January, 2013

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The End of a Fairy Tale. Part 2.

Supply Chain Shaman

'Usually in a fairy tale there is a big, bad wolf… or a hairy monster. One that is going to eat you up! In part one of this blog series, I started the saga of the supply chain fairy tale. It was a story where people believed that functional excellence leads to supply chain superiority. Year after year, well intentioned people toiled against improving metrics that reduced, not improved, the effectiveness of the supply chain.

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Is Apple Supply Chain Really the No. 1? A Case Study

Supply Chain Opz

'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.

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The Executive Perspective: A Conversation with Jim Matcham

Talking Logistics

'In our “Executive Perspective” episodes, we explore the key issues and topics that are “top of mind ” for supply chain and logistics executives today. In this episode, Adrian discusses a variety of industry trends and topics with Jim Matcham , Director of Logistics and Supply Chain Business Improvement at a leading manufacturing company.

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Full Product Transparency (Guest Post by Ramon Arratia, Interface)

SCM Research

'In his new book, Full Product Transparency , sustainability pioneer Ramon Arratia argues that we have to move from corporate to product sustainability. I am happy that Ramon followed my invitation to contribute to my blog: The conventional approach to exercising corporate responsibility in a company’s supply chain is to draft a company supplier standard and then audit for compliance using that document.

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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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5 Keys to Implementing Improvement Initiatives

The Logistics of Logistics

'Every industry seems to have its silver bullet for creating improvement. If you know the buzzwords and “tools” for the system of choice you can become a guru, sitting on top of the mountain dispensing golden pearls of wisdom for all to wonder at. At least, that’s the idea. My particular improvement soapbox is Lean Management with some Six Sigma thrown in for good measure.

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My Take: Let’s Admit Seven Demand Management Mistakes of the Last Decade

Supply Chain Shaman

'Within an organization, the words “Demand Planning” stir emotions. Usually, it is not a mild reaction. Instead, it’s a series of emotions defined by wild extremes including anger, despair, disillusionment, or hopelessness. Seldom do we find a team excited about demand planning. Supply chain leaders want to improve it, but are not optimistic that they can make improvements.

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Change in the (Supply) Chain

Supply Chains Rock

'Great infographic in Fast Company from the folks at UPS based on a survey.

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Vested: How P&G, McDonald’s, and Microsoft are Redefining Winning in Business Relationships

Talking Logistics

'In this episode, Kate Vitasek (University of Tennessee) and Karl Manrodt (Georgia Southern University) discuss the current state of Vested Outsourcing and the key findings from their latest book, Vested: How P&G, McDonald’s, and Microsoft are Redefining Winning in Business Relationships. If you have questions or comments for Kate, Karl, or Adrian, post them below and keep the conversation going!

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Creating Added Value beyond Corporate Boundaries

SCM Research

'Some months ago, Symrise, a global supplier of fragrances, flavors, active ingredients, and aroma chemicals, has won the German Sustainability Award 2012 in the “Germany’s Most Sustainable Initiatives” category for its approach to procure vanilla in Madagascar : Symrise closely collaborates with more than 1,000 vanilla farmers and “the entire procurement process takes place locally, from cultivation and harvesting, to the fermentation of the beans, all the way through to extraction”

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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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Most Popular Blog Posts of 2012

The Logistics of Logistics

'Please check out the most popular blog posts of 2012. Five Lessons from Military Logistics. Military folks excel in logistics because they focus on the five areas below and we would all be wise to do the same. Core Values / Culture. Regardless of which branch of the military or specific job responsibilities, the military instills core values into every soldier.

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Is Walmart Really Ready to Take on Logistics In India?

Supply Chain View from the Field

'Today’s Wall Street Journal printed a great story on the challenges that Walmart faces as it grows its logistics network in India. The article notes how India is the second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world, but that one-third of the produce rots because of its horrendous logistics infrastructure. The story highlights some of the findings of our recent global logistics study,which found that logistics infrastructure is one of the most challenging issues, particularly

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A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing? Acronym Babble? Digital Icing on a Stale Cake? Yes, I Think So.

Supply Chain Shaman

'“A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” is an idiom of Biblical origin. It is used to describe those playing a role contrary to their real character, with whom contact is dangerous. – Wikipedia. Buzz words filled the air at the NRF Big Show, held at the Javitz Convention Center in New York last week. The air was thick. Words like big data, omni-channel fulfillment, smarter commerce, mobility and customer-centric retail filled the room.

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Terra’s Forecasting Benchmark Study 2012

Supply Chain Movement

'The Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry faced another year of challenges from economic turbulence and weak consumer confidence in 2011. Given the volatility and rapid pace of promotional activities and product innovation, the gradual increase in forecast error since 2009 comes as no surprise. Demand Planning provides more or less the same performance across companies, with average weekly error rates of 53%.

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Freight Procurement Simplified: Bids from Hours to Minutes

Speaker: Eric Berdinis, Ran Sun, & Chris Chmielewski

Procuring freight can be cumbersome, time-consuming, and error-prone. If you’re frustrated with the complex and manual processes for obtaining bids for your contract and spot freight, you’re not alone. In today’s fast-moving supply chain environment, optimizing these processes is critical to staying competitive and cutting costs. Join this exclusive webinar with experts from Uber Freight to learn how the latest digital tools and automation can transform your freight procurement strategy by strea

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Supply Chain can affect your marriage: Inventory control

Enchange Supply Chain Consultancy

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Theory Testing from a Critical Realist Perspective

SCM Research

'In a previous post, it was demonstrated that researchers can play two different roles, as they can either build or test theories. An SMJ article by Miller and Tsang (2011), which is titled Testing management theories: Critical realist philosophy and research methods , focuses on the latter role we can play. The authors claim: “Not only do we have a plurality of theories within management research, there is also no consensus about the criteria for evaluating theories.” Taking a criti

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How Disruptive Technologies in Hospitality Will Shape 2013 and Beyond

BlueYonder

'Over the recent few years consumer behavior has changed dramatically. Easily available information coupled with the continued economic turmoil has made today’s consumers extremely discerning in their choices around travel. Hoteliers in turn, with access to the same data, have to fight harder to win customers’ loyalty. Just relying on standard approaches to marketing or relying on online travel agencies (OTA’s) to fill up the rooms is no longer enough.

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Healthcare Reform Begins with Comparative Cost Effectiveness: A Revolution in Healthcare Management

Supply Chain View from the Field

'Josh Feldstein from the Center for Applied Value Analysis came to speak in my class today, and provided a fascinating view of the future for healthcare. CAVA started off as a spinoff of Josh’s medical education firm. He could clearly see that the industry was changing, and healthcare clients managing large hospitals were asking for value-based pharmaceutical solutions.

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How to Master Product Portfolio Management

Pursuing product portfolio management excellence empowers organizations to unlock the full potential of their offerings. This comprehensive guide unveils 10 essential keys that serve as the building blocks for success.

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Sage Advice? Only for Turkeys.

Supply Chain Shaman

'This week, I am grounded due to weather. So, I am spending my time writing. Music is blaring, my toe is tapping, and I am hard at work on what I love. I enjoy writing research. I am currently writing an article on supply chain excellence. The time off the road is allowing me to think more critically about the path that got us here, and about what drives supply chain excellence (or more importantly, what does not drive improvement).

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Green Supply Chain Management - Infosys Blogs

Infosys Supply Chain Management

'About Us. Contact Us. Newsroom Investors Careers. Infosys Labs. Industries. Industries. Aerospace and Defense. Airlines. Automotive. Communication Services. Consumer Packaged Goods. Education. Energy. Financial Services. Healthcare. High-Tech. Hospitality and Leisure. Industrial Manufacturing. Insurance. Logistics and Distribution. Media and Entertainment.

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Innovations in supply chain management?past, present and future

ModusLink Corporation

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Logistics and Supply Chain Management Dissertation Awards

SCM Research

'Every year, various companies, foundations, and associations recognize excellence in research with awards for outstanding dissertations. What follows is a selection of awards related to our field. The Science Award for Supply Chain Management (€10,000 honorarium for the winner) is awarded by the German Logistics Association (BVL). The Stinnes Foundation gives the DB Schenker Award (€10,000) to dissertations related to transportation and logistics.

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The Ultimate Guide to Transportation and Load Building Optimization

Enhance your transportation and load building efficiency with our comprehensive guide. Learn to tackle today's supply chain challenges and optimize your approach with advanced planning strategies. This guide covers: Supply Chain Challenges: Discover how transportation planning can address critical issues and improve efficiency. Load Building Benefits: Understand how effective load building can enhance your transportation processes.

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Logistics Key Process Indicators (KPIs)

The Logistics of Logistics

'</span><span style="color: #000000;">“You can’t manage what you can’t measure” – W. Edward Deming & Joe Lynch</span><span style="color: #000000;"> . If you move freight for a living, you know the importance of logistics key process indicators (KPIs). A KPI is an indicator (a metric) that you have chosen, and agreed with your partners and or customers, that will determine whether you are meeting your critical suc

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Bangladesh Working Conditions: A Human Rights Issue? Or a Supplier Capacity Issue?

Supply Chain View from the Field

'The recent press in the Wall Street Journal and other papers on Walmart’s fire in Bangladesh is raising the ire of corporate responsibility groups and human rights groups alike. How can retailers like Walmart support buying clothing in factories that are treating workers with such disregard, not to mention exposing them to working conditions that are dangerous and take lives?

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I Believe We Have Reached The Supply Chain Plateau

Supply Chain Shaman

'A plateau: a period of stability with no change. Last weekend, I wrote two reports. They published this past week. In the first report, I rolled up my sleeves and analyzed balance sheets of process companies over the past decade with Abby Mayer ( @indexgirl ). In the process, I discovered that the average process manufacturing company has reached a plateau in supply chain performance.

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Supply Chain Management:ROP using APO CTM - Infosys Blogs

Infosys Supply Chain Management

'About Us. Contact Us. Newsroom Investors Careers. Infosys Labs. Industries. Industries. Aerospace and Defense. Airlines. Automotive. Communication Services. Consumer Packaged Goods. Education. Energy. Financial Services. Healthcare. High-Tech. Hospitality and Leisure. Industrial Manufacturing. Insurance. Logistics and Distribution. Media and Entertainment.

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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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3. Sun Tzu: The Art of Logistics

Supply Chains Rock

'Logisticians are dazzling masterminds who use ingenuity to transport cumbersome supplies across vast distances and over some of the world''s most challenging terrain. These transportation experts used manpower and pure mechanical force to get things where they needed to be. Long before UPS and third-party logistics companies, these historic logisticians were laying the groundwork that powers.

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Supply Chain Cowboy - Three Silver Bullets to Solve (and Raise.

Supply Chain Cowboy

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Webinar: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective 3PLs (February 6, 2013)

The Logistics of Logistics

'Webinar: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective 3PLs (January 30, 2013, 1:00 pm). This free 30 minute webinar is designed to help shippers identify the habits of the best 3PLs. There are plenty of great 3PLs moving freight, and the most successful ones have developed the right habits. In the webinar, the 7 habits of highly effective 3PLs will be presented.

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