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I am writing this blog post in the air, sitting in seat 4c, somewhere over the Midwest en route to Philadelphia. As I look below, I see field after field of United States farmland. The land looks like a giant puzzle. After a busy week with high-tech and electronics clients, my fingers are itching to help others solve a different type of puzzle. The goal of this blog is to help business users maximize their current SAP Investments in a time of change.
Customer expectations of reliable quality and rapid delivery forces today’s manufacturers to either shorten cycle times or lose business. Customers simply switch suppliers when others are more capable of delivering within their preferred timeframes. Lean systems have provided a formidable operating strategy for leaders determined to achieve and maintain optimal operational systems and customer satisfaction levels.
I’ve just returned from attending and participating in several supply chain conferences around the country. There’s a palpable excitement in our industry about the sweeping changes fundamentally altering supply chain operations. The drivers of these changes, such as e-commerce and omni-channel markets, are resulting in new and greater investments in the supply chain technology.
by Andrew Dunbar Co-author: Alvaro Fernandez. Happy Father’s Day to all those hardworking dads out there! Ever notice how your dad’s advice always seems to come from a place of experience? He’ll always let you make your own mistakes, unless he’s already made those same mistakes himself. In honor of these dads’ accomplishments in the field of trial and error, I’ve compiled a list of the top 10 lessons your dad can teach you about supply chain. 10.
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.
At last week’s ICRA 2015 conference, an international forum for robotics researchers, Amazon hosted the “Amazon Picking Challenge,” where robots from 27 entrants from around the world tried to autonomously grab items from a shelf and place them in a tub. In other words, the robots had to recognize the different shapes, colors, and sizes of the items to be picked on their own.
At a recent conference, I was asked how to deal with corporate power dynamics when supply chain is not an equal-partner organisation. This made me think: “What superpowers would supply chain executives love to have?”. Data we’ve collected in our annual Chief Supply Chain Officer (CSCO) study since 2011 shows that, by a slim margin, the majority of supply chain organisations say that the CEO recognizes them as an equal partner in corporate strategy to other functions like sales, marketing and pro
At a recent conference, I was asked how to deal with corporate power dynamics when supply chain is not an equal-partner organisation. This made me think: “What superpowers would supply chain executives love to have?”. Data we’ve collected in our annual Chief Supply Chain Officer (CSCO) study since 2011 shows that, by a slim margin, the majority of supply chain organisations say that the CEO recognizes them as an equal partner in corporate strategy to other functions like sales, marketing and pro
This week, I spoke at the Chicago CSCMP round table event. I love to hear the thoughts from different speakers. At the event, James Rice, MIT, spoke on innovation, and his reflections on Clayton Christensen’s 1997 classic business book, the Innovators Dilemma. I, like many of you, read this book when it was published. However, hearing the concepts again, from Jim, sparked some new thoughts.
Agility is needed in an ever-changing market. A supply chain that is transparent with an open configuration can accept the changes that the Internet of Things or IoT will bring. This nascent concept will provide faster communications from device to device without human input. Learn more to get ready for the next wave of communications: the supply chain internet of things.
As I mentioned in last Friday’s news round-up, the United States will begin to import eggs from Europe due to a massive shortage. This marks the first time in more than a decade that the US has been forced to import eggs. The cause of the shortage is avian flu. According to the US Department […].
by Alexa Cheater It’s a simple question really. How confident are you in your organization’s supply chain , and its ability to actually perform in a way that supports your business needs? If you answered ‘not very’ you may be surprised to learn you aren’t alone. According to the results of Deloitte’s third annual supply chain survey , a measly 38% percent of executives claim to be ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ confident their current supply chain has the competencies required to meet their needs.
There are hundreds or thousands of “what-if” questions for businesses to answer in order to build a sustainable, efficient, responsive supply chain. The data required to answer them is in numerous software applications and can take months to gather and cleanse. Spreadsheet-based optimizations lack the enterprise-wide visibility needed to make large scale strategic improvements, and “best guess” strategies can lead to millions in wasted expense.
In 1922, Henry Ford famously said, “ Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants, so long as it is black ”. Fast forward 100 years and a very different image materializes: the customer of the present demands variety. Fulfilling this multi-faceted demand has become a major challenge for car manufacturers, who have to deal not only with countless models and colors but also with an ever-increasing range of features and options.
For most, it is the end of the quarter. While for others, the end of the fiscal year is looming. The end of any fiscal period is a good time to take stock, and reflect. So, I thought, what would be a better time to write an open letter to the CFO? My goal is to help companies perform better in future quarters by improving alignment. Let me share some background.
Editor’s Note: This is a blog post about remembering the fundamentals in order to achieve success. Of course, we live in a high technology powered supply chain world, but often, as we noted in our 5 Upfront LTL Tips post, if you don’t remember the basics and best practices, no technology is going to fix those issues, but only make them more apparent.
“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.
On Saturday I engaged in a rare weekend activity for myself – I actually thought about supply chain. I thought about the transition from “push” processes to greater use of demand pull in replenishment; how retailers are sharing downstream POS data with their suppliers to develop a more efficient supply network; how multi-echelon inventory optimization […].
by Andrew Dunbar So you’re an inventory manager, and your CFO just asked you to reduce inventory by 10% before year end to free up some capital for next year’s big investment in R&D. At first glance, it’s not so bad; you’ve got nine months to do it. But then you look at historical trends and see that lately, your inventory has been growing by 3% each quarter.
What makes carriers prefer to move one shipper’s freight over another’s? Research shows that of all “favored shipper” qualities, longer dwell times result in higher transportation costs. According to anecdotal evidence, carriers look at shipper behaviors before deciding which company’s freight they will haul; favored shippers are also rumored to receive better rates.
AIMMS CMO Patrick van Gent at the European Supply Chain & Logistics Summit. The European Supply Chain and Logistics Summit has established itself as one of the largest conferences in the industry. This year, lots of leading companies shared best practices and learnings from their supply chain projects and innovations. The summit offered an impressive speaker lineup, featuring Nestle, Ikea, Samsung, AIMMS clients like Merck, BP, Nampak, BASF, and Philips and our partner Oliver Wight.
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
How can we move forward if we cannot align? In supply chain strategy documents, terms like alignment, agility, responsiveness, and flexibility dot the page. At a principle level, everyone agrees with the concepts. In meetings, groups nod their heads that the strategy is correct. However, at a practical level, companies struggle with the implementation of strategy due to a lack of definition.
Editor’s Note: This is a guest blog post from end-to- end global supply chain services company, Flash Global. The company focuses on high tech industries such as telecome , data storage, data centers, bio-medicine, and any company who needs supply chain visibility and proactive supply chain services for replacement parts and more. We are excited to feature this company as they deal in the fast moving world of complex global supply chain solutions.
Kehat Shahar, the Vice President of Supply Chain Planning at SanDisk, spoke on the journey that SanDisk has taken to improve their supply chain operations at the eft conference on June 18th in Chicago. While most of the content for this article came from the speech at eft, some information came from the company’s 10-K, […].
by Andrew Dunbar The modern day inventory manager described in this series is the backbone of your company’s inventory planning process. She has a strong understanding of supply chain fundamentals and is an expert at controlling the key levers impacting the inventory company’s investment in inventory. All that’s left is to add a planning system that enables her to work effectively.
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.
Supply chain execution convergence is a topic that has been gaining in popularity. The need for end-to-end visibility and solutions that proactively enable planning and the ability to react to the unavoidable disruptions is paramount. It’s time for organizations to take a step back and evaluate their overall supply chain approach and to consider how supply chain execution convergence can bring their supply chain to the next level.
An Interview with Christian Olsen, Head of Business Development at Höegh Autoliners. Christian Olsen. I recently had the pleasure of meeting Christian Olsen, Head of Business Development at Höegh, a leading global shipping company specializing in vehicle transportation services. Christian and his team were in our offices taking part in a new 2 day “hackathon” workshop that involved collaborative app development with AIMMS, Höegh and Ab Ovo, an AIMMS IT implementation partner.
I am writing this blog post in the air, sitting in seat 4c, somewhere over the Midwest en route to Philadelphia. As I look below, I see field after field of United States farmland. The land looks like a giant puzzle. After a busy week with high-tech and electronics clients, my fingers are itching to help others solve a different type of puzzle. The goal of this blog is to help business users maximize their current SAP Investments in a time of change.
Needs for efficient reverse logistics systems continue to increase as e-commerce claims greater market share, and as so many traditionally functioning businesses grow and inevitably incur increasing volume of returns. This presents opportunities for developing new revenue streams, an exciting challenge to logistics professionals. However, forward logistics management skills (involving original production and distribution of new products) may scarcely apply to reverse processes of moving products
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.
Supply chain execution convergence is a hot topic these days. The need for end-to-end visibility and solutions that proactively enable planning and the ability to react to the unavoidable disruptions is paramount. Organizations need to evaluate their overall supply chain approach and to consider how supply chain execution convergence can get them to the next […].
by Andrew Dunbar Over the last several weeks, this blog series on Inventory Management has explored the objectives and roles of inventory managers and outlined several of the improvement levers available to them. This post will discuss some of the metrics and analysis tools that an inventory manager needs to identify risk and opportunities and to make intelligent decisions to optimize the performance of their inventory.
In the last decade, many companies, especially those with manufacturing operations, have evolved direct materials sourcing from an administrative function to a strategic procurement process. The embodiment of this transformation is the chief procurement officer, an increasingly common title for executives that strategically source goods and services.
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