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'The supply chain is knotted. It is unruly. It is complex. Will it ever be tamed through social? Yesterday, @DamarqueViews asked me a question on twitter: “What do you think are the greatest barriers in the adoption of social technology in the supply chain?” I laughed. Such a deep question on twitter. I tried and tried to figure out how I could answer this question in 140 characters on Twitter.
'Who said supply chains are boring? Whenever I tell a friend, colleague or family member about my job as soon as the words "supply chain" are muttered I immediately see glassy eyes followed by a yawn or two. Little do they realize that every time they discard or recycle a carton of milk they are completing the end of the supply chain cycle. Without supply chains consumers would be stuck using products that they had to make or grow with their own two hands.
'Understanding lean and the 8 wastes is important for all operations people including logistics and supply chain folks. The concept of lean (and the 8 wastes) originated in the manufacturing sector where it was first recognized that eliminating waste in the system led to much bigger profits. Henry Ford and his team at Ford Motor Company discovered lean along with the assembly line, even though they didn’t necessarily use the term lean.
'Have you ever tried to find the most cited paper in supply chain management research? I have done so. For this purpose, I used the term “supply chain” in Web of Knowledge for a topic search. The winning paper is titled Information distortion in a supply chain: The bullwhip effect and the authors are Hau L. Lee, V. Padmanabhan, and Seungjin Whang.
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.
'In this episode, Adrian interviews Timothy Stratman, Founder and President of Stratman Partners Executive Coaching. Tim has worked with executives across a diverse set of industries of both private and public companies. Prior to his current role, Tim spent more than twenty years with RR Donnelley, where he held increasingly responsible positions including President of RRD Direct and SVP of Supply Chain Management.
'I have thought about this for a long time. I have envisioned a community where supply chain professionals could network freely and globally. I wanted to design a virtual environment where teams can share best practices and have fun. My dream was to build a place that combines the best of the virtual communities of Linkedin, Facebook, Craigslist, FourSquare and Yelp and roll it into a business-to-business social community that is specially designed for the supply chain leader.
'NAVIGATE. Home. Basics. Case Studies. Graphics. All Posts. About. Copyright. Privacy. Blogroll. Incoterms 2010 the Right Way. In global supply chain , most companies try to take an advantage of low-cost country sourcing to drive material costs down. The complexity of this practice is how to divide the responsibilities of each trading partner effectively.
'Image via Wikpedia It’s that time, once again, when everyone predicts what will happen in the coming year. But 2012 is an extra-special year; it carries heavy historical baggage chock full of dire predictions. Nostradamus painted a bleak picture of massive destruction and mayhem brought about by a comet in 2012. The Mayans take it one step further since they simply stopped their calendar on December 21st signaling the end of the world.
Not all wholesale distributors think in terms of supply chain optimization—but they should. Faced with growing costs, demanding customers and paper thin margins (net margin is often under 1%), supply chain management often separates successful distribution companies from those that constantly struggle. Wholesale distributors act as aggregators of demand, buffering manufacturers from small orders and logistics complexity.
'When new groups come together, the forming process is often awkward. Teams want to know each other, but introductions are strained. So, how can they do it quickly and move on to solving business problems? Ice breakers help. One of my favorite is the game, “ Three Truths and a Lie.” In this team activity, people who do not know each other list four statements and ask the group to guess which statement is false.
'A few years ago I met Prof. Sheffi at an event with my colleague Theo Fletcher. He was nice enough to recently reach out to me for a contributed blog post as part of a publicity campaign for his new book. By Professor Yossi Sheffi, Director.
'<strong><em>If you think the price of fuel is the only element driving freight costs higher – </em><em>Think again! </em></strong> Introduction. The latest Master of Logistics 20 th Annual Study of Transportation and Trends Study reports that in 2011 the highest percent of transportation costs was ground freight at 76.1%, of which US long haul trucking holds a major position at 64.4%.
“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 annual Citation of Excellence Awards recognize “the 50 most outstanding articles published by the top 300 management journals in the world” Emerald Group Publishing Limited has now announced the winners of the 2012 Awards. All awarded articles are obviously well worth reading. This time, at least two articles related to supply chain management have been awarded: Manuj and Mentzer (2008): Global supply chain risk management and Roth et al. (2008): Unraveling the food supply chain
'In this episode, Adrian Gonzalez shares his top supply chain and logistics predictions for 2013. Be Sociable, Share! Tweet The post Adrian’s Supply Chain & Logistics Predictions for 2013 appeared first on Talking Logistics with Adrian Gonzalez.
'Hiccup. Hiccup. Hiccup. I was speaking to a client today about the vision for my new analyst firm Supply Chain Insights, and I quickly realized that I had assumed that the clients knew their role in this new model that we are building. They don’t. I am sorry for not being clear. In launching the firm, I have failed to realize is how big of a change this concept is for the user of research from their experiences with a traditional analyst firm.
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
Negotiate 2012. JW Marriott Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Negotiate. 2012. Overcoming complex negotiation situations by determining interest, processes and relationships that are likely to lead to a fruitful, sustainable agreement. This 3-day course will guide delegates to prepare for and engage in negotiations using techniques and tactics that have been proven to maximise the probability of success.
'As the world of commerce continues to become more complex, volatile and socially transparent the need for a strong linkage between the CMO and the Chief Supply Chain Officer (CSCO) grows. In our ongoing exploration to better understand this need within the emerging reality I call Matrix Commerce, last week I had an opportunity to connect with John Mesberg of IBM.
Estimating future demand is one of the most fundamentally valuable, but frustratingly difficult, challenges in supply chain optimization. By “ Demand Forecasting ,” I mean the effort to increase forecast accuracy and customer service levels through better perceiving, predicting and shaping the full range of factors that determine how well your product portfolio satisfies market needs.
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.
'Members of today’s supply chain teams are busy. Business complexity is rising and teams are trying to get to data and align the organization against supply chain objectives. It is not easy. Disparate systems and gaps in supply chain technologies lead the list. Supply chain talent falls midway on most lists. We think that it should be more important.
'Who said supply chains are boring? Whenever I tell a friend, colleague or family member about my job as soon as the words "supply chain" are muttered I immediately see glassy eyes followed by a yawn or two. Little do they realize that every time they discard or recycle a carton of milk they are completing the end of the supply chain cycle. Without supply chains consumers would be stuck using products that they had to make or grow with their own two hands.
'When you have chosen a 3PL partner, insure that you have an effective Service Level Agreement (SLA) with accompanying Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to manage the Service Level of the 3PL. This SLA/KPI has to be negotiated and agreed upon by you and your 3PL partner.This negotiation time can take three (3) to Six (6) months. If you do not want to start at the 3PL as a contact customer with a SLA/KPIs, you can ship your goods and become a public account.
'There is an ongoing debate in supply chain management research about whether or not resource-based theory suggests that supply chain management can be a source of sustained competitive advantage for a firm. Among those who have denied this suggestion is Ramsay (2001) , whereas, in his recent essay, Barney (2012) has argued that SCM can, “at least in some settings”, be such a source.
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 episode features John J. Brown, Director of Supply Chain Risk Management at The Coca-Cola Company. John is a registered professional engineer, Associate in Risk Management-ERM (ARM-E) and Certified Protection Professional (CPP), and he has worked directly in the risk management field for over a decade, and indirectly most of his career. Since joining The Coca-Cola Company in April 2008, John has developed a risk management strategy for the Company’s global supply chain and is current
'Before I start this blog, you need to know that I am a self-confessed research snob. I take it seriously and have high standards. I have been doing supply chain research for the past nine years. It sounds easier than it is. I have learned a lot on this journey. There are a lot of nuances. I am fortunate to have learned from Pros. I have experienced the research methodologies of three analyst firms ( Gartner, AMR Research and Altimeter Group ).
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