September, 2017

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Reduce Costs: Invest In Talent

Supply Chain Shaman

In manufacturing-based companies, 70-80% of costs are in the processes of source, make and deliver. Labor is an important input with 50-60% of employees of the company reporting through supply chain organizations. Is talent a cost or an asset? Most companies say that employees are an asset, but treat it as a cost. Today, with companies having a keen-focus on costs, talent development often takes a back seat.

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What Is Last Mile Logistics & Why Are More Shippers Looking at This Transportation Function?

GlobalTranz

Last mile logistics is among the most misunderstood parts of transportation networks. On the surface, last mile may not seem very important, but it can make up 28 percent of a shipments total cost. In addition, growth in e-commerce is radicalizing how shippers view last mile logistics. To understand wide-ranging benefits and key concerns inherent in last mile logistics, your organization needs to understand what constitutes last mile logistics, it’s challenges, how it impacts e-commerce and omni

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Digital supply chains, AI, Blockchain and the future of work – Insights from the Gartner supply chain executive conference

Kinaxis

by Dr. Madhav Durbha The 2017 Gartner supply chain executive conference took place at the O2-Intercontinental Hotel in London on September 20 th and 21 st. The theme of the conference was ACT (Aspire, Challenge, Transform), same as the Gartner supply chain summit in Phoenix during May of this year. A few of the presentations in London, such as a highly provocative key note by John Philips of PepsiCo are a repeat from this prior event.

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What Will a Supply Chain Planning Job Look Like in the Future?

ToolsGroup

We have tackled the question of automation before, but his time I want to focus specifically on what automation will mean to the job of the supply chain planner. There is a saying that the best forecasts come from having access to inside information that is not yet widely known. In writing this blog, I have been talking to analysts, consultants and pundits—but most important watching what’s already happening at more advanced companies.

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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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Connecting the Dots on Amazon's patents in Logistics

Techgistics

I've dug into Amazon's patent filings over the last five years and mined the patent titles for keywords related to inventory and logistics. Patents range from the mundane like optimization of packaging sizes and allocating regional inventory to reduce out-of-stock costs to the more technologically advanced like autonomous vehicles, mobile ground-based fulfillment centers, and drones.

More Trending

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Dissecting the Headwinds and Tailwinds of Digital Transformation

Supply Chain Shaman

Headwinds: A force of resistance. Tailwinds: A favorable force blowing in the same direction. When I travel from company to company and discuss the future of business processes, the term “digital” is ubiquitous. A digital fever abounds. I liken it to the ecommerce frenzy of 2001. (When an “e” proceeded every strategy.). Fear abounds.

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Steps to Controlling Inventory Flow & Driving Warehouse Efficiency

GlobalTranz

Controlling inventory flow is a top priority among warehouse managers, and gaining control over inventory drives warehouse efficiency. However, figuring out the best way to achieve this feat can be confusing, so warehouse managers should follow these steps. Controlling Inventory Flow Begins With Liquidate Nonessential Products. Warehouses have a tendency to become stock rooms for stale product.

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Does your supply chain hear the change coming?

Kinaxis

by Joe Cannata What rapid adoption of virtual assistants means for CPG supply chains. I recall watching the original Battlestar Galactica series in the late 1970s, and there was an episode where Commander Adama was dictating his log. Before him was a computer screen recognizing his voice, taking his spoken words and translating them to perfect text for all to see.

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What’s Wrong with your Supply Chain Planning System: Twelve Symptoms

ToolsGroup

Source: Gartner Research. The right SCP technology avoids key symptoms that reduce planner productivity, plan timeliness and plan usability. Doctors look for specific symptoms when diagnosing what’s wrong with a patient. Now with Gartner’s help, supply chain execs can do something similar with their supply chain planning (SCP) system. In a recent report ( What's Wrong With Your Supply Chain Planning Technology , 18 August 2017), Gartner analyst Tim Payne lists 12 symptoms that keep supply chain

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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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Artificial Intelligence and Targeted Marketing

Enterra Insights

By now most people understand they generate data whenever they use their computer, tablet, or smartphone. They also understand companies … Continued. The post Artificial Intelligence and Targeted Marketing appeared first on Enterra Solutions.

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Meeting the meat demand

DELMIA Quintiq

The meat industry and its supply chain is long and complex. As consumers, we don’t really think about where our meat comes from, nor what it takes for it to end up in aisles 3 and 4 at our local supermarket or at the counter of our favourite butcher. How often do we meander through the supermarket aisles, wrestling with a shopping trolley that has the same manoeuvrability of an inert cow, aiming to pick out our favourite cuts for dinner… only to find that the cuts we want have run out?

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Mining Supply Chain Data for Insights

Supply Chain Shaman

Mine sweeping is essential to warfare. Soldiers use special devices to detect underground mines and disarm them from exploding before they cause harm. At Supply Chain Insights, we have been actively working in our own mine sweeping project. Over the course of the last quarter, with the help from Cloudera, we built a data lake of with data from 1449 public companies.

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What Supply Chain Risks Must Supply Chain Execs Keep Top of Mind?

GlobalTranz

Risk permeates supply chains. The best-laid plans to avoid as many risks as possible often fall on deaf ears in supply chain management, but supply chain executives who take the time to understand the greatest threats can successfully position their companies to overcome such risks. Also, risks can range from working with entities outside of a given company, such as third-party logistics providers ( 3PLs ), to changes in the expected movements of a product, otherwise known as scope change risks.

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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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What could you do with a faster, more effective supply chain?

Kinaxis

by Alexa Cheater How concurrent planning can help you take back your time. Stop being a slave to your supply chain and take back your time! Don’t wait around for your supply chain to catch up to the speed of life. Why spend hours, days or even weeks waiting for data transfers, analyses or simulations when you can accomplish all of those things in a fraction of the time it takes you today.

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A Shift in Supply Chain Planning Priorities?

ToolsGroup

Increased demand volatility still tops business pressure, says Aberdeen. but supply chain planning priorities are changing. For several years there has been a commonly held belief that focusing on improving demand forecast accuracy should be a top priority for Chief Supply Chain Officers (CSCOs). But according to recent reports by Aberdeen Group, we are seeing evidence of an important shift in this thinking.

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Five Common Customs Pitfalls — and How to Avoid Them

Talking Logistics

Technology has come a long way in digitizing customs procedures, however, in today’s global trade environment, risks still remain if electronic declarations aren’t filled out completely, accurately, and plausibly. Any of these pitfalls can increase costs and hamper productivity—and simply, interrupt the flow of goods. The good news is that best-of-breed, multi-country customs management software, with capabilities like automated check algorithms that flag errors, can help you combat these issues

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Future-proofing your IT investment

DELMIA Quintiq

Over the past year, at least a dozen large companies in Australia that we frequently talk with have tendered for replacement planning systems – workforce, production, logistics and multi-resource – for a variety of reasons. The most common two reasons were: A) Their planning systems could not evolve to cover additional needed capability with the business.

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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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Summoning the Courage to Redefine Forecasting: Upending the Apple Cart

Supply Chain Shaman

“We have too many planners. And, even if we can afford the costs, we don’t get good answers with our current forecasting processes,” stated the supply chain leader on the phone. “I want to build outside-in processes, but I don’t know what this looks like. Can you tell me what you mean by this statement?” My question to her was “Do you have the courage to up-end the apple cart?

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Warehouse Automation: Why Warehouse Workers Need Not Fear Automation or Robotics

GlobalTranz

The notion of the “Robot Apocalypse” has become an archetype in modern economics and retail. Across the country, retail employees fear how robots will impact job security and their futures, but the use of warehouse automation and robotics means great things for the future of warehouse workers in retail, as explained by Greg Ip of The Wall Street Journal.

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Supply chain impact before, during, and after Hurricane Irma

Kinaxis

by Bill DuBois What are your supply chain thoughts when you see this picture? As pictures start to emerge showing the damage caused by the recent string of hurricanes like Harvey and Irma, immediate thoughts go to the safety of the people caught in the path of these storms. Thoughts and hopefully many donations are going to all those involved in disaster recovery efforts.

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FMCG Cost Control: Boosting Brewing Bottom Lines

Enchange Supply Chain Consultancy

Picture the scene in many a brewing boardroom; a terse note has arrived from the suits at HQ telling the boss to urgently reduce costs as the year-end result is not going to look pretty. Why do all the board directors then look silently at their supply chain colleague? Of course, there are significant costs associated with a modern supply chain but you cannot make significant savings from that infrastructure overnight.

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A Roadmap For Modernization: How To Break Free From Your Monolith Before July 31, 2026

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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How to Plan for Common Disruptors in Ocean Freight

Talking Logistics

Peak season for ocean freight shipping is underway. Which means that, as it does every year at this time, space is about to get very tight. That can make it difficult to meet your delivery times unless you take proactive steps now to minimize the risk in your supply chain. Here’s an easy way to think about the regular and potential future disruptions that could impact your ocean shipping strategy, and what you can do to prepare for what comes next.

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Risks in Supply - An Omnipresent Danger

Logility

For more than a decade, I have implemented inventory optimization solutions for some of the world’s largest companies in industries ranging from life sciences to chemicals, from consumer goods to high-tech, and more. Throughout these projects, there is a consistent theme: organizations have a difficult time finding clarity in variability in supply.

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Watch the 2017 Global Summit Live on SEP 6-7

Supply Chain Shaman

Open up this post to watch the Supply Chain Insights Global Summit 2017 on September 6 & 7:

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The 5 Steps Towards Digital Supply Chain Management

GlobalTranz

The digital supply chain is basically a term that defines a supply chain whose foundation is built on Web-enabled capabilities. At the moment, many systems are hybrid, meaning that supply chains normally use a mix of paper-based and IT-enabled processes. In its definition, a real or true digital supply chain management goes beyond the conventional hybrid system and makes use of connectivity, system integration and the information-producing capabilities of its key components.

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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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Supply chain pain points: Automotive

Kinaxis

by Alexa Cheater 6 speed bumps on the road to automotive supply chain success. A trending move from regional to global supply chain processes is adding complexity to the automotive supply chain at an unprecedented level, driving a growing need for automation and collaboration. That’s revving up interest in realignment, consolidation and optimization of supply chain activities.

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NHS UK Waste: Planning challenges require extreme patience

Enchange Supply Chain Consultancy

I have spent some considerable time visiting medical facilities both at home and in UK and in the latter case I was not impressed. The National Health Service is still the envy of the rest of the world and rightly so. When you consider the policies and procedures in other countries the people who benefit from the NHS really should not complain about a 4 hour wait as you will be seen and you will not be asked if your bank card is contactless before you get to see a medical professional.

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Overcoming Complacency: How to Drive Even More Supply Chain Metric Success

Talking Logistics

A sense of complacency can lurk behind benchmarks. Once you hit your monthly warehouse goals, there can be a pull toward maintaining rather than gaining on your goals. Simply maintaining your goal patterns instead of gaining on your goals will keep your growth at a standstill if you don’t actively and routinely work to overcome it. As a leader, you need many tools to eliminate this mindset.

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