January, 2015

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Agility Does Not Grow on Trees: Start Building Today

Supply Chain Shaman

'Companies want to be agile. As demand and supply volatility increases, the goal is to build a flexible supply chain system. The definition is one that can deliver the same cost, quality and level of customer service with the increase in demand and supply volatility. The gap is large. Today, based on recent research, less than 30% of supply chain leaders have a supply chain that they consider to be agile.

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[INFOGRAPHIC] The Evolution and History of Supply Chain Management

GlobalTranz

'History of Supply Chain Management. Over the last 100 plus years of the history of supply chain management has evolved from an initial focus on improving relatively simple, but very labor-intensive processes to the present day engineering and managing of extraordinarily complex global networks. We will take you through the last 60 plus years below and end the post with an amazing infographic.

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Top 12 logistics influencers on Twitter

DELMIA Quintiq

'Finding logistics people to follow on Twitter is easy. Simply key in “logistics” and voila: You’re given a long list of individuals whose profiles contain these words. Finding the right logistics people worth following however is a daunting exercise, especially if you don’t know who to look for. We’ve put together a list of logistics influencers worth following, most of whom we’ve had the pleasure of engaging with.

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Combating the Driver Shortage Problem with Transportation Optimization

Logistics Viewpoints

'North America is facing a huge shortage of truck drivers, and the problem is expected to get worse. In order to continue moving product, trucking companies are pushing more and more freight onto the rail system, but that solution is not sustainable as it is also showing signs of being at capacity. Service in both […].

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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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7 Supply Chain Lessons from Lenovo

Supply Chain Opz

'Lenovo has been consistently ranked on the list of supply chain top 25 by research and advisory firm Gartner Inc for more than 4 years in a row. However, the majority of Lenovo''s supply chain case studies focus on the use of information system and the benefits of the acquisition of IBM’s PC business in 2005. In this article, we will show you 7 elements of Lenovo''s supply chain operations from the book " The Lenovo Way: Managing a Diverse Global Company for Optimal Performance ". (1) Empty You

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My Take: Metrics that Matter

Supply Chain Shaman

'Last week, I held my new book in my hand. It is exciting to have two years of research, nine months of writing, and four months of editing to become crisp, fresh pages. The smell of ink is intoxicating. I am now an author of my third book. I also love getting feedback. Over the course of the last week, I had a Linkedin comment from Dubai, questions from a team from the Philippines, and an inquiry from Switzerland.

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The Future of Logistics: Are 3PL Companies Ready to Adopt these 4 Emerging Technologies?

GlobalTranz

'This first post is part one of a two-part series on the future of logistics. In today’s post, we will cover the four emerging technologies which 3PLs must consider as a part of their service offerings. In the least, 3PLs must understand these emerging technologies so that one day they may integrate into logistics service providers ‘ company practices to better serve customers.

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Bitcoin: A New Supply Chain Operating System?

Talking Logistics

'I have to admit, I’ve paid very little attention to all the buzz surrounding bitcoin these past few years. I’m fairly conservative when it comes to banking (for example, I’m still not comfortable “depositing” checks using my smartphone ), so using a new digital currency, or “fake money” as my wife calls it, to buy stuff isn’t something that appeals to me, especially since bitcoin’s developer remains a mystery.

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5 Supply Chain Predictions for 2015

Logistics Viewpoints

'Very often any predictions you can make for a one year period are not about a brand new thing that will occur, the prediction is really part of a larger megatrend that has not only been going on for some time but will also continue for many years to come. Some of the megatrends affecting […].

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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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The Secret to Successful Enterprise Strategy? Always Include Supply Chain Management

Supply Chain Opz

'In this guest commentary, John McKeller , senior lecturer for the Wisconsin School of Business Grainger Center for Supply Chain Managemen t at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explains four key considerations for successfully integrating a firm’s strategy with supply chain management. Before entering academia, McKeller held various supply chain managerial positions with subsidiaries of Ralston Purina, Eli Lilly and Company, and General Dynamics Corporation.

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How Supply Chain Best Practice Metrics Can Predict the NFL Super Bowl

Kinaxis

'by CJ Wehlage For those that follow the National Football League (NFL), these next few weekends are going to be engaging. We are down to the final four teams: Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts and the Green Bay Packers. With full disclosure, I have to say that I do not have a rooting interest. I grew up in Pittsburgh, and it is Steelers all day.

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Cradle to Grave?

Supply Chain Shaman

'Last week, I interviewed Robert Byrne, founder of Terra Technology on his demand planning benchmarking study. I enjoy creating the podcast series, and Rob’s findings in his benchmark study are always thought-provoking. This is his fifth year of studying demand processes. In this blog, I share the findings and why I think that they should matter to supply chain professionals in consumer-facing industries.

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The Changing Face of Manufacturing: How US Manufacturers are Looking Homeward

GlobalTranz

'This is the first post in a two part series on the “Changing Face of Manufacturing.” We have many manufacturing shipper customers, and we love to create content of value for them on such subjects as best practices in logistics or trends around the supply chain. However, we don’t only talk about what we do well, we also like to talk about things that may affect manufacturing companies so we can be the maven to resources which are of value to our customers and the industry at la

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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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Driver Networks and The Future of Last-Mile Delivery Operations

Talking Logistics

'My smartphone now allows me to order and receive almost anything within an hour or two — from a bottle of wine a dinner guest mentioned during appetizers to more coat hangers for the shorts I received as a gift a few hours ago. And I hardly pay for the convenience! It’s like the good ‘ol Dot-com Bubble days all over again thanks to companies like Saucey , WunWun , Google Shopping Express , and Door Dash.

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My Supply Chain Resolutions

Logistics Viewpoints

'What resolutions should you make in the New Year to improve your supply chain? Here are mine: To remember that supply chains should be built backward from the customer. One way to do this is to use a Perfect Order metric as a key way of measuring the supply chain organization. But the question remains […].

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A new frontier for forecast accuracy

The Network Effect

'Mike Behnken/Flickr. Note, this is part two in a series on demand sensing. Part one is here. . At some point most forecasting methods will hit the law of diminishing returns where the forecast accuracy will tend to flatten out, regardless of the formulae or analytics that are applied. Mathematicians have traditionally approached forecasting based on various time series and curve fitting techniques which create a forecast based on data such as prior sales history, drawing on several years of dat

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Is There a Third Option for SCM Executives Looking to Revamp their Supply Chain Management Operations?

Kinaxis

'by Melissa Clow Our partner Celestica recently published the following article, ‘The Third Option for Supply Chain Management Executives’ The author, Erwin Hermans, vice president of Supply Chain Services, describes the three main areas to consider when revamping your supply chain management operations: Growing companies often consider two options when implementing or revamping their supply chain management (SCM) operation—hiring a consulting company to work with their in-house SCM

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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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Stories of Supply Chain Leadership: An Interview with Joan Motsinger of Seagate

Supply Chain Shaman

'Many companies talk about Supply Chain Excellence, but most leaders struggle to define it. As a goal, it is easier to say than to define. One supply chain leader, in a discussion last week, likened supply chain excellence to fitness. His reasoning? He saw fitness as a goal to work for, and he acknowledged that you can get fitter; but he believed that the state of fitness is elusive.

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[INFOGRAPHIC] Top 10 Logistics and Supply Chain Facts of 2014

GlobalTranz

'Editor’s Note: This is an infographic from our friends from the great white north, Canada, and fellow Greek named logistics service provider, Morai Logistics. They, like Cerasis, are focused on generating content which offers value to their customers, industry peers, and even shippers who are not customers yet. They inspire us, and this infographic on the Supply Chain trends of 2014 is top notch!

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Supply Chain and Logistics Conferences to Attend in 2015

Talking Logistics

'Last January, I shared 5 New Year’s Resolutions for supply chain and logistics executives to improve as leaders. Of the five resolutions, the one you should always recommit yourself to every year is “Make the time for learning — and teaching.” As I wrote last year: According to leadership expert Ken Blanchard, “when you stop learning, you stop leading,” and this is especially true in supply chain management.

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Best Supply Chain Conferences to Attend in 2015

Logistics Viewpoints

'Happy New Year! There are many supply chain conferences scheduled in 2015. If you are like me, you only have so much time to spend at conferences and must choose the ones that best suit your needs. I believe that the best conferences are large enough to support networking and diverse topics, but personal enough […].

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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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Container yard planning: 5 steps to big profits

DELMIA Quintiq

'Big data can be a huge contributor to great supply chain planning, but it doesn’t translate to actual value unless you know what to do with it. To bridge the gap between big data and optimized planning decisions, companies are now turning to big calculations. Big calculations unlock the value of big data, resulting in real-time optimization aimed at achieving fast and efficient business results.

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Will that be automatic or semi-automatic to manage your supply chain?

Kinaxis

'by Christopher Hatcher Years ago when I was in the army, one of the most memorable days of my mostly forgettable BASIC training experience was flipping the switch to automatic. Yes, we’re talking about the M16 rifle standard issue weapon for soldiers. We were trained on this weapon out at the firing range where we learned to hold the weapon steady, breath calmly, and ignore the clamor of dozens of shots ringing out through the earplugs nestled in our ears.

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Three Tough Headlines: What Can We Learn?

Supply Chain Shaman

'Today is a rainy day in Philadelphia. I am recovering from bronchitis. I am reflective as the rain sheets down my window. My travels this week took me to California and Boston. I worked with consultants defining a business case for cloud-based supply chain solutions and new vendors looking to use artificial intelligence to solve the problems of master data management.

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Lean Inventory: Using Lean Initiatives To Manage Inventory

GlobalTranz

'What is Lean Inventory Management? What techniques are applied to make it successful? More firms are implementing lean inventory management techniques to reduce costs, improve flexibility and have more time to focus on their customers. Lean supply chain and inventory management enable Small Medium Businesses (SMB) to improve efficiency and increase profits.

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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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5 Global Transportation Themes to Look Out for in 2015

Talking Logistics

'Two major shifts are changing the face of global transportation management as we know it: Supply chains are becoming increasingly complex, relying on partners and data beyond the four walls of the enterprise; The very definition of global transportation management is broadening and expanding well beyond the traditional TMS scope. As a result, several areas of focus will move to the forefront of logistics strategy.

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The Key Attributes of Supply Chain Leadership

Logistics Viewpoints

'Let us look at a few critical projects many supply chain leaders would like to initiate to save money and improve service, but can’t, because they can’t muster the necessary corporate support. SKU Reduction – Stock keeping unit (SKU) proliferation generates costs in terms of manufacturing changeovers, warehouse capacity issues, procurement, product design and even […].

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Are Supply Chain Orchestration Services Still Science Fiction?

The Network Effect

'Sogol/Flickr. Note: This is the latest installment in a series of posts where I discuss the current landscape for logistics service providers (LSPs). In the first post, I discussed some of the top challenges that they face. In the next two, I discussed a broad set of opportunities that I am calling “ Coordination Services and Harmonization services “ .