Sat.Nov 29, 2014 - Fri.Dec 05, 2014

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Optimization or automation: Which do you need?

DELMIA Quintiq

'It’s easy enough to confuse automation with optimization. In both cases, you press a button, wait a few seconds, and whoops… there’s your result. But while the external actions look alike, the results are very different. What automation really automates. Automation automates what human planners do. So what do planners do? Planners oversimplify. To cope with the overwhelming complexity of supply chain planning, planners base their decisions on simple rules of thumb or heuristics.

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Freight Classification Errors, Re-Weighs, & Other Common Freight Adjustments Are Eating Your Bottom Line’s Lunch

GlobalTranz

'Keeping the supply chain operation at peak efficiency requires efficient and economic transportation of goods. This all starts with an eye to detail towards the most effective transportation management practices. There is a strong relationship between mismanaged supply chains and transportation and loss of profits, as an effectively structured supply chain will reduce business operation expenses.

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Expert Explains How to Improve Supply Chain Efficiency

Supply Chain Opz

'Over the years, supply chain professionals have been trying to improve supply chain efficiency so they can gain an edge over the competitions. In this guest commentary, Thomas Roemer, Executive Director of the Leaders for Global Operations at MIT Sloan School of Management will show you where the problem lies and ways we can deal with this issue. Companies seeking to further improve their supply chain efficiency will have to continue fighting their old foe – variability – albeit in a set of new

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Overcoming the Challenges to Achieving End-to-End Supply Chain Visibility

Kinaxis

'by Melissa Clow The 2014 Strategic Road Map for Supply Chain Visibility research recently conducted by Gartner (and included in our new Supply Chain Visibility: Envisioning the Broader Need paper) , describes the current state of maturity as it relates to visibility, as follows: “Most supply chain organizations are at Stage 2 or 3 of supply chain maturity, and thus have an inside-out view of supply chain plans, events and data.

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GEP Procurement & Supply Chain Tech Trends Report

The technological landscape is dynamic and changes quickly. And for procurement and supply chain leaders looking to harness the power of technology to navigate complex challenges and an uncertain business environment, keeping up with the latest trends can be its own obstacle. So, what’s on the technological horizon for procurement and supply chain for the year ahead?

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Dealing with Supply Chain Big Data

Logistics Viewpoints

'My earlier blog (What is Hadoop and Why Should a Supply Chain Professional Care?) generated a lot of attention and I was asked to write a follow up. While Hadoop has a future in supply chain management, because of the massive amounts of data generated, so do plenty of other big data technologies. Think about […].

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Push vs. Pull in your supply chain…what’s the difference?

The Network Effect

'Loren Kerns (Flickr). Today‘s supply chains are undergoing significant pressures to become more “demand-driven”. Retailers, distributors and manufacturers are forced to choose the approach they hope will make them the most profit. Is it producing and making goods available to forecasts of expected consumer demand, or by reacting to what consumers have already bought?

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On-demand Webcast: Continuous S&OP for Life Sciences – Breaking the Mold

Kinaxis

'by Melissa Clow Today’s Friday post is to let you know that we have posted the on-demand version of last week’s webcast on “ Continuous S&OP for Life Sciences – Breaking the Mold ” (registration required). In this webcast, learn about the unique S&OP challenges for Life Sciences companies, the importance of changing S&OP mindsets, and how to break the S&OP mold from both a process and technology perspective.

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The Links between Product Lifecycle and Supply Chain Management

Logistics Viewpoints

'I wrote a Logistics Viewpoints article in October that discussed how Diageo has transformed its supply chain from a cost savings function to an enabler of growth-driving innovation. This case discussed how supply chain was elevated to a strategic level due to its critical role in executing new product introductions. I found the connection between […].

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Is Software Making Us Dumb?

Talking Logistics

'A couple of weeks ago, a man drove a tractor-trailer into a Milwaukee park and over two pedestrian bridges, where it ultimately got stuck (a towing company had to use a crane to lift the trailer onto a nearby road). The driver blamed his GPS device for the mishap, although his eyes and common sense (as well as posted signs) should have caused him to hit the brakes and turn around long before reaching that point of no return.

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Scaling Logistics for Success: A White Claw Story

Speaker: Scott Campbell and Molly Feller

As the demand for your products skyrockets 🚀, you're likely experiencing logistical challenges that are preventing you from scaling your business. The sudden surge in demand can be exciting, but it can also put a strain on your supply chain and logistics operations. In this webinar, join Scott Campbell, Vice President, Logistics & Demand at Mark Anthony Services and Molly Feller, VP Logistics as a Service Operations at e2open, as they explore the challenges that arise when companies expe

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(FMCG) Friendly Man Carrying Gifts & (RTM) Reindeer To Market

Enchange Supply Chain Consultancy

'Client: Santa Claus aka Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, St Nick. Market: Most of the World. Scope: Reindeer To Market (RTM) Distribution. Deliverable: Evaluation of RTM against sector benchmarks. Summary of Evaluation. Click here to enlarge. The project delivered: A detailed evaluation of the Christmas RTM deployment highlighting strengths and weaknesses.

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Mobile is beginning to Dominate the Digital Path to Purchase

Enterra Insights

'A year ago Paul Marobella (@marobella), President of Havas Worldwide Chicago Group, wrote, “Six years after Apple’s first-generation iPhone kicked … Continued The post Mobile is beginning to Dominate the Digital Path to Purchase appeared first on Enterra Solutions.

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Consumer Goods, Ebola, Boku Haram, and African Logistics

Logistics Viewpoints

'Logistics in Africa is tough. Africa just does not have the infrastructure, has an education gap, and does not widely deploy technologies like GPS tracking that are common in the West. But add to that the Ebola plague, insurgent groups like Boku Haram, corruption, and instable government regimes, and you have what appears to be […].

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The Google TMS?

Talking Logistics

'Is Google TMS a serious possibility? This we know: Google is a company on the move, making inroads into businesses far outside Internet search, and it’s well equipped to succeed. The most recent example comes in the form of Google’s attempt to assimilate another Internet goliath – Amazon. See the Wall Street Journal article about its (don’t be) ‘evil’ plan.

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The Big Payoff of Application Analytics

Outdated or absent analytics won’t cut it in today’s data-driven applications – not for your end users, your development team, or your business. That’s what drove the five companies in this e-book to change their approach to analytics. Download this e-book to learn about the unique problems each company faced and how they achieved huge returns beyond expectation by embedding analytics into applications.

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7 Benefits of Warehousing in California

NFI Industries

California is home to many great things like the LA Lakers, the Silicon Valley, and the Beach Boys. One overseen quality of California is its supply chain efficiencies. Read more. 12/02/2014. Distribution. Supply Chain. Supply Chain, Distribution, Warehousing, Campus Warehousing, Urban Hubs.

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Food Security and STEM Education

Enterra Insights

'The World Food Prize believes “The Greatest Challenge in Human History” is answering the question: “Can We Sustainably Feed the … Continued The post Food Security and STEM Education appeared first on Enterra Solutions.

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Panalpina Commits to Operational Excellence

Logistics Viewpoints

'If you are looking for a 3PL to manage your warehousing, I believe you should be looking for a 3PL committed to continuous improvement. Your partner should be looking for ways to improve not just your warehouse operations, but your overall supply chain, including how you manufacture and deliver products to your customers. But how […].

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How Superior Sales Samples Can Unlock Supply Chain Gains

MIT Supply Chain

'The process for creating product sales samples can be something of an afterthought in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. Yet improving this specialized supply chain can streamline new product introductions; a significant competitive advantage given the sheer number of product launches in the industry. The MIT CTL researchers developed a method for using 3D printing technology to produce plastic injection molds quicker and at a lower cost.

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What is Mesh Networking Trends Report

This report details the capabilities of mesh networks, how they work, and the applications they thrive in supporting. Connectivity is necessary for optimal productivity, and mesh networking will soon be a significant provider of connectivity globally.

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Transportation Strategy in a Constrained Infrastructure: 30th SCRC Meeting Kicks Off Today

Supply Chain View from the Field

'The 30 th SCRC meeting kicked off today with a theme on “Transportation Strategy in an Infrastructure Constrained Environment”. This is a theme that was discussed a year ago at a conference in DC on Transportation Infrastructure, over coffee with William Lucas from Caterpillar. We talked about focusing on transportation as an issue that needs to be specifically addressed.

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Visibility is Essential for Managing Supply Chain Risk

Enterra Insights

'Yves Belanger, a director, and Yves Leclerc, a managing director, at West Monroe Partners, ask, “What does risk mean for … Continued The post Visibility is Essential for Managing Supply Chain Risk appeared first on Enterra Solutions.

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Secret Confessions of a Supply Chain Junkie

BlueYonder

'The beauty of the supply chain is all around us. As consumers, we experience the end result of our day jobs in our everyday life. When you live and breathe your profession, it is tough to separate it from your life. I guess I’m a supply chain junkie…can’t get enough of it. And I’m sure that many of you can relate, whether you want to admit it or not.

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Welcome to Supply Chain Link

NFI Industries

Supply Chain Link is your connection to the industry’s best practices and insights. As the industry evolves, we want to provide you with knowledgeable information. Read more. 12/01/2014. Brokerage. Distribution. Driver Digest. Global. Intermodal. Real Estate. Supply Chain. Sustainability. Transportation. Supply Chain.

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GEP Outlook Report 2024

Procurement and supply chain leaders have faced their share of disruption and economic turmoil these past four years. Whether from geopolitical tensions or the havoc caused by the pandemic and its aftershocks, plenty of challenges remain. Despite this, leaders are seeing a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel — inflation is decreasing, interest rates are leveling off and supply chain volatility is easing.

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More Challenges for the Transportation Network: Day 2 of the SCRC Meeting

Supply Chain View from the Field

'Speakers are the SCRC meeting yesterday and today continued to speak more on the topic of transportation strategy given increasing challenges in the transportation sector, and the need for an effective transportation management strategy. George List, a professor of mechanical and construction engineering, emphasized the need for governments to consider the broader impacts of global change.

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Myth-Busting Logistics Outsourcing

CH Robinson Transportfolio

'Outsourcing is a big decision, but myths about outsourcing can cloud your decision-making. In fact, if you are in a room where people are discussing logistics outsourcing, you might hear these common misconceptions. We can hand over the problems and issues associated with logistics operations by outsourcing. Don’t expect to outsource, wash your hands of logistics, and ride off into the sunset.

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Global Supply Chains

Supply Chain 24/7

'Supply chain professionals who operate in the global environment need to be armed with a solid global supply chain management strategy.

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The Value Network, Optimization & Intelligent Visibility

Supply Chain Action Blog

The supply chain is more properly designated a value network through which many supply chains can be traced. Material, money and data pulse among links in the value network, following the path of least resistance. If each node in the value network makes decisions in isolation , the potential grows for the total value in one or more supply chain paths to be less than it could be. .

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How to Create a Blueprint for Fleet Resilience

Speaker: Jeff Dickinson - President and CEO of Railgistixs Transport, Supply Chain and Logistics Thought Leader

Despite the ongoing transformation of the supply chain and logistics landscape, the steadfast importance of carrier safety remains a core principle. From prioritizing preventative maintenance to optimizing fleet utilization, the fundamentals persist. If you’re overlooking and neglecting essential safety precautions today, this could result in expensive repairs and potential safety hazards in the future. 🚧 Join Jeff Dickinson for a conversation on how to mitigate risk, enforce compliance,

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What defines BIG thinking?

Tecsys

In the movie Big, Tom Hanks plays a child trapped in the body of a 30-year-old who challenges the status quo at a toy manufacturer. To the audience it all makes sense as the movie progresses – think like a kid when selling stuff to kids. How revolutionary! Yet the audience also relates to the adults who pretend to know what kids like. The post What defines BIG thinking?

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It’s Tough Being the Little Guy

Consumer Goods Logistics

'Download. Collaboration between retailers and suppliers is widely touted as being the key to reducing inventory and cost in CPG logistics. But according to research by Auburn University, small to mid-sized CPG manufacturers have a tough time getting the attention of large retailers. Download the research report: Key Supply Chain Challenges of Mid-Sized CPG Companies.

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UAE women 'eager to develop' supply chain sector

Logistics Middle East

'Of the 2,000 members of CIPS MENA, almost 1,000 are women.

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