Supply Chain Shaman

APRIL 29, 2024

In 2012, when I started Supply Chain Insights , I believed that I could revolutionize the purchase of supply chain planning solutions by initiating a rating and review process across trading partners. Buying supply chain planning software is hard. How are people buying software? Here I share how to challenge the status quo.

Supply Chain Planning Software 417

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Software Forecasting Software 417

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 10, 2025

In May 2025, one in seven home-purchase agreements fell through resulting in the cancellation of 56,000 purchase contracts. Supply chain was defined in 1982 as interoperability between source, make and deliver. The ripple effects are pervasive. Why is a reinvention needed? As a result, demand variability grew.

Supply Chain Planning Software 195

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Software Waste Reduction 195

Logistics Viewpoints

MARCH 9, 2023

This is because most classical planning solutions lack the modeling capability and computing power to accommodate different data sources, large SKU count, and detailed constraints and contingencies to build an immediately executable plan. The planning process should be automated, repeatable, and not dependent on Excel-based manipulation.

Supply Chain Planning Software 282

Supply Chain Planning Software Modeling Forecasting Software Optimization Software 282

Logistics Viewpoints

DECEMBER 2, 2021

There will be little relief in 2022 unless the factors driving the increased import volumes—a strong economy and the fundamental shift in consumer behavior to purchase more goods and less services—change. Near or re-shoring sourcing strategies will be evaluated to “shorten” supply chains and gain greater control of supply chain performance.

Predictive Analytics Software 354

Predictive Analytics Software Predictive Analytics Waste Reduction Cost Reduction Strategies 354

Supply Chain Shaman

DECEMBER 7, 2023

Source: Supply Chain Insights ASCM defines resilience in the SCM Supply Chain Dictionary as the ability of a supply chain to anticipate, create plans to avoid or mitigate, and to recover from disruptions to supply chain functionality. Maximize the value of the purchase order flow data already in the existing networks. (A

Supply Chain Design Software 395

Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software Modeling Supply Chain Software 395

Supply Chain Shaman

SEPTEMBER 27, 2021

Too few companies have a holistic approach to embrace the plan, make, source, and deliver together. Procurement processes–encumbered by a focus on paperless processing, RFPs/RFQs, and efficient procurement–do not embrace the capabilities and requirements of direct material sourcing. Current State of Visibility.

Supply Chain Planning Software 390

Supply Chain Planning Software Sourcing Strategies Manufacturing Procurement Supply Chain Design Software 390

Supply Chain Shaman

SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

<Bear with me… > Here I share a nine-step process in an attempt to help companies unravel the process for buying supply chain planning software. They center on how to make a good decision in the purchase of supply chain planning solutions. Most have purchased software, but are dependent on Excel spreadsheets.

Supply Chain Planning Software 252

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Supply Chain Software 252

Supply Chain Shaman

NOVEMBER 21, 2022

So, I smile, catch my dinner partner’s eye and ask, “In our prior conversations, you mentioned the lack of clarity on the definition of supply chain excellence in your current deployments and how this is a barrier to implementing supply chain planning properly. As shown in Figure 1, the reporting relationships vary.

Supply Chain Planning Software 376

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Optimal Sourcing Modeling 376

Logistics Viewpoints

AUGUST 28, 2024

These passports document all aspects of the life cycle – from the sourcing of raw materials to final disposal or recycling. Information must be collected at each stage of a product’s life, including material sourcing, energy use, and environmental impact. What Components Comprise a Digital Product Passport?

Optimal Sourcing 310

Optimal Sourcing Optimization Software Modeling Supply Chain Optimization 310

Procurement Academy

APRIL 24, 2025

This blog explores procurement vs supply chain strategy and looks at how aligning the two leads to operational excellence. Procurement professionals focus on sourcing goods and services, negotiating with suppliers, and managing contracts. Theyre still too often stuck in their own lanes. It doesnt have to be that way.

Optimal Sourcing 52

Optimal Sourcing Negotiating Skills Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software 52

Supply Chain Shaman

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023

The issues are largely rooted in politics and the lack of clarity on supply chain excellence. The Companies with the greatest success are smaller and usually drive product innovation into the market. Or planned orders to purchase orders?) Go to the source. Clear mission.) And how do we measure it? (Is I don’t know.

Supply and Demand 431

Supply and Demand Supply Chain Planning Software Modeling Demand Planning 431

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 6, 2015

At the event, James Rice, MIT, spoke on innovation, and his reflections on Clayton Christensen’s 1997 classic business book, the Innovators Dilemma. This is disruptive innovation. The spark from Invention to Innovation is slow. Technology invention is happening, but the translation to innovation is slow.

Supply Chain Planning Software 150

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Forecasting Software Demand Planning Software 150

ivalua

JUNE 29, 2020

Buying supplies, equipment, low preference items and the latest innovations to support high-value care delivery is expensive and while it’s not an area where you want to skimp, there are certainly ways to reduce these expenses without impacting quality of care. The Path to Supply Chain Excellence.

Supply Chain Planning Software 219

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Software Agile and Lean Supply Chain Optimal Sourcing 219

Supply Chain Shaman

MARCH 8, 2016

As an analyst in the supply chain market for 15 years, I have written many articles on best-of-breed technology companies purchased by a larger company. It is a story of supply chain innovation. There is greater dependency on third parties for manufacturing and sourcing. Let’s start by taking a look at history.

Supply Chain Planning Software 150

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Network Software Forecasting Software Demand Planning Software 150

Supply Chain Shaman

MAY 18, 2019

Dependency on Excel. Due to the shortfalls in the evolution of Advanced Planning, 68% of business users use Excel spreadsheets as the primary mechanism for planning. Excel–while widely used for planning–is not equal to the challenge of modeling complex supply chains. Don’t rush to buy. The result?

S&OP 230

S&OP Supply and Demand Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software 230

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 7, 2021

Gartner purchased the firm in 2010.) Driving Improvements in Supply Chain Excellence. He felt strongly that supply chain leaders knew how to drive supply chain excellence and needed a forum– or maybe two or three depending on the business model– to help them network and refine their approaches. I disagreed.

Gartner 221

Gartner Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software Eliminating Excel in Purchasing 221

Supply Chain Shaman

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

It was earlier than even supply chain innovators. They excel in the four Ps of marketing. In contrast, a market-driven organization connects bidirectionally market-to-market to orchestrate the signals to shape demand and mitigate risk (buy-side to sell-side and back). We have built transactional buying relationships.

Supply Chain Design Software 319

Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Software Supply Chain Network Software 319

Supply Chain Shaman

JULY 6, 2020

My job, as the plant engineering manager, was to drive innovation and implement technology improvement. Ed argued that instead of buying new packaging equipment that we should work with R&D to have a base flavor and add the color and flavoring at the head of the machine. I remember one project quite well.

Agile and Lean Supply Chain 362

Agile and Lean Supply Chain Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Strategy 362

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 21, 2023

” The industry is in a groupthink, largely missing the opportunities for breakthrough innovation. Demand latency is the time cycle to translate a channel purchase to an order.) The interjection of AI innovation is a positive, bringing new thinking to the technology landscape. Could SAP mobilize to redefine the space?

Gartner 424

Gartner Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning 424

ivalua

APRIL 23, 2020

The overall theme is the “Journey to Procurement Excellence”, focusing on how Procurement can deliver value through supplier collaboration, supplier risk management and more advanced strategies and capabilities to deal with Procurement and supply chain management risks and challenges – while not forgetting cost and operational perspectives.

Supply Chain Planning Software 46

Supply Chain Planning Software Procurement Supply Chain Software Supply Chain Planning 46

Supply Chain Shaman

DECEMBER 17, 2018

Nick Lynch is the Global Excellence Manager at Shell Lubricants, a division of Shell Global. The Company implemented SAP Advanced Planner and Optimizer (APO) including the standard functionality of Demand Planning (DP), Supply Network Planning (SNP), and Production Planning and Detailed Scheduling (PPDS), yet many planners also used Excel.

Demand Planning Software 322

Demand Planning Software Supply and Demand Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software 322

NC State SCRC

JANUARY 3, 2025

This is because the tasks themselves become less structured, and require greater levels of curiosity, innovation, and exploratory research, with inquisitive minds seeking to develop innovative ways of representing data to create insight for supply managers.

Negotiating Skills 52

Negotiating Skills Procurement Analytics Purchasing Skills Supply Chain Planning Software 52

Supply Chain Shaman

JANUARY 14, 2013

It was a story where people believed that functional excellence leads to supply chain superiority. I strongly feel that a blind focus on functional excellence will cause the supply chain to become out of balance. The consolidation of this industry has served the technology providers well, but has largely stymied innovation.

Supply Chain Planning Software 260

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Optimal Sourcing Modeling 260

Precoro

OCTOBER 6, 2022

Nowadays, procurement departments not only focus on the day-to-day buying operations but also search for the most efficient ways to go about them. Thorough analysis allows procurement professionals to surface, visualize, and present purchasing patterns, which are then evaluated by the stakeholders. From whom are we buying?

Manufacturing Procurement 98

Manufacturing Procurement Procurement Solutions Procurement Analytics Pricing Training 98

ToolsGroup

OCTOBER 20, 2015

Source: Supply Chain Digest. Last month, Lennox Residential was runner-up in the 2015 Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Supply Chain Innovation competition, arguably the top supply chain award in North America. Source: Lennox. Innovative Technology. Let’s look at each: Bold Initiatives.

Supply Chain Planning Software 120

Supply Chain Planning Software Inventory Reduction Optimal Sourcing Supply Chain Software 120

Kinaxis

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

Tailor your supply chain to cater to diverse businesses: In his keynote, Mourad Tamoud, EVP of Global Supply Chain Operations of Schneider Electric talked about how they are segmenting their supply network based on their customer personas and purchasing behaviors. Sourcing leader becomes Innovation coordinator. Collaborative.

Gartner 118

Gartner Pharmaceutical Agile and Lean Supply Chain Supply Chain Execution 118

Supply Chain Shaman

FEBRUARY 27, 2020

Older men buy less underwear than younger males and their packaging was not as attractive to the female shopper buying for the family. The company sold on Amazon, operated its own website, managed outlet stores, and could purchase end-aisle displays in major retail chains. Open Source analytics. open-source analytics.

Analytics Software 269

Analytics Software Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Optimal Sourcing 269

Logistics Viewpoints

MARCH 27, 2023

Organizations then convert those demand forecasts to the associated quantities of raw materials to purchase, goods to be manufactured, or finished products to ship. Some suppliers of demand management software can also provide excellent forecast benchmarking for selected industries. forecasting product sales at 10,000 stores.

Forecasting 271

Forecasting Forecasting Software Modeling Optimal Sourcing 271

Supply Chain Shaman

MARCH 3, 2018

On Wednesday morning, when I finished speaking at the Foundation for Strategic Sourcing in Fort Lauderdale, an executive from J&J pulled me aside and said, “Our strengths, are now our vulnerabilities.” Locate them in an innovation center, not a function. Innovate at the edge and bring it into the core.

Supply Chain Design Software 170

Supply Chain Design Software Manufacturing Procurement Network Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software 170

Synovos

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

We stock more than 750,000 industrial and electronic products, sourced from over 2,500 leading suppliers, and provide a wide range of product and service solutions to 1.1 Contact Us The post RS Group Achieves Back-to-Back Ecovadis Platinum Medal for Sustainability Excellence appeared first on RS Integrated Supply. million customers.

Eliminating Excel in Purchasing 105

Eliminating Excel in Purchasing Groups Optimal Sourcing Manufacturing Procurement 105

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 13, 2024

It provides services and tools built on the clean core approach by SAP, so you can migrate on-premise systems, transform business processes, drive continuous innovation, and unlock cloud agility.” ” Source: SAP Website The Discussion Not Held on the Stage The main event at the Forum was not on the main stage.

Supply Chain Planning Software 221

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Network Software SAP Supply Chain Software 221

ivalua

MARCH 28, 2019

Over the years, we have moved from the first spend analysis initiatives, laboriously building Excel-based “spend cubes”, through to today’s automated, cloud-based, AI-driven, integrated, holistic (add your own buzz-word here…) procurement platform.

Procurement 167

Procurement Modeling Software Supply Chain Software Predictive Analytics Software 167

The Logistics & Supply Chain Management Society

NOVEMBER 14, 2021

He is very passionate about developments in the Supply Chain arena and is always seeking excellence in his drive for efficiency & innovation in Supply Chain operations” – a quality that is very relevant to face up to the many Supply Chain challenges in our path! My passion for Logistics and Supply Chain is founded from.

Sourcing Strategies 246

Sourcing Strategies Supply Chain Planning Software Optimal Sourcing Supply Chain Design Software 246

Supply Chain Shaman

MAY 2, 2016

We also see that manufacturing companies with a strong dependency on BPO are less agile and rate themselves lower on innovation. In parallel, the traditional software vendors are struggling with the Innovators Dilemma. Avoid buying software from a consulting company. Do not buy software based on partnerships.

Supply Chain Planning Software 150

Supply Chain Planning Software Modeling Software Analytics Software Supply Chain Software 150

Supply Chain Shaman

MARCH 12, 2019

This team was working on quality improvements and found that the flows crossed 117 disconnected documents in access, excel, and google analytics. These sources while functional are difficult to connect. Most deployments focus on functional excellence–manufacturing, transportation, customer service or procurement.

Prescriptive Analytics Software 220

Prescriptive Analytics Software Manufacturing Procurement Procurement Analytics Analytics Software 220

ivalua

AUGUST 21, 2022

– Actions on the products and services purchased. – Actions on the way you buy. This means having an integrated decision-making tool to avoid having to compile multiple new data sources, new Excel files, new software, etc. Source new suppliers with a low carbon footprint. Take action with suppliers.

Optimal Sourcing 130

Optimal Sourcing Procurement Solutions Material Savings Supply Chain Design Software 130

Supply Chain Game Changer

MARCH 18, 2021

Excellence, or superiority, is often the goal in corporate organizations. Each and every function, within its own right, strives for excellence and achievement in order for a company to collectively grow, evolve, and thrive. Achieving excellence seldom comes easy. A fatal misconception.

Eliminating Excel in Purchasing 71

Eliminating Excel in Purchasing Optimal Sourcing Procurement Solutions Procurement 71