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. Or have you set it and forgot it in the evolution of planning systems?

Supply Chain Planning Software 377

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Optimal Sourcing Modeling 377

Silvon Software

MAY 6, 2025

They need visibility across multiple internal systemslike ERP, CRM, and financial platformsand even external sources shared with suppliers, partners, and customers. Thats why modern BI systems are quickly becoming the go-to solution for data-driven enterprises. Think of it as the central nervous system of your analytics ecosystem.

Prescriptive Analytics Software 89

Prescriptive Analytics Software Analytics Software Predictive Analytics Software Supply Chain Planning Software 89

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 419

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Software Forecasting Software 419

Supply Chain Shaman

MAY 21, 2024

In follow-up qualitative interviews, one of the largest issues with organizational alignment was metric definition and a clear definition of supply chain excellence. To manage continuous improvement, companies need a clear definition of excellence and organizational alignment to that goal. They do not excel in planning or forecasting.

Procurement Analytics 394

Procurement Analytics Metrics Optimal Sourcing Supply Chain Planning Software 394

Supply Chain Shaman

SEPTEMBER 27, 2021

Importers are trying to push 30 percent more thru a system that is running at 70 percent throughput aainst the old level. My thought was to combine my experience working on visibility solutions with Descartes Systems Group and Manugistics with recent research data. Conventional approaches are not sufficient. I thought it would be easy.

Supply Chain Planning Software 391

Supply Chain Planning Software Sourcing Strategies Manufacturing Procurement Supply Chain Design Software 391

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. Errors or missing information can weaken the effectiveness of the passport.

Optimal Sourcing 315

Optimal Sourcing Optimization Software Modeling Supply Chain Optimization 315

Supply Chain Shaman

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023

The issues are largely rooted in politics and the lack of clarity on supply chain excellence. The goal was to teach the impact of system dynamics in a non-linear system that we now call the supply chain. Or planned orders to purchase orders?) False Belief in Current Systems. Go to the source. The reason?

Supply and Demand 433

Supply and Demand Supply Chain Planning Software Modeling Demand Planning 433

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

MAY 26, 2023

Like Linus clinging to his blanket, supply chain teams make most of their decisions on Excel spreadsheets. Or a unified data model across source, make, and deliver for planning? Similarly, the Dewey Decimal system in the library is a manual semantic reconciliation system. Ontologies help to translate semantics.

Optimal Sourcing 369

Optimal Sourcing Modeling Supply and Demand Manufacturing Procurement 369

Procurement Academy

APRIL 24, 2025

Theyre often seen as separate worlds, each with its own goals, systems, and ways of working. 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.

Optimal Sourcing 52

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

Logistics Viewpoints

APRIL 25, 2024

A robust, automated appointment scheduling system that connects and streamlines communications between yard workers, shippers, carriers and drivers can alleviate many problems, but it’s not a panacea for these more systemic issues. Create a facilities “Center of Excellence.”

Expense Reduction 316

Expense Reduction Cost Reduction Strategies Supply Chain Design Software Inventory Reduction 316

ivalua

JUNE 29, 2020

With rising costs and declining margins, health systems must become more efficient and productive. Now, of course the systems of healthcare differ but overall the level and growth is certainly a concern. Quite often there can be a general lack of spend and vendor management and strategic sourcing activities. Share on Twitter.

Supply Chain Planning Software 219

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

Supply Chain Shaman

SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

Source Wikipedia. Consumers want to shop anywhere, and buy in the way that they want to buy. As things change there is no system of record. …there is not substitute for an accurate PI signal in supply chain excellence. Definition: Brass tacks are a type of pin or nail. Additionally, get good at forecasting.

Forecasting 353

Forecasting Optimal Sourcing Forecasting Software Supply Chain Network Software 353

Supply Chain Shaman

DECEMBER 17, 2018

Nick Lynch is the Global Excellence Manager at Shell Lubricants, a division of Shell Global. However, the goal of having a single integrated ERP system with the embedded functionality and modules was never achieved. What can often look like compliance in APO could actually be numbers calculated in Excel and posted into the SAP system.

Demand Planning Software 323

Demand Planning Software Supply and Demand Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software 323

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. I feel that continued investment in multi-year ERP systems is the big, bad wolf. One that is going to eat you up!

Supply Chain Planning Software 260

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

Supply Chain Shaman

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

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 systems are based on transactional data.

Supply Chain Design Software 319

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

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 14, 2018

Within IT organizations, there are many zealots of existing systems. It requires the oversight of a non-linear, and often very unpredictable, system. Systems thinking is tough for people with a transactional mindset. As a result, the functions do not align to drive flows and small changes thrown the system out of balance.

Optimal Sourcing 192

Optimal Sourcing Manufacturing Procurement Supply Chain Planning Software Agile and Lean Supply Chain 192

The Logistics of Logistics

OCTOBER 30, 2023

Over his 30+ year career in the supply chain, Richard has worked with manufacturers around the world in operations, supply chain, and lean strategy roles to develop systems that can manage complex supply chains on a global scale. Richard previously founded and led Factory Logic, Inc. acquired by SAP). The Greenscreens.ai

Optimal Sourcing 278

Optimal Sourcing Inventory Reduction Supply Chain Design Software Manufacturing Procurement 278

Logistics Viewpoints

APRIL 14, 2022

A best-in-class solution must also support your workflows and a full range of processes including purchase orders, forecasting, capacity and inventory collaboration as well as quality management and coordination around supply risk. He is passionate about the role technologies play in driving supply chain excellence and business growth.

Supply Chain Planning Software 289

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Software Forecasting Software Procurement Solutions 289

Supply Chain Shaman

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

General AI is a self-learning form of artificial intelligence based on language processing to learn across systems. Additionally, the tight integration of ERP to APS (Advanced Planning) makes the system nervous and throws supply chain results out of balance, increasing the bullwhip impact. Not a good thing.) Batch interfaces are slow.

Supply Chain Planning Software 418

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Modeling Supply and Demand 418

Logistics Viewpoints

DECEMBER 1, 2022

Source: Descartes Datamyne. Theme 2: Online buying will fuel home delivery growth, challenges and new strategies. In 2023, consumers will be less forgiving and poised to buy from retailers whose delivery performance is commensurate with the rest of the shopping experience. Figure 1: U.S. Somewhat nailed it.

Predictive Analytics Software 299

Predictive Analytics Software Logistics Network Optimization Software Cost Reduction Strategies Resource Reduction 299

Logistics Viewpoints

MAY 16, 2022

A company buys these solutions to optimize their business. Rich Sherman – a Senior Fellow in TCS’s Supply Chain Center of Excellence – points out that many companies are building control towers to better manage their supply chains. That is how enterprise and supply chain software solutions work. But something called ERP 4.0

Supply Chain Planning Software 311

Supply Chain Planning Software Optimal Sourcing Supply Chain Optimization Supply Chain Planning 311

SCMDOJO

DECEMBER 14, 2023

In the global world of businesses, companies often seek help from sourcing agencies to figure out how to get the things they need. But what’s a sourcing agency or sourcing agent and how does it make buying things easier? Let’s explore this world of sourcing agencies and understand what they do.

Purchasing Skills 104

Purchasing Skills Optimal Sourcing Negotiating Skills Sourcing Strategies 104

Logistics Viewpoints

SEPTEMBER 20, 2022

This means we need more agile, flexible, and scalable planning platforms to process and consolidate new data sources, drive insights using advanced analytics such as AI/ML to drive autonomous decisions, and expand collaboration within and outside our organizations. This is how composable systems work. Step 2 – Getting Smarter.

Supply Chain Planning Software 293

Supply Chain Planning Software Agile and Lean Supply Chain Supply Chain Planning Forecasting Software 293

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 3, 2024

Most companies invested in enterprise transactional systems, but their networks operate primarily through spreadsheets and email. similarly, over 95% of manufacturers invested and implemented supply chain planning, but their primary tool today is Excel. ” Does the Dog Hunt? What is a better answer?

Supply Chain Planning Software 369

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Modeling Software Forecasting Software 369

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 16, 2014

I believed that the first generation of supply chain systems would improve operations to a greater degree than actually happened. I have learned that supply chain systems are more complex than I originally thought, and that the relationships between supply chain metrics are nonlinear. For me, this has been discovery. I am an old gal.

Supply Chain Design Software 319

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

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

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 231

S&OP Supply and Demand Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software 231

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 14, 2014

“The idea of the value chain is based on the process view of organizations, the idea of seeing a manufacturing (or service) organisation as a system, made up of subsystems each with inputs, transformation processes and outputs. Our current processes and dependencies on Excel spreadsheets cannot get us to our goal.

Manufacturing Procurement 345

Manufacturing Procurement Optimal Sourcing Procurement Analytics Modeling 345

Supply Chain Shaman

FEBRUARY 27, 2020

It is about answering the questions that we do not know to ask and testing and learning from market data (in vitro) to understand effective frontiers in complex non-linear systems. Older men buy less underwear than younger males and their packaging was not as attractive to the female shopper buying for the family.

Analytics Software 271

Analytics Software Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Optimal Sourcing 271

RFgen

DECEMBER 4, 2024

An efficient procurement process optimizes vendor selection and purchasing decisions to maintain cost-effective inventory levels. Production: Efficient production systems maximize resource utilization through standardized procedures. Partner Ecosystem Management: No supply chain exists in isolation.

Sourcing Strategies 96

Sourcing Strategies Inventory Reduction Waste Reduction Expense Reduction 96

Logistics Viewpoints

JULY 18, 2022

The company sources goods from 34,000 suppliers out of 30 nations. Driving an excellent supply chain depends on how people are recruited and managed, processes, and the technology used. Lead times expanded even for domestic manufacturers because they sourced raw materials from overseas. Getting the Most out of People.

Supply Chain Design Software 305

Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Software Network Design Software 305

Supply Chain Shaman

AUGUST 12, 2024

However, my worldview is that the larger shifts are far more systemic requiring a call for action that is going largely unheard. I would like for us to move past the conventional view of sourcing strategies and globalization to drive improvements to the supply chain in a variable world. Let me explain. So, my reply to Peter S.

Waste Reduction 195

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

Logistics Viewpoints

MARCH 1, 2021

The introduction of smoke-free products made the use of spreadsheet tools far less efficient in the capacity and sourcing planning as the new product categories had rapid growth. “We We needed to simulate multiple scenarios of significantly increased capacity and sourcing complexity, at speed and over a long planning horizon.

Modeling 276

Modeling Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software Optimal Sourcing 276

Supply Chain Shaman

DECEMBER 12, 2024

In parallel, PE/venture capitalists purchased/consolidated network solutions, slashing R&D and delaying investment, reducing industry capabilities. If you, like most, are running your supply chain based on ERP and Excel spreadsheet data, you are not prepared. – Technology Evolution Outpaced Adoption. No one knows. What to do?

Supply Chain Design Software 195

Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software Manufacturing Procurement Supply Chain Design 195

Kinaxis

OCTOBER 20, 2014

Reason #4 Making key decisions by modelling the supply chain in Excel. I lost track of how many carrots we had and ended up buying more when we really didn’t need any. In a make to stock environment, if I have a 6 month cumulative lead time, my forecast is being used to buy inventory today for something I’m going to sell in 6 months.

Supply Chain Planning Software 258

Supply Chain Planning Software Inventory Reduction Modeling Cost Reduction Strategies 258

Supply Chain Shaman

NOVEMBER 15, 2023

While we speak of Artificial Intelligence (AI) enablement and better engines (think math) within existing systems, few question why we cannot drive an end-to-end signal across decision support frameworks. A Point of Sale forecasting system requires a “ship to” model based on the channel. In deployments, data issues abound.

Supply Chain Planning Software 419

Supply Chain Planning Software Optimal Sourcing Modeling Forecasting Software 419