

Orbit Chart of Four Industry Sectors at the Intersection of Operating Margin and Inventory Turns (Year-over-Year Averages for the Sector). Lack of Focus on Form & Function of Inventory and Designing Network Flows. As supply chains moved from regional to global, intransit and cycle inventories increased. Winners Over Time.

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Pushing the Supply Chain Reset Button

Supply Chain Shaman

Concurrent macro forces–material shortages, war, shifts in consumer buying patterns, logistics constraints, inflation/recession, and climate change– are reshaping today’s reality necessitating the need for a supply chain reset button. Focus on right-sizing inventories. These are our weakest links. What can be done?

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The Coffee Pot Conversation That Will Not Happen

Supply Chain Shaman

Gartner purchased the firm in 2010.) Driving Improvements in Supply Chain Excellence. He felt strongly that supply chain leaders knew how to drive supply chain excellence and needed a forum– or maybe two or three depending on the business model– to help them network and refine their approaches. I disagreed.

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SanDisk’s Story of Customer Segmentation Strategies Using Inventory Postponement

Supply Chain Shaman

During the year, I go to a lot of conferences. How do they buy from you? How do they buy from you?” When I hear them at a conference, I squirm uncontrollably in my seat. Platitude: a flat, dull, or trite remark, especially one uttered as if it were fresh or profound. Source: Dictionary.com. This makes me yawn.