July, 2013

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Will Arrogance Stunt your Growth?

Supply Chain Shaman

'It happened on Thursday morning last week. It will probably happen again on Tuesday. And, again on Wednesday. I am driving on a campaign to change thinking. It is hard to change a mindset. The brain is wired to believe what it has been told for many years. Every time that it happens, I smile. I understand. I was once there also. Let me start with a story.

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Why Supply Chain Innovation Matters in a Fast-Changing World

Talking Logistics

'Not only is the world changing, it’s changing faster, across a variety of dimensions — technology, regulations, economic and political landscapes, demographics, and so on. What does this rapid pace of change mean for supply chains? How can companies innovate faster to adapt? Jordan Kass , Vice President of Management Services at C.H. Robinson , discusses these questions and more, and makes the case why supply chain needs to move from the back room to the board room for companies to

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Toward a Theory of Supply Chain Management

SCM Research

'We have to admit that there is still no such thing as a “theory of supply chain management” A new article by Mena et al. (2013), titled Toward a Theory of Multi-Tier Supply Chain Management , might bring us one step closer to such a theory by taking into account that supply chains have become more complex, more fragmented and longer. This piece of research, which is based on an inductive case study research design, hands theory-testing researchers interesting propositions on a silv

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Trends & Strategies in Logistics and SCM

Supply Chain Movement

'2013 Trends and Strategies in Logistics and Supply Chain Management: Embracing Global Logistics Complexity to Drive Market Advantage. The key results of this study by BVL International on trends and strategies in logistics and supply chain management are summarized, as follows. They are based on 1757 responses collected in an international survey from supply chain executives (including logistics service providers (LSPs), retailers, and manufacturing companies).

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Monetizing Analytics Features

Think your customers will pay more for data visualizations in your application? Five years ago, they may have. But today, dashboards and visualizations have become table stakes. Turning analytics into a source of revenue means integrating advanced features in unique, hard-to-steal ways. Download this white paper to discover which features will differentiate your application and maximize the ROI of your analytics.

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SCM Highlights from IBMs New Corporate Responsibility Report

Supply Chains Rock

'Every year or so IBM, the company where I am employed, issues its updated corporate responsibility report, which always contains a section on supply chain. Here are a few notable updates: In 2012, approximately 90 percent of IBMs global spend in Production and.

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Welcome in the Big Data Opportunity

Supply Chain Shaman

'The term big data is moving up the charts as a “hot topic.” This week, we published our second quantitative study on the evolution of big data concepts, it gave us the opportunity to talk to supply chain leaders on the evolution of technologies and the use of analytics in the Race for Supply Chain 2020. We wanted to understand where companies are at in the adoption of big data concepts and we had a good time writing the report on the research.

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3PLs, What’s More Valuable Than Another Twitter Follower?

Talking Logistics

'I have long argued that third party logistics providers (3PLs) should set themselves apart from the competition by fully harnessing the power and value of their customer and employee communities (see “ If Operational Excellence is a Given, Then What Else Matters for 3PLs? ” and “ Operational Excellence is Not Enough–Why 3PLs Must Leverage Their Most Valuable Asset ”).

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Supply Chain Management and Bioinvasion

SCM Research

'We all know that economic, ecological, social, and ethical aspects need to be considered when managing global supply chains. This includes topics such as resource scarcity , climate change , and labor conditions. So far, however, I did not associate bioinvasion with our field. This has changed now: An article by Seebens et al. (2013), recently published in Ecology Letters, discusses the risk of marine bioinvasion caused by global shipping.

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L’Oréal and suppliers collaborate in cloud-based Control Tower

Supply Chain Movement

'L’Oréal, the world’s largest cosmetics group, is in the process of rolling out a sophisticated Control Tower system that is allowing it to synchronise information with all its vendors and thereby respond much faster to market events. It employs over 70,000 people, has four business divisions, 27 international brands, 42 factories, 145 distribution centres and thousands of suppliers around the world.

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More Than 40 New Manufacturers Join Configura’s Platform in 2023

More than 40 manufacturers across the commercial interior, material handling, and kitchen and bath industries expand offers via Configura’s CET platform in 2023.

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MEIO in the 21st Century by Ann Grackin of ChainLink Research

Logility

Recently I wrote a research paper on Multi-Echelon Inventory Optimization, MEIO ( Thinking Anew - Transform Your Supply Chain Using Multi-Echelon Inventory Optimization ). It took me on a journey that reminded me of the days when I had to deliver the results, not just tell readers how they might do it. The 1990s were extraordinary times for supply chain and technology.

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Here's Another Supply Chain Lesson. When You Thought School.

Kinaxis

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Let’s Make It an Espresso. Outside-in Is Not an Evolution

Supply Chain Shaman

'Espresso: A strong coffee prepared by forcing hot water through finely ground dark-roast coffee beans. Today, I am preparing to speak at a global supply chain conference for a group of enterprise architects at a global manufacturer. This manufacturer is an industry leader. They want me to speak to the future of Supply Chain Applications. They read my last blog – A Pot of Coffee –and they have challenged me to boil it down to a cup of espresso.

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This Week in Logistics News (July 22-26, 2013)

Talking Logistics

'No time to waste this Friday, so let’s go straight to the news… Manhattan Associates Reports Record Second Quarter 2013 Revenue and Earnings. Ryder Reports Second Quarter 2013 Results. Oracle Brings Extreme Supply Chain Performance to Customers with New In-Memory Application. Infor Simplifies Supply Chain Demand Planning. New Vehicle Routing Activity Tool and Enhanced iPhone Functionality, Highlight Latest Version of Roadnet Transportation Suite.

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How to Create a Blueprint for Fleet Resilience

Speaker: Jeff Dickinson - President and CEO of Railgistixs Transport, Supply Chain and Logistics Thought Leader

Despite the ongoing transformation of the supply chain and logistics landscape, the steadfast importance of carrier safety remains a core principle. From prioritizing preventative maintenance to optimizing fleet utilization, the fundamentals persist. If you’re overlooking and neglecting essential safety precautions today, this could result in expensive repairs and potential safety hazards in the future. 🚧 Join Jeff Dickinson for a conversation on how to mitigate risk, enforce compliance,

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Citations of Excellence Awards 2013

SCM Research

'Some of you may remember my last year’s post about the 2012 Citations of Excellence Awards. A year has passed since and Emerald Management Reviews has now announced the winners of the 2013 Citation of Excellence Awards. I went through the list of 50 awarded papers and discovered two papers which I think are particularly relevant to our field.

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Leveraging Supply Chain Business Intelligence for Better Performance

Demand Solutions

If I asked you to assess your overall business health right now, what would you say? I’m asking not as a guy sitting next to you on an airplane, who expects a sanitized answer and is really just killing time until the drink cart comes by. I’m asking as a keen observer of the industry — someone who thinks about this stuff 24/7. If you can’t answer my question. well, good luck to you.

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Helpful Hints for Apparel Manufacturers

Logility

The apparel industry uniquely combines the characteristics of make-to-stock manufacturing with consumer-driven fashion volatility which can lead to a forecasting nightmare. Speaking with several supply chain executives in the apparel industry, attribute-based SKU-level forecasting is not just difficult; it is often impossible. To reign in the chaos many have turned to massive spreadsheets or homegrown solutions to account for color, size, style, region, gender, season, etc.

Apparel 101
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3 Days in Berlin: A supply chain conference that you want to watch.

Kinaxis

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Mastering Order Management: Backorders & Out-of-Stock Inventory

The unfortunate truth is that you will always have low stock and backorder issues with your supply chain. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be prepared to handle them. This brief video explores some of the primary drivers of inventory issues – and how modern technology and best practices can mitigate these issues and ensure a superb customer experience.

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How Can I Move Forward if I Cannot Align?

Supply Chain Shaman

'For years, as an industry analyst, I have written the statement that “IT and line-of-business teams need to be aligned.” As I finished the report on organizational alignment, I felt a bit silly ever writing this statement. Why? The statement is hogwash. The functions within the line-of-business teams are so misaligned that I cannot imagine that IT could ever align to all of them.

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This Week in Logistics News (July 15-19, 2013)

Talking Logistics

'I passed on spending $1100 to fix my car A/C, so I’ve been driving around with the windows down this summer. When you have Cuban blood, 99 degrees is nothing to complain about (although I reserve the right to change my mind). In this week’s news, new products and services and a couple of acquisitions top the list. Con-way Freight Raises the Bar on Mexico Service, Adds Door-to-Door Tracking, 24-Hour Customer Resource Center, Enhanced Web Tools.

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Software for Sales & Operations Planning in Europe

Supply Chain Movement

'Because the majority of production companies are currently involved in Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), a number of software vendors are showing up to offer support in this process. Supply Chain Movement has done an extensive investigationof the available software for S&OP in Europe. (Click on the image to enlarge). The S&OP process consists of a large number of steps, especially if a company is already quite developed in this area.

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Solving the Key Challenges of Traditional Supply Chain

Demand Solutions

Ask most supply chain professionals if they use any sort of supply chain workflow, and they’ll probably answer, “Oh, sure. Our solution lets us send emails out to anyone in the system from right within the interface!” Well, OK. That’s better than nothing. It’s certainly faster and easier than pulling up Lotus Notes or Outlook and writing an email.

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How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Contract Management in Telecom & High-Tech

The high-tech and telecom sectors face a contract management crisis if the process isn’t managed properly. Continual technological changes necessitate adjustments to manufacturing and supply chain processes, leading to a heavy volume of contracts that outpaces most industries. What can CPOs do to ease the contract management burden? In "How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Contract Management in Telecom and High-Tech," GEP experts outline a four-pronged approach to getting contract management under cont

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Don’t Blame Purchasing! (The Hardest Job in the Enterprise)

Supply Chain View from the Field

'Over the last week, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with a number of individuals about how important it is to change people’s view of the procurement function. Up to now, let’s face it, procurement people haven’t always been the most popular folks around the water cooler. But in the last two years, I’ve personally witnessed a change in how people are starting to view the procurement function.

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What ails the pharmaceutical supply chain? | The 21st Century.

Kinaxis

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A Pot of Coffee: A Morning of Reflection

Supply Chain Shaman

'This morning was an intense morning of back-to-back calls. I love talking to clients, and relish mornings like this. Yet, today, I was frustrated. As the morning progressed, my discomfort heightened. The discussions were all with very bright people trying to figure out the basics of becoming demand driven. The gaps were many. It resulted in deep reflection on how I communicate these concepts more effectively.

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This Week in Logistics News (July 8-12, 2013)

Talking Logistics

'My cousin Lenny shared this photo on Facebook (the boys are not us, although the socks and shorts look familiar) with the following comment: “If u know about this game, u lived a great childhood.” The photo brought back so many great memories of my summers in Brooklyn — the concrete heat, the boombox music, the bloody scraped knees…and when it got hot, we grabbed the monkey wrench, opened the johnny pump , and took turns sitting on the gushing water.

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The Art of Consistent Perfect Order Delivery: Smart Order Fulfillment Through Orchestration

Shippers and logistics service providers are pressured to match the “Amazon effect” for fast and efficient service across multiple B2C, B2B, and D2C channels. Perfect order delivery - on-time and in-full at the lowest possible cost – is critical. However, recent surveys of supply chain stakeholders reveal that many don't have the technology necessary to achieve it.

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Building Resilience in Supply Chains

Supply Chain Movement

'Global supply chains and transport networks form the backbone of the global economy, fuelling trade, consumption and economic growth. Disruptions to supply chains can prove costly, as highlighted most recently by Hurricane Sandy. According to research conducted by Accenture, signifcant supply chain disruptions have been found to cut the share price of impacted companies by 7% on average.

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Supply Chain – Turning to the Cloud

Demand Solutions

This "cloud thing" is more than just a cloud thing. Much more. I'd call it a revolution in the way applications are delivered. This revolution was bound to happen eventually. Some companies are tired of adding to their IT infrastructures, paying more and more each month to power and maintain them, and hiring additional IT headcount to work on them. Other companies are in startup mode and don't even want to go down the road of building out their infrastructure in the first place.

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The links between CSR and operational efficiency

ModusLink Corporation

'Corporate Social Responsibility or “CSR” today goes far beyond a feel-good message. As my colleague Doug Cutler discussed in a recent article for Supply & Demand Chain Executive magazine “it is in many cases a fundamental business requirement for ModusLink as a supply chain provider to be heavily engaged in the same environmental, health and safety programs as our clients.