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by Ilyas Kucukcay Over the last few decades, small and medium size (SME) companies have been leveraging their daily and long-term operations by using more efficient supply chain delivery and optimization techniques. Business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C) companies are also following this trend to step their game up and deliver their goods and services by shorter production and delivery times.
The cloud-based solutions and applications are quickly conquering the markets all over the world; they deemed to be highly scalable, easy to manage and cost-effective. Small and middle-sized companies are pushed by the aggressive competition to be more flexible and adaptive. Big enterprises might not be that open to innovations but are hypersensitive to cost and resource savings.
Source: 2017 Gartner Supply Chain Technology User Wants and Needs Study, Dwight Klappich. The annual Gartner Supply Chain Technology User Wants and Needs Study, now its tenth year, is one of this industry's most comprehensive studies of supply chain users. This year it included more than 473 people spanning the globe. Here are some key questions it answered: Does supply chain maturity matter?
A new Sales & Operations Planning cycle kicks off today – but there’s a problem. Upon reviewing last month’s performance, red flags emerge: Sales were underestimated but logistics costs were higher than planned. The team alerts the sales rep (who ups his growth predictions), logistics manager (who thinks it’s too low, and raises it again) and financial controller.
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 CJ Wehlage A few years ago, Kevin O’Marah said Gartner’s Top 25 Supply Chains was getting increasingly boring. Apple and P&G were annually #1 and #2. So Gartner looked at the numbers and created the Masters category. The criteria in qualifying for the Masters category is any company who has been in the top five rankings for at least seven out of the past 10 years.
In countless surveys over the past decade, manufacturers and retailers rank “improving supply chain visibility” as one of their top priorities. Yet, despite their focus on this effort and advancements in technology, achieving timely, accurate, and complete supply chain visibility remains an elusive goal for many companies. There are many reasons why, as I’ve discussed in previous posts and Talking Logistics episodes , including: Supply chain data is stored in too many systems, in too many format
In countless surveys over the past decade, manufacturers and retailers rank “improving supply chain visibility” as one of their top priorities. Yet, despite their focus on this effort and advancements in technology, achieving timely, accurate, and complete supply chain visibility remains an elusive goal for many companies. There are many reasons why, as I’ve discussed in previous posts and Talking Logistics episodes , including: Supply chain data is stored in too many systems, in too many format
Within a supply chain organization there is turmoil. The enlightened leader knows that the efficient silos do not create the most effective supply chains; however, it is hard to deviate from the traditional path that focused inside-out. Traditional processes are batch, often using latent data, and the focus is inside-out. The building of outside-in processes, using value network thinking, is a break in traditional thinking and IT architectures.
Some say a supply chain is only as good as its data, but that’s only half true. If the people who need it to make timely decisions can’t get to it, the best data in the world won’t help. Unfortunately, with the proliferation of data from disparate sources that are maintained in myriad applications, one of the biggest challenges facing business leaders today is inaccessible, inaccurate, or missing data.
Imagine a world where automation comes together with technology to deliver products without human intervention. An order is placed by a consumer. 3D printers pickup the details and print the finished product. It’s then picked by robots from the shelves, packaged and placed into a self-driving truck. The trucks leave the facility, and drones are automatically dispatched from the truck to deliver products while moving.
Every supply chain has a central purpose, regardless of size or industry: getting materials from their point of origin to the place they’re needed as quickly and inexpensively as possible. Designing a supply chain to accomplish that task isn’t as straightforward as it seems, especially when technology is involved. A smart company pays attention to the way their supply chain operates, and that means working with a proactive design over a reactive one.
You’re used to coping with complexity: Deciding on the best course of action when your delivery has stalled due to traffic congestion, when you need to assess the feasibility of outsourcing airport staff to meet high passenger volume or quote accurate delivery dates amidst supply uncertainty. We get it. Complexity is a by-product of business growth.
by Melissa Clow This blog is part of a video interview series. Check out the video below as well as links to other supply chain practitioner and Kinaxis executive interviews. Even though some traditional forms of learning continue, companies are turning more and more to digital technology and learning tools to collect, analyze and share knowledge, says Sarah Sedgman, Kinaxis chief knowledge officer.
Philip Lavin, Development Consultant IT at Siemens addresses the following questions and more in this timely and informative episode: What are the biggest supply chain risks companies face today? Where are companies falling short? How is technology helping companies better to manage supply chain risks? How do you measure and quantify the value of these solutions from a risk management perspective.
“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 old saying, “The best price is the right price” ranks in my book right up there with another old saying, “Thanks for sharing!” Or my daughter’s favorite response to an obvious answer…”Duh.” And that one drives me crazy enough; but don’t you hate it when someone tells you “It is what it is?”. What a profound statement. Who came up with that one…Forrest Gump?
It is among the common research practices in our mainly positivistic field to build a statistical model with a limited set of variables in order to take the lens of a theory – often being alien to our field – on a supply chain phenomenon, and to test this model based on maybe 200 datasets. Other positivistic researchers collect data from three or four case companies to build or extend a research model that comprises a small set of propositions.
Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place. Supply chain leaders often find themselves in a difficult situation when it comes to the conflicting goals of improving customer service and minimizing inventory. The omni-channel world we live in has driven customer service to new heights. Companies that don’t prioritize providing what the customer wants when they want it will soon find themselves losing market-share.
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
To say it’s been a bad year for traditional brick-and-mortar stores is to understate the situation. Suzanne Kapner (@SuzanneKapner) reports, … Continued. The post The Digital Path to Purchase Often Involves Brick-and-Mortar Stores appeared first on Enterra Solutions.
Last week, the national load-to-truck ratio for vans was the highest it's been since March 2014. That was back when demand for trucks skyrocketed because extreme winter weather caused massive disruption to supply chains. Last week was also the second week in a row when rates rose in more than 70 of the top 100 van lanes. Together, the ratio and rates offer strong evidence yet that the freight recession is over.
When I hear the term “Lever” my mechanical engineering side comes out and I think of the Physics and Mechanical Design courses I took some 30+ years ago. Although I didn’t appreciate it at the time, my engineering education laid a strong foundation that has helped me be as successful as possible in whatever I did. More than anything, I learned how to analyze and solve problems.
The Corporate Planning and Performance Management technology market space is quickly growing, with many niche players and newcomers continuing to develop solutions in the space. Unlike Supply Chain solutions, which are still largely dominated by a few major players (despite their often inferior solution offerings), the corporate planning software market is not dominated by the typical large software vendors like SAP, Oracle and IBM.
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.
An increasing number of supply chain analysts are stressing the importance of creating a data-driven supply chain (aka a digital … Continued. The post Big Data and the Digital Supply Chain appeared first on Enterra Solutions.
We’ve all seen (or heard) the TV ads. The one where an Amazon Alexa turns on the sprinklers, or Apple’s Siri tells a would-be chef what he can substitute for butter, or the one where a Burger King employee intentionally sets off Google devices everywhere by asking, “OK Google, what is the Whopper burger?” We […]. The post Driving Change in Manufacturing & Logistics: IoX appeared first on ModusLink Global Solutions.
In our whitepaper on the 8 essentials of an S&OP Software, we outlined creating a consistent data basis for supply chain planning as an essential S&OP software requirement. In this week’s ‘Supply Chain Talk,’ Arkieva CEO Harpal Singh discusses the key aspects of creating a consistent data basis that supports supply chain planning. Supply Chain Talk: How Do You Create a Consistent Data Basis for Planning?
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.
This week’s guest blog is from Marvin Magusara, who contributed insights into an area often maligned… packaging! The role of packaging is an important contributor to total cost of ownership, as it also impacts cube on trucks, inventory storage, product safety, regulatory compliance, and customer satisfaction. Packaging errors are often the root cause of massive recalls, excess and obsolete inventory costs, and can often be prevented through a clear error-proofing process.
It took 46 years for a quarter of the United States population to use electricity. It only took seven years to reach the same usage of the internet. Why is that? The adoption rate for new technology has steadily accelerated over the years (as shown below) and it’s only speeding up as the current generation […]. The post Driving Change in Manufacturing & Logistics: Bots & Apps appeared first on ModusLink Global Solutions.
As individuals, we are advised to periodically check our health numbers (weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.) to assess our overall wellbeing. In some cases, certain numbers will be right on track, while others may indicate an issue. This analogy can happen in businesses, too. Companies can either be proactive about understanding their numbers, or they can wait for painful symptoms to show up—via customer complaints—and then, through trial and error, figure out what’s causing the iss
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