May, 2018

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Changing Supply Chains One Block at a Time

Enterra Insights

There has been a lot written about blockchain technology this past year as people realize its potential goes far beyond use in cryptocurrencies. When it comes to the technology, both the blocks and the chain are important. Shanmugasundaram Murugesan, Associate Director of Happiest Minds Technologies, explains, “Blockchain technology is all about tracking a transaction from the start until the end, and all the nodes in the network register and update themselves with the status of transactio

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Start Managing Your Inbound Freight More Effectively Today

Talking Logistics

It’s time to make inbound freight a priority and begin reaping the benefits of a program that creates win-win rewards for all supply chain partners. Frequently overlooked and often pushed to the bottom of a shipper’s supply chain agenda, good inbound freight management can help companies improve shipment visibility, save money, and enhance customer service—all of which add to the bottom line and boost profitability.

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Tesla’s Supply Chain is Broken

Logistics Viewpoints

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk dodged questions from financial analysts about the electric car maker’s condition last week on its earnings conference call. Musk refused to answer questions on Tesla’s capital requirements, saying “boring questions are not cool.” The Business Insider reports that Cowen analyst Jeffrey Osborne dubbed Wednesday’s call, in which Musk talked of “barnacles, flufferbots, and bonehead bears,” surreal.

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What does GDPR mean for your supply chain?

Kinaxis

by Nazli Erdogus The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the most important change in personal data privacy regulation in 20 years. It’s aimed at tech giants and small and medium enterprises alike. As we count down the days until the GDPR enters into force on May 25, it’s important to recognize how your supply chain is affected and how it can become GDPR compliant.

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Speeding Robotics Automation with AI

The $53 trillion manufacturing economy in the US is undergoing a major automation paradigm shift due to Artificial Intelligence (AI). Thanks to new practical frameworks, automation projects that were once impossible or inefficient to implement are now being fast-tracked, and robotics automation is becoming increasingly relevant to a growing number of users and scenarios.

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Is your supply chain not performing the way you designed it to?

Kinaxis

by Alexa Cheater Reality doesn’t always reflect your intended supply chain design. Closing the gap between how you designed your supply chain to work, and how it’s actually performing improves your ability to predict revenues, satisfy customer demands and maximize financial performance. Just look at assumed lead times. When assumptions don’t reflect the as-demonstrated state, there are big impacts on crucial metrics like revenue-at-risk, customer satisfaction and inventory costs.

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The Most Common Supply Chain Fallacies

Logistics Viewpoints

This article describes the five most common fallacies surrounding supply chain management. Some of these are fallacies that have been around a long time and never seem to go away. Others are more recent in origin. The post The Most Common Supply Chain Fallacies appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints.

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Is Seamless OmniChannel Possible? How to Avoid Supply Chain Technology Hiccups

GlobalTranz

Omni-channel sales strategies have become essential to companies trying to keep up with Amazon and major retailers. Unfortunately, a lack of understanding in omnichannel supply chains has also led many companies to experience extreme issues in delivering on their promises. In addition, some may feel that growing into a seamless omnichannel sales strategy is impossible without supply chain technology hiccups, but that is not true.

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IoT Inspired Smart Warehouses Are Reinventing Inventory Management

GlobalTranz

Everything is connected to the internet, including consumer and industrial devices and systems. The internet allows for unlimited scalability and boosted efficiency in warehouse inventory management. The so-called “smart warehouse” takes advantage of these defining factors by connecting systems to streamline inventory management and overall productivity.

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From import tariffs to the next tsunami: how Prescriptive Analytics can help you build agility and resilience into your Supply Chain Network

AIMMS

In a world full of turmoil, change has become the new normal. New import tariffs being introduced across the globe, extreme weather events, Brexit… The list goes on and on. What can Supply Chain leaders do to mitigate the risks that these disruptions bring to the Supply Chain? Businesses are constantly reminded that they need to be more agile and resilient in order to survive.

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Tail Inventory: The Silent Cost Driver You Shouldn't Ignore

Learn how centralizing slow-moving SKUs can help reduce fulfillment costs by $300M+ while boosting fulfillment efficiency.

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Four ways Inventory Optimization can address tighter supply constraints

ToolsGroup

As the (U.S.) economic expansion enters its ninth year, supply constraints are showing up in supply chains. The Wall Street Journal recently advised “In the battle for economic supremacy, investors should quickly be realizing it’s increasingly about supply, not demand.” ( The Next Challenge for Global Growth: Keeping Up With Demand , April 24, 2018 ).

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Forecasting: Let’s Start by Asking the Right Questions

Supply Chain Shaman

Ten calls. They are all starting to sound the same. Here is the storyline: “We implemented SAP APO, and we now know its limitations. We have tried SAP IBP and are not impressed. Since SAP is not investing in improving the depth of their solutions for planning, we are looking for a new solution. Can you help us select a new approach? Which of these vendors do you suggest?

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Siemens Commits to Additive Manufacturing

Logistics Viewpoints

Additive manufacturing has certainly gotten a lot of press over the years. In the supply chain space, the idea that inventory costs could be slashed by committing to additive manufacturing has been touted. In manufacturing, a common idea is that additive manufacturing can create more sustainable products by not lathing away materials that are wasted.

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Transform your supply chain’s sustainability impact by going beyond operational constraints

DELMIA Quintiq

This is the second blog post of a two-part series – in part one , I explained supply chain planning and execution tweaks that can be applied without significant change management programs. Here in part two, I will highlight how more drastic shifts to supply chain networks and operations can have a larger impact on sustainability. The examples in part one demonstrated small operational changes that can significantly improve a company’s footprint, with very little to no change management efforts.

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Tariffs on the Table: How to Brief the Board and C‑Suite With Confidence

“What should we do about the tariffs?” There’s no straightforward answer — every leader has a different expectation. CFOs want numbers. COOs want action. CEOs want strategy. And supply chain and procurement leaders need to be ready with the right response — fast. That’s why GEP has created a simple three-part framework that will help CPOs and CSCOs brief the board and C-suite with clarity and confidence.

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Three Benefits of Supply Chain Visibility for Your Business

GlobalTranz

Editor’s Note: Today’s blog is from Geoff Whiting who writes for ERP Focus and Explore WMS. In this blog Geoff shows us 3 major benefits of supply chain visibility for your business. Your phone can link to your bank account, social media, photo library, diet tracker that you turned off a year ago, and share information between most of those apps.

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How to make S&OP meetings a highlight in your team’s calendar

AIMMS

Sales and Operations Plan ning has become a standard process to improve business performance, collaboration and predictability. In fact, it’s become internalized to a degree that companies often have several (competing) S&OP pro cesses in different geographies & business units. Why is it that despite its popularity, only 42% of companies rate their S&OP process as effective?

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“Digital Transformation” and Supply Chain Planning

ToolsGroup

Here is the scenario. The C Suite says it wants “digital transformation". Your company has an older supply chain planning (SCP) system of record (SOR) like SAP APO that was developed in the 1990s. You may have added some best-of-breed add-ons for specialized applications such as multi-echelon inventory optimization (MEIO). But it’s clear that this platform is not getting you what you want: a “next generation”, “low touch”, and “not stapled together” planning platform.

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Navigating the Ever-Changing Global Trade Landscape

Talking Logistics

You can’t go a day without seeing global trade in the news, whether it’s new tariffs, trade agreements, NAFTA, BREXIT, or similar items. It’s one thing to read about these hot topics, however, it’s quite another to navigate the consequences for supply chain and logistics professionals. What is the potential impact on your supply chain? What actions should you take in response?

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How to Modernize Manufacturing Without Losing Control

Speaker: Andrew Skoog, Founder of MachinistX & President of Hexis Representatives

Manufacturing is evolving, and the right technology can empower—not replace—your workforce. Smart automation and AI-driven software are revolutionizing decision-making, optimizing processes, and improving efficiency. But how do you implement these tools with confidence and ensure they complement human expertise rather than override it? Join industry expert Andrew Skoog as he explores how manufacturers can leverage automation to enhance operations, streamline workflows, and make smarter, data-dri

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AutoStore and the Rise of Flexible Automation: The Parts Town Case Study

Logistics Viewpoints

Historically, we talked about warehouses as being manual or highly automated. Manual warehouses are more flexible. Highly automated warehouses have much higher throughput, but their lack of flexibility adds risk. Parts Town has an automation solution called AutoStore that increased throughput but will also flex up to support Parts Town's strong growth.

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Removing the barriers to optimized distribution planning

DELMIA Quintiq

After a half-decade of plummeting prices, the oil & gas industry can breathe easy once again as prices begin to rise. While the pressure to drastically reduce costs has eased, the need for cost discipline should not be cast aside. Suboptimal distribution planning continues to be a barrier to gaining more value in the oil & gas industry. Every oil & gas company is unique, and with each company comes a unique distribution reality.

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Retail Inventory Management Tips to Get The Most Out of Your Warehouse

GlobalTranz

The wrong retail inventory management strategy increases carrying costs and makes it impossible to stay competitive. Common obstacles encountered when it comes to effective inventory management include having poor visibility into fast-moving versus slow-moving product, extensive travel times between bin locations, and lost revenue due to poor labor productivity.

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From import tariffs to the next tsunami: how Prescriptive Analytics can help you build agility and resilience into your Supply Chain Network

AIMMS

In a world full of turmoil, change has become the new normal. New import tariffs being introduced across the globe, extreme weather events, Brexit… The list goes on and on. What can Supply Chain leaders do to mitigate the risks that these disruptions bring to the Supply Chain? Businesses are constantly reminded that they need to be more agile and resilient in order to survive.

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Breaking The Commerce Bottleneck: Your SAP Exit Plan Starts Now

Speaker: Jason Cottrell and Gireesh Sahukar

Retailers know the clock is ticking–legacy SAP Commerce support ends in 2026. Legacy platforms are becoming a liability burdened by complexity, rigidity, and mounting operational costs. But modernization isn’t just about swapping out systems, it’s about preparing for a future shaped by real-time interactions, AI powered buying assistants, and flexible commerce architecture.

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How to Move from Gartner Stage 2 to Stage 3 Retailing

ToolsGroup

Using the Gartner Demand Planning five stage maturity scale, analyst Mike Griswold estimated on a recent call that retailers as a group averaged just 2.3 out of 5.0, leaving money on the table due to poor inventory performance. In a competitive vertical with thin margins, leaving any money on the table can have big performance repercussions. But, he says, with the right strategic plan, a retailer can make the jump to stage 3 supply chain planning, and greater profitability, in just 12-18 months.

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Delivery is the Product: Takeaways from Transplace’s Shipper Symposium 2018

Talking Logistics

“Consumers are the disruptive force today, not technology.”. So stated Ken Hughes , a leading consumer and shopper behaviouralist, in his keynote presentation at Trasnsplace’s 16th Annual Shipper Symposium a couple of weeks ago. The comment caught my attention because later that morning I was going to moderate a discussion with Dan Dershem , General Partner at Supply Chain Ventures, about emerging technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and machine learning, autonomous trucks, a

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Campbell’s Soup Innovative Supply Chain Training

Logistics Viewpoints

Many companies send their employees to leading supply chain conferences. Yet outside the Logistics Service Provider industry, widespread internal training within a supply chain organization remains rare. But that is what Campbell Soup has done, they have put in place an innovative supply chain training program. The Campbell Soup Company is a global food company with a range of products, including soups, simple meals, snacks and healthy beverages.

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So, what does sustainability in retail actually look like?

DELMIA Quintiq

First, it’s important to take a moment to reflect on the word ‘sustainability’, as it has become such a prominent buzzword in today’s world. Sustainability means different things to different people, companies and industries. Some companies, like Starbucks and Walmart , view sustainability as a responsibility and, consequently, the discussion around sustainability is framed in a ‘should’ manner.

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Revolutionizing Hiring: Remote-Insourcing That Slashes Turnover & Training Costs!

What is Remote-Insourcing? Sounds like an oxymoron, right? Not anymore. Remote-Insourcing isn’t outsourcing—it’s a revolutionary staffing model that lets our clients fill key entry-level positions with top-tier, loyal, long-term talent, integrated seamlessly into their businesses—just like local employees but without the turnover or W2 HR hassles. With under 4% unwanted attrition, you train once and keep the same team for years.

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WMS Selection: What Drives an Investment in a Warehouse Management System? 5 Considerations

GlobalTranz

The demand for seamlessness in omni-channel supply chains increases more as time progresses. Companies are looking for ways to stay competitive and meet the demands of their customers. In reality, this means keeping costs as low as possible and still offering more products across more devices and shopping options. Thus, the demand for warehouse management systems (WMS) has increased, but how do companies distinguish the best-of-breed WMS solutions?

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How Prescriptive Analytics can help you build supply chain network agility and resilience

AIMMS

In a world full of turmoil, change has become the new normal. New import tariffs being introduced across the globe, extreme weather events, Brexit… The list goes on and on. What can Supply Chain leaders do to mitigate the risks that these disruptions bring to the Supply Chain? Businesses are constantly reminded that they need to be more agile and resilient in order to survive.

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Modeling Supply Chains with “Digital Twins”

ToolsGroup

The growing momentum around systems-based thinking in supply chain planning has given rise to a new concept called the “digital twin”. There has been a lot of discussion around this topic lately and I wanted to offer a few insights, including around the importance of the data model in high-quality decision making using digital twins. You can think of a digital twin as the ultimate ‘what-if’ scenario planner.

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