April, 2015

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Reflections on Integrated Supply Chain Planning

Supply Chain Shaman

'Yesterday, I presented to 700 global attendees on an APICS webinar. In the presentation, I shared data on the evolution of supply chain planning and the results on user satisfaction. The results confound me. They are not consistent with market perception. Let me share the story. As shown in Figure 1, users are more satisfied, the implementations are shorter and there is greater Return on Investment of solutions from Best-of-Breed solution providers—especially if the best-of-breed solution provi

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Defeat supply chain complexity like a Jedi

DELMIA Quintiq

Image credit: Moviepilot. Overwhelmed by the dark forces of supply chain planning? The best supply chain planners share a common trait with Jedi knights: No matter how tough things get, they never give up. So how do they overcome a supply chain’s darkest force: complexity? Here’s what they don’t do: Assign different parts of their planning challenge to different departments.

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[INFOGRAPHIC] Expert Reveals 7 Supply Chain Trends to Watch

GlobalTranz

'Editor’s Note: This blog post is from SupplyChainOpz. We found it as a great summation of all the things companies must consider when mastering their supply chain. Many studies state that those who can manage the functions with the supply chain, they have a competitive advantage. As a transportation management third party logistics company, we know at Cerasis that transportation makes up a large portion of the costs and efficiencies of any supply chain.

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Why Having a Green Supply Chain Has Become a Necessity

Kinaxis

'by Alexa Cheater In honor of Earth Day I thought I’d take the opportunity to outline in my humble opinion why having a green supply chain is no longer a nice-to-have – it’s a necessity. Gone are the days when consumers would look the other way while companies rode roughshod over the environment in pursuit of a more profitable supply chain. Nowadays even governments (the good ones at least), are actively involved in making sure Mother Nature is protected, at least to some extent.

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The 2025 Annual ProcureCon CPO Report

Procurement leaders are at a pivotal moment. With CPOs playing an increasingly strategic role, it’s time to leverage innovation and technology to drive resilience and efficiency. Download The 2025 Annual ProcureCon CPO Report to uncover key insights to thrive in a dynamic procurement landscape. What’s Inside: How CPOs are driving strategic decision-making and technology adoption The top priorities and challenges for procurement in 2025 Why AI, sustainability, and data analytics are essential for

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Walmart Has One of The World’s Most Sustainable Supply Chains? Really?

Logistics Viewpoints

There are various lists that include the world’s most sustainable companies: Corporate Knights, the Climate Performance Leadership Index, and others. Walmart does not make those lists. None of them. Walmart is doing more in sustainability, particularly in the supply chain area, than they are given credit for. In contrast, there seems to be some sort […].

More Trending

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Getting Inventory Right: Hope with Hype and Recycled Software?

Supply Chain Shaman

'It is morning in Orlando. The sun is rising. I am speaking this morning at the Terra Technology conference and doing a book signing of my new book, Supply Chain Metrics That Matter. It is my seventh year of speaking at this small, and intimate event. The world of supply chain is active on my iPhone. Several good friends in consulting roles are sharing information on SAP HANA from SAP Insider; and this morning, LLamasoft announced the acquisition of the LogicTools assets from IBM.

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7 Ways to Create Perfect Agile Supply Chain Machine

Supply Chain Opz

'Agile Supply Chain concept has been discussed widely but the definition can be a bit vague. In this article, we will explain how agile supply chain theories were developed and 7 ways to create agility in your organization. Agile Supply Chain Agile Supply Chain is based on the concept of "Agility" which was developed at Lehigh University in the United States.

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[INFOGRAPHIC] Interesting Facts & Financial Breakdown of the Global Logistics Market

GlobalTranz

Editor’s Note: Almost 14 months ago we wrote one of our most popular posts entitled, “ The History of Supply Chain and Logistics Management ” contained a bit of history, definitions, and a great infographic visually going through the history of supply chain and logistics management. Today, we bring you yet another infographic. We feel infographics are a great way to explain a big idea.

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Supply Chain Transformation — The Important Element of Information Strategy

Kinaxis

'by Bob Ferrari The following guest blog commentary is contributed by Bob Ferrari, Founder and Executive Editor of the Supply Chain Matters blog and Managing Director of the Ferrari Consulting and Research Group LLC. We often context and plan supply chain transformation initiatives under the three-pronged perspectives of People , Process and Technology enablers.

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Enterprise ABM Marketing Tools: A Marketers Guide

Savvy B2B marketers know that a great account-based marketing (ABM) strategy leads to higher ROI and sustainable growth. In this guide, we’ll cover: What makes for a successful ABM strategy? What are the key elements and capabilities of ABM that can make a real difference? How is AI changing workflows and driving functionality? This Martech Intelligence Report on Enterprise Account-Based Marketing examines the state of ABM in 2024 and what to consider when implementing ABM software.

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It’s all about the Benjamins

Logistics Viewpoints

'Cash is the life blood of any organization and the supply chain is one of the most powerful ways to maximize any company’s cash. If you listen to publicly-traded companies’ earnings calls, the CFO will talk about cash generation from operations and days-sales-outstanding (DSO) as 2 important metrics of company performance. The right combination of […].

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Taking a Holistic View on Inventory May Lead to Change in Strategy

Talking Logistics

'Inventory optimization has always been a challenge while designing and planning a supply chain. A variety of barriers can impact an effective inventory strategy, such as working in functional silos and demand/supplier volatility¹. The good thing is that companies are beginning to appreciate the importance of inventory form and function instead of narrowing it down to just setting optimal safety stock targets.

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The Journey for Excellence

Supply Chain Shaman

'It is finally spring in Philadelphia. Yesterday, as I walked the streets on the way to ballet, I saw flowers for the first time in a year. I love spring. It is a time for awakening. My body is decompressing from travel, but my mind is full of ideas. I have been on the road for the past three weeks speaking at seven events. Travel is both enriching and exhausting.

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4 reasons not to miss the Quintiq World Tour

DELMIA Quintiq

'Another year, another stretch goal. Your boss is expecting you to squeeze every last dollar of efficiency out of your plans. With pressure to deliver results, does your wish list look something like this? What if you could spend a day talking to industry experts for insights to improve efficiency? Proven strategies to convince your boss to try? The Quintiq World Tour is designed to help you fulfil your wish list.

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The Evolving Retailers Fulfillment Strategy: Meeting Demands with Agility

Speaker: Becky Parisotto and John Vurdelja

Fulfillment is no longer just about getting products from point A to point B – it's about crafting seamless, scalable, customer first experiences. Flexible fulfillment strategies are more important than ever for those aiming to stay ahead and build resilience as retail enters a new era in 2025. Learn how to optimize fulfillment processes, tackle complex, multi-vendor orders, and create seamless customer experiences – from white-glove delivery for high-value items to quick-ship solutions for ever

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In House Logistics vs. Outsourced Logistics: Big & Small Brands Alike are Targeting 3PL Services

GlobalTranz

'Outsourcing in the supply chain of logistics teams may sound farfetched. After all, outsourcing typically refers to sending jobs overseas. Yet in outsourced logistics simply refers to hiring a third-party logistics service, 3PL, to handle the logistics services. From securing inventory to transporting goods from Point A to Point B, 3PL are taking over as in-house logistics teams fall flat.

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How Do You Define Your Supply Chain Challenges?

Kinaxis

by Andrew Dunbar Google “Top 10 supply chain challenges” and you’ll find 44 million different opinions on the biggest issues our industry faces today. Many are filled with our favourite industry buzzwords: Visibility , Risk Management , Cost Pressure, The Internet of Things, Security Threats… and the list goes on. These are all interesting and catchy concepts but they don’t necessarily address the fundamental challenges faced by your supply chain organization.

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Demystifying Supply Chain Optimization

Logistics Viewpoints

'A little over 6 months ago, I had the opportunity to talk about the most famous problem in Computer Science, the travelling salesman problem (TSP), and its real world corollary, the vehicle routing problem (VRP), which remains one of the most studied problems in transportation. The issue with these problems and others like them is […].

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The Cloud Technology Opportunity for Logistics Service Providers

Talking Logistics

'Supply chain technology is becoming mission-critical for global companies. One reason for this is that companies are outsourcing more, in order to raise profitability. 86% of logistics service providers (LSPs) said their shippers increased outsourcing this year over last, according to a recent Capgemini survey. For shippers, greater outsourcing means reduced control over their processes, which are now scattered across the world.

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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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Sales and Operations Alignment: Often The Missing Link

Supply Chain Shaman

'I pushed aside Shane’s motorbike helmet and jacket to take a seat in his crowded office. It was a beautiful spring day in March in Basel, Switzerland. Shane is a stocky man of medium build who I love talking to. He is an engaging personality: definitely a people person. He had recently returned from his stint as the commercial leader for Syngenta in Vietnam, and was excited to tell me about his beach-side investment in Australia.

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Celebrating Supply Chain Day

DELMIA Quintiq

'Can you name one product that doesn’t involve logistics? It’s amazing how much logistics is part of our lives, and how much we take it for granted. So this Supply Chain Day, join us in celebrating the role of logistics by trying your hand at one of our exciting challenges below. Smart Trucker Challenge. The rules of the game are simple enough.

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Transportation Industry Braces for a Looming Transportation Capacity Crunch Crisis in 2017

GlobalTranz

'Expected Transportation Capacity Issues. The concern and dialog about the transportation capacity issues for our country have bridged the past two decades and beyond. In fact, according to a released, in-depth analysis of the State of Logistics report from the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals , (CSCMP), the United States expects that by 2017, supply chain organizers will be less concerned with paying higher trucking rates than being able to find trucking container space availabl

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Non-Traditional Supply Chain Pt 1: Data as a Commodity

Kinaxis

by Alexa Cheater An interesting topic came up the other day at the office, the idea of non-traditional supply chain. Not non-traditional in the sense of a company that thinks and acts a little outside of what’s considered to be ‘normal’ supply chain operating processes. Rather, supply chains that don’t deal with material goods at all. Perhaps it’s because I’m a Millennial, part of Generation Y, and came of age at the same time the internet did, but my very first thought was of course there’s suc

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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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Recent Port Shutdowns Highlight the Advantage of Modeling for Supply Chain Risk Management

Logistics Viewpoints

Recent massive strikes among dockworkers on the California coast brought the reality of supply chain continuity planning to the forefront once again for global businesses. The Los Angeles and Long Beach ports handle nearly half of the nation’s cargo, and are the main gateway for imports from Asia including automobiles, furniture, clothing, electronic products and […].

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Transportation Sourcing in an Omni-channel World

Talking Logistics

Omni-channel is transforming retail transportation’s supply chain and logistics processes. Unfortunately, many retailers are jumping in without a plan — that is, they are taking a short-term, silo’ed approach to transportation sourcing and execution, and as a result, are failing to meet their desired outcomes. But what are some of the unintended consequences retailers are experiencing by jumping in without a plan?

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Why a customer-driven supply chain strategy is important

The Network Effect

Customer expectations are not consistent with what companies offer. Therefore, the companies supply chains are not allowing the fulfillment of the customers’ expectations. Wow, what an opening to this message! Are these first two sentences true? Am I just trying to get your attention? How could these first two sentences be true, as it appears I am saying that no company has set customer satisfaction standards that meet customer expectations.

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Solving 5 business challenges with insights from industry leaders

DELMIA Quintiq

'Is technology holding you back or propelling you forward? Get the answers in London on May 7. The Quintiq World Tour is stopping in London on May 7 to explore how companies can boost their market share by integrating their planning processes, people and technology. The following five business challenges will be discussed by our lineup of experts from industries including light rail, manufacturing, aviation, and oil & gas.

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The 25 Types of Innovation Dominating R&D Today

Innovation varies widely across sectors and organizations, creating value in diverse forms. Understanding different types is crucial for R&D teams to foster creativity and uncover missed opportunities. This guide explores 25 key types of innovation in management frameworks.

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How Can Data Improve Supplier Decisions?

GlobalTranz

'A growing trend across all industries has been the application of big data , with the use of algorithms and the hiring of data scientists becoming commonplace. As businesses collect and store an ever increasing amount of data, the algorithms required to make sense of this data will become even more valuable. This is due to the fact that algorithms can take any number of factors into account and provide unbiased insights into variation.

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Push vs. Pull Strategies: Dealing with the On-Demand Market

Kinaxis

'by Alexa Cheater Our partner Celestica recently published the following article, ‘Staying Ahead of Today’s On-Demand Market: Push Versus Pull Strategies.’ The author, Robert Rejano, Processes and Applications Advisor, Celestia, discusses the key differences between push and pull strategies and their impact on the supply chain. Rejano asks ‘So why does technology even matter when supply chain principles haven’t really changed in decades?

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Antitrust Compliance Requires Increasingly Granular Supply Chain Cost Data

Logistics Viewpoints

'There is a rarely litigated – but often irritating – antitrust and distribution law known as the Robinson-Patman Act. The Act prohibits sellers from setting different prices for competing purchasers of like commodities, except when justified based on differences in volumes or cost of sale. In short, if a large supplier is selling the same […].