Supply Chain Shaman
SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
'Supply chain talent is a growing gap for leaders. The impact is great. The biggest issues are in mid-management roles. Let’s examine some of the facts from recent research. Today, 60% of companies have open positions. Fifteen percent of the planning positions are open for an average time of five months. An IBM surveys report that 51% of companies are seeing an increase in turnover of supply chain leaders.
DELMIA Quintiq
SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
'By: Luke Hayfield. Let’s face it. Not all of us possess a DeLorean time machine stashed away in our garage that would enable us to travel to any time period in the future (or past). Till the moment comes when we can just buckle in and set the dial to 10 years from now, we need to equip ourselves with the right tools and skills to forecast for the future.
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Supply Chain Opz
JANUARY 7, 2013
'NAVIGATE. Home. Basics. Case Studies. Graphics. All Posts. About. Copyright. Privacy. Blogroll. Is Apple Supply Chain Really the No. 1? A Case Study. Everything about Apple Inc is the talk of the town, for example, the new Ipad, Iphone, Apple Map or even the environmental and labor issues at its suppliers facilities. Surprisingly, IT research firm Gartner ranks Apple Supply Chain as the best supply chain in the world for 4 years in a row.
Supply Chains Rock
NOVEMBER 29, 2013
'You may be facing stiff competition in your industry, but on your most stressful days take a moment to feel grateful that you aren’t competing against the ultimate all-time master of supply chain management. No question, the Santa Claus operation would easily crush the efforts of any small or large company — with nary more than twinkling wink and a cheerful swipe with a white-gloved fist.
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Supply Chain Brief brings together the best content for supply chain and logistic professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Supply Chain Insights
OCTOBER 7, 2013
'Over 110 supply chain leaders gathered in the desert to discuss the future of supply chain management. With nine out of ten companies stuck in their ability to improve corporate performance through advancements in supply chain, the discussion at the 2013 Supply Chain Insights Global Summit was not a rehash of the past. Instead, the group was challenged to think about supply chains differently.
Talking Logistics
JULY 2, 2013
'Not only is the world changing, it’s changing faster, across a variety of dimensions — technology, regulations, economic and political landscapes, demographics, and so on. What does this rapid pace of change mean for supply chains? How can companies innovate faster to adapt? Jordan Kass , Vice President of Management Services at C.H. Robinson , discusses these questions and more, and makes the case why supply chain needs to move from the back room to the board room for companies to
Enchange Supply Chain Consultancy
DECEMBER 30, 2013
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SCM Research
DECEMBER 26, 2013
'A Munich court is currently hearing a case that involves several members of a supply chain: (1) Alfred Ritter, a manufacturer of chocolate (“Ritter Sport”), (2) Symrise, Ritter’s supplier of piperonal, an aromatic compound, (3) Stiftung Warentest, an influential consumer organization, whose verdicts frequently lead to an increase or decrease in sales in Germany, and (4) the end consumers.
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Supply Chain Shaman
AUGUST 12, 2013
'Today, I finished up a report on supply chain talent. After doing the analysis of the results, I even more firmly believe that supply chain talent is the missing link in the supply chain. In figure 1, I outline the company’s biggest gaps. It is the sourcing and development of mid-management talent. YOWZA! It is large. Figure 1. Isn’t this ironic?
Supply Chain Shaman
JULY 29, 2013
'It happened on Thursday morning last week. It will probably happen again on Tuesday. And, again on Wednesday. I am driving on a campaign to change thinking. It is hard to change a mindset. The brain is wired to believe what it has been told for many years. Every time that it happens, I smile. I understand. I was once there also. Let me start with a story.
Supply Chain Shaman
DECEMBER 6, 2013
'Nine out of ten companies are stuck. They are not stuck in a good way like a label to a case. And, it is not in a minor way, like food on a plate that cannot be easily removed for the dishwasher. Instead, they are stuck in a way that cannot easily be undone. It is like gum on your shoe or a car in a snow storm. Henry Ford once said, ”If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said, a faster horse.” There is a reason why manless vehicles are being innovated by G
Supply Chain Shaman
DECEMBER 16, 2013
'Irony: the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. . Dictionary.com. . Do you remember Horton, the good-natured African elephant, in Horton Hatches the Egg ? Mayzie, an irresponsible bird, asked Horton to sit on her egg while she took a short “break.” To make a long story short: Mayzie permanently relocates to Palm Beach leaving Horton, the elephant, sitting in a tree attempting to hatch an egg.
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Supply Chain Shaman
AUGUST 20, 2013
'When you get asked the same question over, and over again, it is time to take out the pen and write a blog post. Here it goes… Last week, when I was sharing the recent results of the Supply Chain Insights Sales and Operations Planning study with survey respondents and attendees to our public training , one question kept coming up. It was “How do the change management issues differ by level of S&OP maturity?
Supply Chain Shaman
JUNE 6, 2013
'Yesterday, I finished a post on supply chain planning maturity. A client had asked me, “How do I know if we have a mature supply chain planning organization?” As we talked, and I drew the table, the first question was followed by, “How do I help my executive team understand the importance of planning and their role in the process?
Supply Chain Shaman
JULY 12, 2013
'For years, as an industry analyst, I have written the statement that “IT and line-of-business teams need to be aligned.” As I finished the report on organizational alignment, I felt a bit silly ever writing this statement. Why? The statement is hogwash. The functions within the line-of-business teams are so misaligned that I cannot imagine that IT could ever align to all of them.
Supply Chain Shaman
JUNE 3, 2013
'Over the Memorial Day weekend, I stumbled on an old article that I wrote in 2001. At the time, I was a junior Gartner analyst. The piece, “CPG/Retail E-Marketplaces: The Emperor’s New Clothes?” was controversial. At a time that marketplace offerings were super-hyped, I forecasted the doom of ten e-marketplace providers. I was dubbed by my boss as the ultimate-contrarian.
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
Supply Chain Shaman
JUNE 19, 2013
'Supply chain management, as a practice in commercial operations, is now thirty years old. Early 2012 marked the end of the third decade and 2013 finds us into the fourth. When we look backwards and use the results on corporate financials as a litmus test on supply chain excellence, we find that: We have made Improvements in Productivity. Due to improvements in connectivity, 90% of industries have made improvements in productivity (revenue/employee).
Supply Chain Shaman
NOVEMBER 19, 2013
'work·horse. noun ?w?rk-?ho?rs. : a dependable person who does a lot of work. : a dependable machine or vehicle that is used to do a lot of work. EDI is the workhorse of B2B connectivity. It is not new. It is not sexy. Four decades after its creation, supply chain executives see it as slow and expensive. They are frustrated. They question the value.
Supply Chain Shaman
APRIL 25, 2013
'Today, I am proud to launch the Supply Chain Index. It is my hope that the readers of this blog will take time to either join us today to listen to the launch of the Supply Chain Index on our webinar or listen to the replay. (We will make the replay available on our website and in our community within 24 hours.). The Supply Chain Index has been two years in the making.
Supply Chain Shaman
SEPTEMBER 9, 2013
'On Wednesday, Supply Chain Insights will host our first conference. It is designed as an annual event for supply chain leaders. We are proud of the line-up of speakers. The event will open with the sharing of research of how supply chain leaders have made trade-offs on Conquering the Supply Chain Effective Frontier. (We have been analyzing balance sheets and studying the financial performance of companies for the last sixteen months.
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.
Supply Chain Shaman
MAY 22, 2013
'This week, Gartner is hosting their annual supply chain conference. A major item on the agenda is the announcement of what used to be named the AMR Top 25. It is now the Gartner Supply Chain Top 25. While the name has changed, the methodology has remained fairly constant, with a only a few changes, since 2004. The research tries to establish “ who did supply chain best ” by looking at a weighted formula of Year-over-Year Growth, Return on Assets (ROA), and Inventory Turns for the Fortune 500 co
Supply Chain Shaman
APRIL 26, 2013
'Recently, I wrote a blog post that contrasted Colgate and Unilever. As a follow-up to this article, I wanted to talk one-on-one with the leadership teams of the two companies and get their insights on the ten-year comparison. In this blog post, I share insights from Michael Corbo, the head of supply chain at Colgate. Tell me about your job as a leader at Colgate.
Supply Chain Shaman
SEPTEMBER 24, 2013
'Chutzpah: A personal confidence or courage that allows someone to do or say things that may seem shocking to others. Merriam Webster. If you are fluent in Yiddish, you know chutzpah, meaning nerve , is akin to the Spanish word ” cojones ” meaning courage , but without an anatomical context as in tener cojones. So, as I sit in this uncomfortable seat, fighting sleep, winging my way to Chicago, I am asking myself a simple set of questions.
Supply Chain Shaman
OCTOBER 25, 2013
'Last week, I wrote about the evolution of supply chain planning. In my blog post, I commented on HOW little supply chain planning has changed in its twenty-year evolution. As I worked with clients this week, I had a long and hard talk with myself. I am part of the problem. I, like other analysts, are stuck in the traditional software APS paradigm.
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Supply Chain Shaman
APRIL 14, 2013
'As they say in Mississippi, “Talk doesn’t cook the rice.” The essence of this colloquialism is that words have to be converted to action. It seems like yesterday that I transitioned to become an industry analyst. I have worked for Gartner Group, AMR Research, Altimeter Group and now my own company, Supply Chain Insights. I have now been an industry analyst in the supply chain management space for ten years.
Supply Chain Shaman
NOVEMBER 11, 2013
'gob·ble·dy·gook. ?gäb?ld??go?ok,-?go?ok/. noun: gobbledygook – language that is meaningless or is made unintelligible by excessive use of abstruse technical terms; nonsense. Gobbledygook. As I listened to the investor relations call on OpenText’s intent to buy GXS , I heard gobbledygook. At least, this was my take. The OpenText script focused on how ECM+EIM=EIM Cloud-based Services.
Supply Chain Shaman
DECEMBER 10, 2013
'The snow is falling outside my window. It is the quiet, steady kind that mounds on the window sill… a strong signal for me to relax and enjoy winter. I want to light a fire and curl up on the couch with a good book. I am a voracious reader. I think that this is one of the reasons why I love to write. Three months ago, one of my clients asked me to help him out.
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