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Last week, I spoke at the CPHA supply chain conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (This was the inaugural supply chain event for the Consumer Healthcare Products Association. Checkout the presentation posted on slideshare. ). During the presentation, I spoke about the future of supply chain management, and the building of outside-in processes. In my discussion, I used the chart in Figure 1.
This the first part of a two-part blog series that analyzes waste reduction in circular economies through a systems thinking lens, taking into consideration product design and supply chain operations. First, let’s take a moment to explain why waste is an enormous worldwide issue and how it’s becoming a more pressing concern for our planet each day. From trash gyres in our oceans to microplastics contaminating our drinking water , waste is impacting our daily lives in subtle, yet concerning wa
Holidays are synonymous with food-centric gatherings, from traditional family feasts to social soirees. For those of us in the fresh produce , logistics, retail, and foodservice industries, the holidays are also synonymous with spikes in demand for seasonal produce, like sweet potatoes, asparagus , cranberries, green beans, and oranges. If you’re a wholesaler, retailer, or vendor shipping commodities that need refrigeration run between 33 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit, have a dated shelf life, or de
Transportation is the largest sector of the economy, making up 8.9 percent gross domestic product (GDP), reports the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The simultaneous growth of the economy and trucking indicate actual GDP percentages would be higher if compared to the same time last year. In anticipation of the 2018 holiday shopping season , transportation trucking, including Less-Than-Truckload (LTL), Full Truckload (FT), Parcel, and intermodal, will increase in value.
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.
Source: Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference. Procter & Gamble (P&G) is known for best-in-class supply chain planning. Now, speaking at September's Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference in London , P&G’s product supply director Onofrio Caradonna reveals how the company is applying planning capabilities to its distributor network.
by Ilyas Kucukcay From the incredible pace of turnover in style trends to the excess waste it produces, today’s fast fashion phenomenon is a controversial topic on many fronts. However, when it comes to the efficiency of today’s retail supply chain management techniques, controversy is replaced by admiration as international clothiers boast operations efficient enough to accurately anticipate demand in one of the world’s most rapidly changing industries.
by Ilyas Kucukcay From the incredible pace of turnover in style trends to the excess waste it produces, today’s fast fashion phenomenon is a controversial topic on many fronts. However, when it comes to the efficiency of today’s retail supply chain management techniques, controversy is replaced by admiration as international clothiers boast operations efficient enough to accurately anticipate demand in one of the world’s most rapidly changing industries.
ou Feasibility (noun) : The state or degree of being easily or conveniently done. (Oxford Dictionary). In the 1990s supply chain planning was over-hyped. Then it was a new and promising technology category. The ride was wild and wooly. Hype ruled. A decade later, as companies added planners expecting dramatic improvements, the market entered the trough of disillusionment.
When it comes to driving autonomous trucks on the interstate, there are several issues that need to be solved. A startup called Wavesense has solved one key problem. The CEO of Wavesense talks with ARC about the other issues that need to be solved. The post The Road To Autonomous Truck Viability Begins To Clear appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints.
Managing a supply chain is not easy, although the job description is seemingly straightforward: Ensure that the right products are available at the right location at the right time. Sounds easy, right? That's because you haven't considered the factors that constantly get in the way — factors such as inaccurate forecasts, transportation delays, and inclement weather.
Travel time in the warehouse represents one of the biggest costs in modern distribution centers. Pickers must put away incoming product, pull product, and move products to packaging and processing zones. Like transportation management for shipped product, effective labor management and lean processes in the warehouse are key to lowering labor costs in your distribution center.
Editor’s Note: Two years ago we posted a blog about how to set an annual forecast accuracy target and it was one of our most popular topics. As we approach that time of year again, we decided to run an updated version. Many companies have already started their 2019 planning and budgeting cycles, so if you are in charge of demand forecasting for your company, it’s about time to thinking about your organization's 2019 goals.
While advanced innovations and developments like the Internet of Things (IoT) reach each industry and change the way we work together, the requirement for business transformation is rising. Meat producers, in any case, are questioning where to begin. The meat supply chain is long and complex, starting from farm to processing to packaging and logistics, right up to retail and catering.
E2open is acquiring INTTRA pending federal approval. Is this a knot to be tied? Does this deserve congratulations or concern? Here I share some thoughts. Reflections. Three decades ago, I was sitting on a hotel bed with my friend Ellen Chen. Ellen currently works as a consultant at Cap Gemini. I consider her the best in the biz for transportation management consulting.
This week, Freightos hosted over forty logistics and innovation executives for FreighTech 2018, a symposium dedicated to discussing challenges and opportunities in the industry. The catalyst was fairly simple – there are freight conferences and tech conferences, but few that really mesh both very well. Gathering industry experts who categorically both practice and preach meant value delivered right out of the gate.
“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.
by Mike McAllister It sounds ominous, but it’s a brave new tariff-driven trade world out there – a reality senior executives whose organizations operate global supply chains are coming to grips with. Navigating the latest tariffs, and the resulting ripple effects on currencies along with fluctuations in labor costs make it increasingly difficult for companies managing complex multinational supply chains to make effective sourcing, purchasing and production decisions fast enough to stay competiti
The use of dimensional (DIM) pricing has an extensive history by the Big Three carriers. FedEx, UPS, and DHL all claim to have been the first to switch to DIM pricing in 2013, but all packages were swapped over into the DIM pricing model in 2015. The United States Parcel Service was among the last carriers to make the switch. Unfortunately, the use of LTL DIM pricing is often overlooked for a simple reason; DIM pricing is usually associated with overnight shipping and parcels, not LTL, explains
Editor's Note: There will be no blog next week due to the US Thanksgiving holiday. Last month we published a primer on probabilistic forecasting , an alternative to deterministic or ‘single number’ forecasting. In this post we’ll explore how probabilistic forecasting not only creates better forecasts, but also improves inventory optimization by improving the stock levels at store and warehouse locations in your distribution network.
Less than three months remain for the British government and the European Union to negotiate on a highly complex exit agreement. Business leaders are getting nervous as time is very short. The United Kingdom (UK) imports the most goods by far compared to other European countries, not just final products but also parts and components for further production and assembly.
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
There are so many exciting emerging technologies in supply chain and logistics today, but which ones will be the best fit for your company’s business strategy? Which technologies have the greatest potential to deliver the value you need, both in the near and long term? How do you prioritize investments in these technologies and roll them out successfully?
In this TED-Ed video, Kim Preshoff investigates the smartphone production: “As of 2018, there are around 2.5 billion smartphone users in the world. If we broke open all the newest phones and split them into their component parts, that would produce around 85,000 kg of gold, 875,000 of silver, and 40,000,000 of copper.” I really like the video, as it takes a supply chain perspective, and I can imagine to use it in my future SCM courses.
by Mike McAllister Contrary to popular belief, the Ford Motor Company did not invent the assembly line. But in 1913, Henry Ford did revolutionize it by adding a conveyor system to move the cars along the line, reducing the time it took to build a car from more than 12 hours to less than three. Fast forward to present day to find the headlights of the electric car peeking around the nearest corner, with autonomous driving technology trailing not far behind.
Imagine you’re an executive of a large international business who has just discovered an excellent opportunity of entering a new exciting market just in time when your product design team has developed a perfect product for that market. Naturally, to take advantage of this opportunity, you will need a well-functioning supply chain, which you happen to have.
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.
This is the second part of a two-part blog series that analyzes waste reduction in circular economies through a systems thinking lens, taking into consideration product design and supply chain operations. In the first blog post of this series , I examined the question: Can circular supply chains help solve our global waste problem? I touched upon some of the specific benefits that a circular supply chain can bring by highlighting an example with beer bottles in the beverage industry and utilizin
The concept of mobile robotics is not a new one. From Grey Walter’s Tortoises to Shakey the Robot , scientists have been working for years to automate processes and alleviate hard labor on humans. While these older mobile robotics were technologically restricted to follow a path from point A to point B, today’s robots are becoming more and more advanced and more likely to replace human labor.
For many shippers, air freight wins out on speed and convenience and FCL (full container load) seems a better deal on cost. But, that often means LCL is overlooked as a mode when it would have been the better option. But for several reasons, that perception is changing, many shippers are now seeing LCL in a new light: Forwarders are increasingly providing direct LCL services, reducing the need for trans-shipment.
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.
Contrary to what some procurement professionals may think, all logistics solution providers are not created equal, and those who consider price only, or as main factor in their selection process, are doomed to mediocrity and perhaps even failure. And as both online and offline retailers are pulled further and faster into a future where consumer demands are steadily increasing and customer experience is paramount, the need for advanced logistics solutions delivered seamlessly across all channels
Reverse logistics is filled with risk, and the rate of reverse logistics in e-commerce is higher than any other channel, reports Business2Community. Among e-commerce sales, up to 30 percent will be returned to the shipper, which reflects a huge demand for effective returns management and reverse-logistics process standardization. Using a WMS in reverse logistics can help meet this rise in demand and increase customer satisfaction.
Update on the Christmas Express Supply Chain. Around this time last year I had a call with the jolly old man of the north to talk over some ideas on how he and his army of elves might improve the Christmas Express Supply Chain (CESC). (Read A Phone Call with Santa Claus ) Our conversation must have had an impact because this year Santa sent me an invite for a video call to discuss their progress and ideas around next steps.
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