August, 2018

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My Boogie Woogie Trucking Shoes!

Tailwind

I was heading to baseball practice on Friday with my youngest – a newly-minted teenager – when the Eagles song ‘Witchy Woman’ came on the radio. The Eagles were in town that day, and the concert was happening that night. My mother in law, his grandmother, was attending the concert. We all pitched in to give it to her for her birthday: it was on her bucket list.

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Multi-echelon inventory optimization vs inventory optimization

ToolsGroup

Editor’s Note: Last year ToolsGroup became Microsoft’s partner for Multi-echelon Inventory Optimization (MEIO) in Industrial accounts. Microsoft and I collaborated on a blog introducing the basic concept of MEIO, comparing it with Inventory Optimization. You can see Microsoft's version here on their and my slightly modified version below. The subway system is the lifeblood of New York City, carrying an average of 5.7 million people per day across 472 stations.

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Harmonizing production and maintenance: The key to minimized asset debt

DELMIA Quintiq

All too common practice. Asset-intensive businesses, such as mining, airlines, utilities, oil & gas and railroads have one thing in common: internal tension between production and maintenance. In our experience, maintenance is too often viewed as a necessary evil, and maintenance planners have told us that they have to fight for slots to do scheduled and preventive maintenance.

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Overcoming a shortage of supply chain talent

ToolsGroup

Editor’s note: There will be no blog post next week due to summer holidays. There is a shortage of supply chain talent. Supply Chain Insights reports that more than half of all companies are seeing an increase in employee turnover and experiencing unfilled job openings. In certain areas the problem is much worse. One senior manager at Boeing said he saw demand for supply chain professionals exceed existing talent by a factor of six to one.

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4 Ways To Drive Supply Chain Excellence in the Food Industry

The Supplier Relationship Management Playbook is your guide to building effective supplier partnerships that drive supply chain excellence. This playbook equips supply chain professionals with strategies for managing compliance, tracking performance, and fostering collaboration to reduce supply chain risks. Inside, you’ll find: Strategies for Compliance: Best practices to help meet regulatory standards.

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The Secrets of Top Performers: Fleet Management as a Competitive Weapon

Talking Logistics

From changing regulatory requirements and increasing freight congestion to excessive detention time and driver shortages , shippers and logistics service providers (LSPs) are struggling to balance the multiple issues impacting fleet management today. In addition, rising customer expectations for faster delivery, on-time shipments and real-time status updates are magnifying the pressure to perform.

More Trending

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Gamification ideas in business: Your way to a more efficient supply chain

Kinaxis

by Emily Hunt Simply put, gamification involves the application of game design elements in a business setting. Gamification uses both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators to encourage users to perform at their best, fostering engagement through tactics ranging from simple – such as a progress bar, to those that are more complex – such as loyalty programs and immersive storytelling.

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Managing Supply Chain SLAs Through Blockchain: Is Blockchain the New Incoterm?

GlobalTranz

Service level agreements (SLAs) can vary in scope, complexity, duration, and value. Managing supply chain SLAs have the added complication of geographic and cultural barriers. Contract details may vary by region, and individual locations may be subject to unique contractual stipulations that other locations never see. In response, supply chains have relied on a series on defined terms for use in international SLAs, Incoterms.

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Why Warehousing Matters

The Network Effect

There are few people today who believe that warehousing is simply a storage function – but many still have logistics. The post Why Warehousing Matters appeared first on The Network Effect.

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How manufacturers optimize their inventories

ToolsGroup

Editor’s Note: Microsoft’s Colin Masson, Global Industry Director of Manufacturing Solutions (that's him on the left), sat down with me to discuss how manufacturers optimize their inventories. You can see a longer version of the interview here on the Microsoft website or my slightly abridged version below. Colin: What are some of the global trends currently impacting demand modeling, supply chain planning, and supply variability?

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15 Modern Use Cases for Enterprise Business Intelligence

Large enterprises face unique challenges in optimizing their Business Intelligence (BI) output due to the sheer scale and complexity of their operations. Unlike smaller organizations, where basic BI features and simple dashboards might suffice, enterprises must manage vast amounts of data from diverse sources. What are the top modern BI use cases for enterprise businesses to help you get a leg up on the competition?

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Finding a Warehouse in Today’s High-Demand Market

Talking Logistics

Finding the right warehouse is arguably one of the most important decisions your company will make. It has the potential to be not only be a powerful, industry-leading storage and shipping center, but also the literal hub of your logistics — including returns, reshipments, and other nuanced supply chain tasks. It needs the ability to grow with your ambitions without demanding too much of your bottom line, and there are a lot of configuration and feature choices to weigh before signing on t

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How Far Off is a Universal Quantum Computer?

Enterra Insights

Nearly every week scientists announce another breakthrough they claim takes us a step closer to developing a truly universal quantum computer. Elliot M. Kass notes, “Quantum computing theory has been around since the late 1970s, and a commercial system has been available for a decade. But persistent technical problems have impeded the widespread adoption of this potent new approach to data processing.”[1] The commercial system he mentions is a D-Wave system employing quantum annealin

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Transitioning to Digital Supply Networks

Kinaxis

by Mike McAllister By APICS CEO Abe Eshkenazi, CSCP, CPA, CAE. This article was originally published on apics.org, and is republished with permission. With the advent of the fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, supply chain professionals are expected to embrace many new technologies – from artificial intelligence and robotics to predictive analytics and cloud computing.

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Logistics Automation and Blockchain: What’s the Potential?

GlobalTranz

Up to 64% of supply chain leaders consider Big Data Analytics the best way to overcome supply chain challenges, asserts Antonia Renner of ComputerWorld, but new technologies, such as logistics automation and blockchain, may hold much more opportunity than meets the eye. Logistics automation and blockchain have potential applicability to payment processing, freight location monitoring, order fulfillment, and more.

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How To Select the Right Software for Innovation Management

Finding the right innovation management software is like picking a racing bike—it's essential to consider your unique needs rather than just flashy features. This oversight can stall your innovation efforts. Download now to explore key considerations for success!

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Fighting Fake Drugs in the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

The Network Effect

With the lucrative profits to be made from fake pharmaceutical drugs, even more than in the narcotics trade, fake drugs. The post Fighting Fake Drugs in the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain appeared first on The Network Effect.

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Blockchain Gains Traction in the Food Supply Chain

Logistics Viewpoints

12 of the world’s biggest companies, including Walmart and Nestlé, are building a blockchain to remake how the industry tracks food worldwide. The group is focused on solving the traceability problem is known as Food Trust. There are many initiatives using Blockchain. This initiative is further along than any other. The post Blockchain Gains Traction in the Food Supply Chain appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints.

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Closing the Gaps in Supply Chain Visibility

Talking Logistics

Not having adequate visibility to your shipments, orders, or products is an ongoing challenge for many companies. You may have very good visibility in some areas of your supply chain, but have poor visibility or blind spots in other areas such as transportation. How do you go about identifying and closing those visibility gaps? How are new technology capabilities helping in this effort?

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21st Century Sales Skills for Transportation and Logistics Professionals

The Logistics of Logistics

Download the audio file. Podcast Summary: In this podcast, Joe Lynch welcomes Ann Holm to the show. Joe and Ann discuss their upcoming sales improvement program. The program, 21st Century Sales Skills for Transportation Logistics Professionals begins Wednesday, September 19th, 1:00 p.m. EST and last 10 weeks. The sales improvement program was designed specifically for transportation and logistics professionals and their hectic, unpredictable schedules.

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How To Set Up Innovation So That It Aligns With And Enables Corporate Strategy

Speaker: Paul Heller

Most innovation work proceeds independently from company strategy. As a result, the products that arrive in the market are not well aligned with the company’s goals. This challenge is particularly significant in organizations with transformation-oriented strategies, where innovation must directly support growth, scalability, and strategic pivots. In this session, we will discuss why innovation in large companies is so often not aligned with the company’s strategy and what innovation leaders, pro

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Kinaxis once again positioned in Leaders quadrant of Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Supply Chain Planning System of Record

Kinaxis

by Mike McAllister It’s important to feel validated, in life, and in business. That’s why we’re particularly excited to share the news of Gartner’s most recent research, the 2018 Magic Quadrant for Supply Chain Planning System of Record. In it, Gartner positions Kinaxis in the Leaders quadrant for the third consecutive time, providing what we think is some pretty weighty validation for our vision of what a supply chain planning platform should be.

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[PODCAST] How Shippers Can Compete Against Rising Transportation Costs & Competition Using Data

GlobalTranz

Hello and welcome back to another episode of “The Freight Project Podcast!” On today’s episode we welcome Hannah Testani, Chief Operating Officer of Intelligent Audit , a global logistics and freight audit company. We hope you enjoy “The Freight Project Podcast.” You can subscribe and find this podcast on Apple iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Soundcloud , YouTube , and iHeartRadio!

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Improve Manufacturing Performance with Total Productive Maintenance

Enchange Supply Chain Consultancy

When I first came across Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) I was sceptical of yet another ”blue sky” approach to pursuing manufacturing excellence. Surely, this would soon be replaced by the next set of buzz-word initials dreamed up by sharp-suited consultants. But no; I saw the light and now I’m a firm believer in this technique that originated in Japan.

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Warehouse Robots Enable a Digital Transformation

Logistics Viewpoints

A leading MRO began a digital transformation three years ago. Because about half of this company’s 2017 revenues are related to warehousing services, several of their digital projects have been related to improving efficiency in their warehouses. This case study describes their approach to testing out mobile logistics robots. The post Warehouse Robots Enable a Digital Transformation appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints.

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What Makes a Warehouse Worker Happy?

The 2024 Newcastle Systems Worker Satisfaction Survey provides insights into the life of a warehouse worker and what matters to them.

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Research: What Leading Shippers Do to Obtain Better Truckload Rates and Performance

Talking Logistics

No doubt about it: this trucking environment is sending plenty of truckload budgets into the red. What can shippers do to navigate this market? Take your cue from the latest findings of MIT researchers. Using data from TMC, a division of C.H. Robinson , the researchers examined the best practices that separate Leaders from Laggards in getting better truckload rates and performance.

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Collaboration and Visibility in the Supply Chain

Oracle SCM

Tom McDonough , Sr. Director Product Marketing. One of the Supply Chain Management trends apparent at the Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference in May was highlighted by several vendor/customer presentations focused on the value of Collaboration and Visibility projects. In 2013 Gartner defined end to end supply chain visibility (E2ESCV) as “a capability that provides controlled access and transparency to accurate, timely and complete plans, events and data – transactions, content

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Artificial Intelligence – beyond the hype, the experts, its weak spots and losing your job

Supply Chain Trend

In our household we love our Google Home. My girls use it continuously to play music, ask silly questions, jokes, do calculations and spell difficult words amongst other things. I use it to voice command my shopping list, set a timer and book meetings in my agenda. Speeking to and interacting with a little machine in my living room, that has the capacity to both understand and create communication, is a great example of how Artifical Intelligence has infiltrated our lives.

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Supply Chain Facilities Management: It’s More Than Just Facilities

GlobalTranz

Supply Chain Facilities Management includes unique challenges and requires out-of-the-box thinking to be successful. Successful supply chain management includes successful Facilities Management , meaning the facilities must work at maximum efficiency to meet guest demands, explains Inbound Logistics. However, supply chain facilities can range from warehouses to forward-stocking locations in the supply chain network.

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Maximize Supply Chain Spend & Asset Utilization with Innovative Test Automation

Connected devices are emerging at an explosive rate exerting pressure on larger operators; however, some organizations cannot continue to purchase the latest & greatest devices without ramifications. The introduction of automated test technology drives the optimization of supply chain expenditures leveraging forward & reverse logistics paths. Adopting innovative test automation tools addresses these challenges by providing robust solutions for testing the interoperability, performance, & securit

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FMCG cost savings versus sales & marketing budgets!

Enchange Supply Chain Consultancy

There is your dilemma. You need to save cash towards an expensive year-end holiday but you really do not know the best place from where to take the money. Do you take it from your day to day current account which is already set up to pay the routine monthly bills and invoices? Do you take funds out of an investment account that has not yet actually matured?

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A Maturity Model for Supply Chain Design

Logistics Viewpoints

LLamasoft has developed a maturity model related to supply chain design solutions. As a leading supplier of supply chain design solutions, this is a natural extension for them. Developing a maturity model, however, is not for the faint of heart. The model explicity ties ROI from a design project to the maturity level. The post A Maturity Model for Supply Chain Design appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints.

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The Digital Transformation Journey: The Alignment of Industry, Company, and Technology

Talking Logistics

In today’s market, it is imperative for process businesses to pursue digital transformations to meet changing customer expectations, global market demands, and increased competition. Process industry businesses that embark on digital transformation journeys are becoming disruptors in the industry. Smart executives know that a digital transformation can be a catalyst for growth and will drive shareholder value.