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Groundhog Day is celebrated on February 2. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a Groundhog emerges fro m the burrow, then the forecast of an early spring is predicted. If it is sunny, and the groundhog sees his shadow, then the groundhog retreats back into the hole and the prediction is for winter weather to persist for six more weeks. It is a ritual.
You are running hard. As a supply chain leader you want your team to make progress and outpace the pack. One of the toughest challenges for the supply chain leader is building and retaining talent. Managing a global supply chain team today is not easy. We find that 59% of companies are experiencing issues in training and retaining mid-management talent.
Before the rise in wearable technology, how did you measure the distance you ran, the number of steps climbed, and the amount of calories burned? Chances are, you used a portable pedometer to measure your steps and distance travelled, and a diary to keep track of your calories burned. As technology advanced, so did fitness and activity trackers. Fitbit™ trackers not only tell you how many steps you’ve taken but how to eat a well-rounded meal, sleep better and ultimately, become a healthier human
For multi-channel retailers, it’s getting increasingly difficult to survive in “the Amazon jungle”. Bob Ferrari of Supply Chain Matters recently pointed to The Sports Authority bankruptcy as one indication. As Amazon invests relentlessly to boost its agility and drop its costs, retailers are also looking for ways to raise their game. Industry analysts have pointed out an obvious fit with inventory optimization.
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.
by Alexa Cheater In Aesop’s Fables there is a very famous story about a tortoise and a hare. For those of you unfamiliar with this children’s classic, the moral of it is this—slow and steady wins the race. Except of course, if you work in supply chain. While turtles and tortoises have many wonderful qualities that should be celebrated as part of World Turtle Day , their characteristically slow pace and unhurried nature can prove detrimental to any business trying to keep up in this digital age,
Five Tech Trends That Will Change Freight. A whopping $13.92 billion dollars of US venture capital was invested in the first quarter of 2016. And with daily headlines on new Ubers for X, new tech acquisitions, and the continuing crawl of technology into our everyday life, we’re focussing on five emerging tech trends that have the potential to reshape logistics. 1.
Five Tech Trends That Will Change Freight. A whopping $13.92 billion dollars of US venture capital was invested in the first quarter of 2016. And with daily headlines on new Ubers for X, new tech acquisitions, and the continuing crawl of technology into our everyday life, we’re focussing on five emerging tech trends that have the potential to reshape logistics. 1.
During the spring, I get to spend a lot of time in airplane(s) attending and speaking at technology confer ences. I have done this for a decade. However, this year is different. I feel more disruption in the air. There is a confluence of factors. The technology market for new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is drying up. Excess ERP consultants line the bench.
It comes as no surprise that business and supply chain leaders are seeking new approaches to get ahead in the analytics age. Implementing an analytics strategy, and in particular implementing prescriptive analytics, can significantly improve revenues and drive down costs. How can you ensure that your team is prepared to embrace these new technologies and approaches?
Admiral E. J. King famously said “I don’t know what the hell this “logistics” is that Marshall is always talking about, but I want some of it.”. Since he was an admiral, I am pretty sure somebody got Mr. King some logistics. Admiral King was no doubt surrounded by logistics activities and logisticians. He just didn’t know which functions were actually considered logistics.
This is actually a trick question. What’s wrong with aftermarket supply chain planning really has nothing to do with planning, but with management expectations. This is a case of management not expecting enough from their business. There is a reoccurring conversation in the parts industry that suggests that demand and distribution in this space is so complex that companies need to settle for less – lower customer service levels, fewer inventory turns, more obsolete or stranded inventory, and ult
I recently spoke to Trace White and Travis Parker from HP Inc. (HP) about using supply chain network design and visualization tools to respond to supply chain risks. This is something that their team at HP started to examine about two to three years ago. They had built a supply chain visualization tool in response to getting a better handle on how to position supply chain initiatives, such as direct ship activities.
by CJ Wehlage Two years ago, I made some very bold predictions on the 2014 Top 25 Supply Chains, and about 80% of them were true. Last year, I made the not-so bold predictions, as the Gartner 2015 Top 25 Supply Chain rankings were pretty much unchanged. That is, except for the new “Masters” category. I sure hope the Gartner gang will keep a focus on the Masters (Apple and P&G), as these two supply chains continue provide best practice learnings.
The studies of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) have shaped the logistics industry into what it is today. Logistics, the discipline that manages the shipping and distribution of goods to consumers, has made momentous strides in recent years with help from new technology. For students, logistics is an interesting and challenging field to pursue.
It comes as no surprise that business and supply chain leaders are seeking new approaches to get ahead in the analytics age. Implementing an analytics strategy, and in particular implementing prescriptive analytics, can significantly improve revenues and drive down costs. How can you ensure that your team is prepared to embrace these new technologies and approaches?
“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.
The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is detailed and complicated. I like simple, so I decided to write a simple overview of the FSMA. What Is The Food Safety Modernization Act? The Food Safety Modernization Act is the biggest overhaul of food safety oversight in the history of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The goal is to make food safer from farm to fork.
Editor's Note: There will be no blog post next week. Most companies segment their supply chain by breaking it down according to operational and logistical metrics. That’s necessary for continuous improvement and operational excellence. But there is another way to segment supply chains that begins with the customer. Gartner research director Jennifer Loveland calls it end-to-end segmentation, where you determine first what your customers want, then create end-to-end models—from sales through sour
The concept of a network of networks – a network that rides on top of other networks and leverages those other network’s data – has been in existence for a while. ARC prefers the term “supply chain operating network,” which we have been writing about since 2003. While the terms are in use, what has not been present is an actual working example of a supply chain operating network.
by Trevor Miles What I took away from the Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference …. Supply Chain Management is a relatively young practice, though many of the core principles go back many decades and are based on Operations Research concepts. These have focused on optimization and efficiency. Undoubtedly the world is a better place because of this focus on manufacturing and distribution efficiency over the past 50 years, resulting in large gains in productivity and therefore standards of livi
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
While logistics and manufacturing have grown exponentially, problems have become more complicated. A single malfunction can disrupt entire analytics’ systems, disrupting processes along the way. At the same time, machines-to-machine connectivity through the Internet of Things (IoT platform) is increasing the value of data companies have to analyze. Regardless of where you sit to view the logistics industry, problems are becoming more evident.
Author’s Note: The following is the forward I wrote for a new textbook published by MercuryGate (a Talking Logistics sponsor) on “ Modern Technology for Transportation Optimization ,” which is available for purchase on Amazon.com. The word “optimization” is ubiquitous in the supply chain and logistics industry. “You have to optimize your [transportation, inventory, manufacturing, or other business process] to maximize your costs savings and benefits,” is what industry analysts, consultants, acad
The answer is yes. Integrating production and logistics enables you to increase your delivery performance, reduce transport costs, and improve the utilization of your production resources. So why are manufacturers still suffering from disjointed decision-making in these areas? This is better explained with an example. Let me walk you through the planning challenges faced by an animal feed manufacturer and how you can overcome similar planning puzzles in your operations.
If you (or your boss) are measured by your company's Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) or a similar metric, then you want to turn assets into cash. Whether the message comes down from the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) or even private equity investors, either way it's pretty much the same thing: free up cash from the business. Inventory optimization is one proven way to do it.
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.
There are numerous ways to integrate tax and duties in supply chain design. Here are a few ways to consider both logistics and tax considerations in a holistic view for the best overall design decisions. The supply chain is core to how your business is run and its costs, profit and growth. With the increasing globalization of business, variable taxes and duties across trading borders have a huge impact on overall cost, supplier sourcing, manufacturing […].
by Joe Cannata Though it may sound like an odd subject, nature and manufacturing do work together in some sort of hybrid supply chain. What got me thinking about this, was when I returned home to Atlanta from a recent trip. Upon arrival at my car in the airport parking garage, I encountered this sight: My car looked as if someone had emptied a few containers of yellow-green baby powder all over it.
Using less-than-truckload for medium-sized shipments is one of the great innovations in shipping. It produces results at a fraction of the cost of full truckload (FT) or small package shipping. However, the needs of the modern shipping industry have reached an optimal point, and the only way to further push the envelope is by using a dedicated transportation management system (TMS).
We all know that when we go to the store to purchase an item, we often look for a good bargain. After all, when we save a few dollars here and there, it starts to add up. With this in mind, let’s apply the same thinking upstream. Putting production and labor costs overseas aside, transportation becomes the prime target to help drive down costs. As a result, ocean vessels have gotten larger.
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.
According to Scott Brinker (@chiefmartec), co-founder & CTO of ion interactive, today’s digital path to purchase requires marketers to create … Continued. The post Agile Marketing is Right Approach for Today’s Digital Path to Purchase appeared first on Enterra Solutions.
Another year, another list of must-attend supply chain and logistics events. With so many to choose from, how do you decide? Every moment spent away from your desk has to be worth the time and investment. This is why the Quintiq World Tour in Frankfurt should be at the top of your list. Read on to find out more. The agenda. Attended jam-packed supply chain events only to leave with stacks of brochures?
This logistics services company manages hundreds of millions of supply chain assets for its clients, has hundreds of thousands drop off and pick up points, and make over 10,000 deliveries per day moving through over 100 logistics centers. To manage this complexity in a manner that insures high service levels, a sustainable/green supply chain, and profitability, the company has committed itself to a variety of analytic solutions.
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