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I laugh when business leaders tell me that they are going to replace their current supply chain planning technologies with “AI.” Each supply chain planning technology at the end of 2024, went through disruption–change in CEO, business model shift, layoffs, re-platforming and acquisitions.
The manufacturing sector is facing unprecedented volatility in global trade, with tariffs becoming the latest in a series of uncertainty drivers that are impacting virtually all industries. Manufacturing plants are deeply entrenched; tied to infrastructure, suppliers, skilled labor, and regulatory requirements.
Companies leaning heavily on global sourcing? Theyre feeling the heat most, as sudden trade policy curveballs throw procurement plans into chaos. manufacturer I know saw their import costs jump overnight, forcing a rethink of a decade-old sourcing strategy. What Is Agile Procurement?
A data gateway is essentially a connective tissue across your supply chain, providing unified access to supply chain data from various sources, including enterprise systems, data feeds, data warehouses, data lakes, data marts, and business entities. Achieving these goals requires visibility into the entire supply chain.
SAP is embedding its generative Joule across the SAP Ariba source-to-pay solution portfolio to make it easier for their customers to manage routine inquiries, such as status updates, summarization, and frequently asked questions. It is a brilliant tool.” Those types of disagreements disappear in a SCCN platform.
They integrate AI into demand forecasting, inventory optimization, and logistics operations to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and mitigate risks. Organizations examine past sales trends, apply seasonal adjustments, and make forecasts based on historical models. Amazon is a leader in AI-driven supply chain management.
Planners are uniquely positioned with an end-to-end focus, from procurement of materials, through manufacturing and engineering, to the movement, storage, and delivery of finished products or services. Supply chain professionals use various tools, including supply chain modeling, inventory management, and forecasting.
Recent disruptions have exposed significant vulnerabilities in traditional models, driven by geopolitical instability, fluctuating demand, and operational inefficiencies. A data-driven, technology-enabled approach is required to build resilience and efficiency. Walmart is also implementing AI-driven logistics and procurement.
A data gateway is essentially a connective tissue across your supply chain, providing unified access to supply chain data from various sources, including enterprise systems, data feeds, data warehouses, data lakes, data marts, and business entities. Achieving these goals requires visibility into the entire supply chain.
Fragmented systems, rising cost pressures, and shifting risk profiles are making it harder than ever to manage procurement effectively. But what does it actually take to regain control and build a procurement strategy that’s both resilient and scalable? How do you begin developing a procurement strategy?
Logility, a conservative company supply chain planning technology, historically had no debt and cash reserves of more than 80M, is undervalued in this deal. Aptean is orchestrating the Blue Yonder/E2open/Infor playbook of buying undervalued assets and milking the maintenance and Software-as-a-Service contracts with existing customers.
Reducing cost was the primary objective, and most operational decisionsfrom sourcing to fulfillmentreflected that mindset. Lean models alone are no longer sufficient. Sudden tariff increases can quickly make a cost-optimized procurement strategy untenable, leaving companies scrambling to adjust.
Technology can change or even improve work. 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. What’s missing? The ripple effects are pervasive. The reason?
(TSX: KXS) an end-to-end supply chain orchestration, today announced a new partnership that will deliver improved alignment of supply chain plans with business objectives and strategies for midmarket discrete manufacturing companies. Were thrilled to partner with Infor to help manufacturers be more agile and resilient in the long term.
They emphasized being an Industry Cloud Complete Company with industry-specific solutions for over 2000 micro verticals across Process Manufacturing, Distribution, Service Industries, and Discrete Manufacturing. Industry-specific content is available for processes like Source to Settle, Procure to Pay, Order to Cash, and more.
Companies that previously prioritized cost-cutting and centralized sourcing quickly found themselves exposed to serious production and distribution risks. In response, many organizations have shifted toward decentralized and regionalized supply chain models, distributing production and sourcing across multiple regions.
Venture capitalists are high on Artificial Intelligence (AI), and over-exuberant professors with shiny new models are jockeying into position to get rich. Building a software company is hard work. Most of the business networks were hollowed out by venture capitalists or purchased by opportunists.
Probabilistic forecasting is revolutionizing demand forecasting, supply planning, and inventory optimization by significantly improving forecast accuracy and decision-making across distribution networks. Enhancing Inventory with Probabilistic Forecasting A supply chain is a complex ecosystem influenced by dynamic variables.
This is amplified across the supply chain into an exponential impact on inventory and planned orders for manufacturing. When we measure the bullwhip impact (in my class on outside-in process thinking), the bullwhip between manufacturing and procurement is 2-3X. Inventory Health. Measure inventory health.
Advanced supply chain planning is being transformed by probabilistic forecasting , which revolutionizes demand forecasting, supply planning, and inventory optimization. Enhancing Inventory with Probabilistic Forecasting A supply chain is a complex ecosystem influenced by dynamic variables.
Transportation, warehousing, and manufacturing collectively contribute significantly to carbon emissions, making these areas critical for meaningful change. Senior leaders must think beyond incremental improvements, embracing systemic innovation to achieve significant environmental impact.
has demonstrated how lawsuits could reshape trade dispute resolution, creating a new paradigm where the legal system, rather than the legislature, has a deciding role in dictating trade flows. Automotive: Can JIT manufacturing survive legal disruptions to tariff policy? to “Can we trust any trade rule will hold?”
Small companies outperform large companies, and the marquee customers of major supply chain planning technology providers underperform. All our great tools in our toolbox to improve supply chain planning, but my observation is that we are trying to AI stupid. This shift improves modeling options and the use of disparate data.
Excess inventory weighs down supply chains. Manufacturers are shifting to on-demand production to align output with real-time demand. This lean model doesn’t sacrifice speed, but instead thrives on it. Powered by digital tools, on-demand strategies offer a cleaner, more responsive path to production.
It’s a holistic approach that blends strategic planning, streamlined processes, and the right technology to transform your warehouse into a well-oiled, profit-generating machine. Eight proven optimization strategies, combining technology, best practices, and sustainable solutions.
Our first webinar with Oliver Wight discussed common people, process and technology pitfalls that hinder IBP initiatives. Our second webinar delved deeper into the technology aspect, focusing on analytical capabilities and scenario modeling. Let’s explore them briefly in this blog post.
The global supply chain landscape is undergoing significant transformations, influenced by rapid technological advancements, shifting consumer expectations, and the intricacies of international commerce. Conversely, a student who quickly grasps procurement strategies can be challenged with advanced case studies and leadership projects.
From May 19 to 21, 2025, CeMAT Southeast Asia and LogiSYM Asia Pacific were co-located for the second consecutive year at Singapore EXPO, creating a comprehensive platform for the regions logistics and supply chain community. Chinese robotics companies featured prominently, including Geek+, Syrius Technology, Seer Robotics, and Bluesword.
Based on the modeling completed with help from the IYSE group at Georgia Tech, we found that while a focus on operating margin, revenue/employee and ROCE can drive 73% of market capitalization/employee, while a focus on cost of goods reduces value. It does not fit into traditional supply chain models. Why would I do this?
It is one of those high-end brands with global recognition, and to my surprise, the manufacturer’s own website did not have any stock and no indication on when it would be available. Critical inventory disruptions/deficiency anywhere in the supply chain. Network cost modeling. so I went online to order it.
As a former COO, overseeing Kaizen events, value-stream mapping analysis , upgrading ERP systems, and implementing customer success programs, I recall how easy it was for functional leaders to get bogged down in their own imperatives and lose sight of the big picture. The technology in our silos was designed to optimize narrow functionality.
Keeping track of all your moving parts in manufacturing is a tall order. That’s where manufacturinginventory management software comes in. The right software can streamline your production, optimize stock levels, and even help you save money. Spreadsheets just don’t cut it anymore.
In an era where the threat of supply chain disruptions is constant, reshoring manufacturing has become a strategic imperative for manufacturers worldwide. Additionally, the desire to shorten supply chains and improve responsiveness to customer demands is encouraging more manufacturers to explore reshoring.
This model simplifies the world of RtM into a series of three steps that any RtM practitioner can execute. Here are the Top 5 Do’s and Don’ts to help you build a high-performing RTM model and distributor network: ✅Top 5 Do’s Do Align RTM Strategy with Consumer Behaviour : Design your RTM based on where, how, and why your consumers shop.
In a previous post , I made a case for how the Chief Supply Chain Officer (CSCO) and Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) are smarter together. Accordingly Supply Chain and Procurement will need continuous collaboration. Such sourcing events can be in the context of direct materials or logistics capacity.
An increasing lineup of advanced digital solutions have given manufacturers the edge to transform and achieve better inventory control. The manufacturing industry is constantly searching for new and inventive ways to improve inventory management. Types of inventory that can be optimized.
How should a global manufacturer make a decision? In one project, I am interviewing over fifty supply chain leaders on their perceived impact of advanced planning, what makes a good plan, and how effectively they use the technology. In short, the research tells me that the manufacturing industries are stuck.
Picture this: You’re a warehouse manager, and with a few taps on your smartphone, you instantly know the exact location and quantity of every item in your inventory. That’s not science fiction—it’s the power of mobile inventory management. Ready to turn your inventory from a headache into a strategic asset?
If there’s a bright spot anywhere it’s the fact that, as logistics challenges have grown, so has the availability of advanced technologies to manage these challenges. For logistics teams, digital control towers add maximum value when they’re integrated with the transportation management system (TMS). Warehouse Task Automation.
The supply chain space is heavily laden with acronyms, gobbledygook, false narratives, and over-hyped, fast-talking technology sales teams. I have built five such systems for companies. Translation of the demand forecast into planned orders to minimize manufacturing constraints. In my writing, I try to get clear on definitions.
I know that your primary focus is procurement. If S&OP efforts were that effective, don’t you think that we would have made more progress against inventory levels, margin, and growth? In part, this results in increasing swings in inventory in response to shifts in consumer demand as one moves further up the supply chain.
We saw this right at the start of the pandemic, when parts being manufactured in Wuhan province disrupted car manufacturers’ production lines around the world. These disconnections can seriously hurt manufacturers and retailers in today’s online, service-driven economy where consumer expectations are defined by the Amazon experience.
For most digital became an excuse to implement more traditional relational database technologies. Most companies invested in enterprise transactional systems, but their networks operate primarily through spreadsheets and email. Most are excited about their new platforms. ” Does the Dog Hunt? I am researcher.
Let’s take a closer look at how four key industries—automotive, consumer packaged goods (CPG), high tech, and industrial manufacturing—are navigating the tariff rollercoaster and adjusting to the shifting landscape. Key takeaway Top challenge: Sourcing volatility driven by EV component shortages and fluctuating global tariffs.
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