July, 2015

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Seven Mistakes to Avoid in Sales and Operations Planning

Supply Chain Shaman

Definition of a Mistake: An action or judgment that is misguided or wrong. Synonyms: Error, fault, blunder, oversight, miscalculation or a misunderstanding. Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) is important to building value chain agility and improving enterprise performance. (Agility is the ability to have the same performance in cost, quality, and customer service given a level of demand and supply volatility.

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The Ultimate List of Top Logistics Startups – Blog

Freightos

Logistics is the prime example of a changing industry – colossal, ripe for disruption and utterly opaque. And it’s about to get hit by a freight train of innovation. How much do we love freight innovation? Enough to go through every single article published in the top tech blogs – Techcrunch, Verge, Mashable and Recode – since 2007 to count how often articles about logistics startups, freight or cargo were published.

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[INFOGRAPHIC] Effective Supply Chain Management In Manufacturing Key to Revival of Industry in U.S.

GlobalTranz

The more people you add into any project, the more complicated everything gets. Sometimes it makes sense to have as few people involved so that there are no crossed wires or misunderstandings, but often it's more practical to have the people who specialize at a certain task lend their expertise to the matter. Supply chain management in manufacturing is by no means a simple process, but the United States is learning from past mistakes and they're poised to start playing a little catch-up in the m

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Bubble Wrap Loses Its Pop for Logistics Cost Savings

Talking Logistics

In case you missed it, the Wall Street Journal and others reported last week that Sealed Air Corp., the makers of Bubble Wrap, have developed a new version of the product called iBubble Wrap that doesn’t pop. The reaction on Twitter was quick and furious: It’s a sad, sad day in our nation’s history. [link]. — Al Yankovic (@alyankovic) July 2, 2015.

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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 Millennial Mentality: Is Your Supply Chain Ready for the Shift?

Kinaxis

by Alexa Cheater It seems like everywhere I look I see mention of millennials, that ‘next generation’ who seems to be shaking things up in a big way. From the way companies do business to the products available on store shelves to the rising stars of the executive world, there’s no mistaking the millennial influence. That got me wondering, what kind of sway does this technology-loving, values-driven, need-to-know right now, group have over your supply chain.

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Five Reflections From Supply Chain Planning Benchmarking

Supply Chain Shaman

Benchmarking is a measurement of the quality of an organization’s policies, products, programs or strategies against standard measurements. Business Dictionary.com. Writing a Shaman blog post is now a Sunday night ritual. For me, it is a good time to reflect, think and share what I am learning. In my work with Supply Chain Insights , I immerse myself in learning.

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Managing the Long Tail–Part 3: How Dart Achieved a 99.6% Service Level

ToolsGroup

After analyzing the long tail supply chain challenge in the last two blogs , this week we see how Dart tackled their long tail and achieved a 99.6% service level with about 20% less inventory. This story starts in 2012 with Dart Container acquiring Solo Cup. Solo is famous for its disposable red party cup and also sells a broad assortment of other products through retail and food service channels.

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The Exploding Use of Robotics in Logistics and Manufacturing

GlobalTranz

The world has changed from the oil days of machine assisted assembly lines and manufacturing processes as more robots have entered the workforce. Robotics is not just a way to help companies, but many manufacturers have recognized how robots can improve their supply chain processes, benefit the company, and drive their future success. Rethink Robotics introduced Sawyer in 2015 and pioneered the “friendly” robot game with the introduction of Baxter in 2012, which will make the integra

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Factory of the future: You’re closer than you think

DELMIA Quintiq

The deafening whirr of giant machines, the parade of parts on conveyor belts, the spinning, grabbing, twisting, bending and turning that magically transform raw materials and parts into products. There’s nothing quite as impressive as a factory, wouldn’t you agree? But let’s get back to reality. Consumer expectations are changing. They want their products to be customized and they want them now.

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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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The Future of Inventory Management

Kinaxis

by Andrew Dunbar This post concludes my inventory management blog series. Throughout this series I’ve proposed an elevated role for the inventory manager that challenges the assumption that an inventory manager is a victim of his colleagues’ business decisions and plays only a limited role in formulating inventory results. Inventory management is not a stand-alone business process that occurs after other processes are complete.

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TMS in the SMB Market: The Evolution Toward Software-as-a-Self-Service

Talking Logistics

One of my supply chain and logistics predictions for 2015 was that 3PLs and software vendors would focus more on acquiring small and midsized business (SMB) clients this year. As I wrote back in December: For a variety of reasons (the high cost of sales being one of them), most 3PLs and software vendors have historically underserved the SMB market, focusing their sales efforts on large companies instead.

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S&OP: A Tough Nut to Crack

Supply Chain Shaman

Definition. A Tough Nut to Crack: A problem that is very difficult to solve. Cambridge Dictionary. Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) is over thirty years old. I have been studying it as a researcher for fifteen years. With the rise of the global multi-national, S&OP increased in importance as a way to align and drive organizational balance.

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Managing the Long Tail of the Supply Chain Part 4: Five Takeaways

ToolsGroup

Our last three posts covered the key messages of the recent Consumer Goods Technology (CGT) web seminar about long tail demand called “ Driving Results despite Item Complexity ”: Blog 1 : Lora Cecere discussed the drivers of increasing demand volatility, the pain and risk it causes for most companies and the roadblocks they hit when they try to use traditional demand forecasting approaches.

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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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7 Characteristics of A Best In Class Supply Chain

GlobalTranz

Today’s supply chains function as a result of extensive research into how a supply chain behaves, its chief concerns, successful risk management , diverse markets, widespread collaboration, and technological advances. However, current supply chains fall victim to the problems of inefficiencies, inexcusable rigidity, and failure to recognize the growing demands of consumers.

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The Impact of Demand Volatility and a Changing Technology Landscape on European Supply Chains

AIMMS

A recent report by the ACE European Group identifies supply chains as of the biggest sources of concern for European businesses today. On the one hand, companies are facing growing uncertainty due to volatile exchange rates, rising oil prices and economic and geopolitical events, such as Greece’s financial crisis and the conflict in Ukraine. On the other hand, there is a rising need for smarter and more flexible tools as well as more staff with analytical capabilities.

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A Chocolate Addict’s Plea: Know Your Supply Chain Risks!

Kinaxis

by Alexa Cheater Hi, my name is Alexa and I am a chocoholic. It’s been less than a day since my last indulgence. There’s no two ways about it. When it comes to the cocoa-laden confectionery, I’m hooked. It doesn’t matter if it’s milk, dark or white. Anything with even a hint of chocolatey goodness will suffice – and sadly for my waist line, one little taste is never enough.

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A Kitty Hawk Moment in Drone Delivery?

Talking Logistics

The first drone delivery approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was conducted last Friday in rural Virginia. A drone operated by Australian drone startup Flirtey delivered 24 packages of medicines to a remote health clinic in Wise County, Virginia. It took the drone 3 minutes to make the journey, which typically takes a car 90 minutes over bumpy roads.

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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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Planning Software: Insights on User Satisfaction

Supply Chain Shaman

As a research analyst, I am studying things that are incredibly difficult to measure. The topics may sound easy, but they are not. In my research, I answer questions like: Which technology systems drive the greatest satisfaction? How satisfied are users with supply chain planning technologies? What drives the highest level of satisfaction? The answer to these questions requires the analysis of many factors.

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Finding and Keeping Quality Supply Chain Talent amid the Staffing Shortage

Logistics Viewpoints

Growing practice of supply chain modeling requires more than just technology smarts What types of supply chain roles are on your company’s career webpage? What skills are important for new hires to possess in order to manage this increasingly critical area of the business? Many of the best practices LLamasoft has advocated related to supply […].

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The Most Important Distribution Center Metrics to Track and Understand

GlobalTranz

Throughout the supply chain, the use of metrics to track and understand processes provides an invaluable resource for ensuring increased production and customer satisfaction. Additionally, the use of metrics fosters positive relationships with coworkers and adherence to rulesets and best practices for the respective third-party logistics provider (3PL).

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How high can you score on the shop floor?

DELMIA Quintiq

Have you seen National Geographic’s Megafactories? The show takes viewers into some of the most iconic car factories in the world. Seeing how these cars – especially souped-up supercars – are manufactured is impressive enough. But the amount of planning required to keep production running smoothly is mind-blowing. Want a real taste at car production planning?

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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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Top 3 Supply Chain Visibility Necessities… As Best Explained by Our Customers

Kinaxis

by Lori Smith Supply chain visibility… ah, yes, possibly the most over used term in the industry. And as is typical with over used terms, there are as many interpretations as there are colors in a kaleidoscope. What it means, what it involves, and what the goal is can be very different depending on the person, the organization… and even (or especially!

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Driving Continuous Improvement in Transportation Management

Talking Logistics

Live Episode: Thursday, July 23, 2015 at 12:00 ET. The first three episodes of this educational series focused on the link between transportation management and supply chain excellence , how to define and implement an effective transportation strategy , and the important role technology plays in helping companies successfully execute their transportation strategy.

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Don’t Perpetuate the Hoax of the Gartner Top 25

Supply Chain Shaman

Hoax definitions – to trick into believing or accepting as genuine something false and often preposterous. A humorous or malicious deception. Synonyms include deception, fraud, scam. To move forward, goal clarity is essential. To measure improvement, performance needs a clear definition. Supply chain leaders are competitive. They want to drive supply chain excellence; but today, the definition is not clear.

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The Long Tail of the Supply Chain: Part 2 - Pareto is Dead

ToolsGroup

In last week’s blog , Lora Cecere emphasized the need to forego traditional forecasting and replenishment strategies in the long tail. In the recent Consumer Goods Technology (CGT) web seminar entitled “ Driving Results Despite Item Complexity ”, one slide quoted her as saying previously,“If the products have a skewed distribution and it is your desire to meet a higher service level, then the deterministic technologies of APS and ERP are not designed to meet your needs.”.

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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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8 Ways Cloud Technology Is Changing the Game For Supply Chain Management

GlobalTranz

History has taught supply chain management organizations one common factor: failure to adjust to societal changes will contribute to business-downfall. In the modern, digital world, the impact of the cloud can be felt in every facet of existence, not just commerce. Cloud computing technology has allowed supply chain management providers to take advantage of a new era of processes, specifically those relating to the ethereal space.

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Supply chain collaboration: Who’s leading the revolution?

DELMIA Quintiq

A few weeks ago I witnessed supply chain history in the making. The Port of Rotterdam signed a contract for a system that will enable inland shipping companies to take supply chain collaboration to the next level. There were at least two noteworthy aspects: The Port was signing on behalf of Nextlogic , an organization that represents all affected parties in this particular logistics chain.

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The Fashion Supply Chain: Unraveling the Reality

Kinaxis

by Alexa Cheater Whether you’re a fashionista or overly fond of the frumpy look, chances are you’re buying into the multi-billion dollar clothing industry. And whether you realize it or not, the garment industry supply chain is changing – both for the better and for the worse. Cambodia, China, Taiwan, India – look at the ‘made in’ labels on your clothing and you’re likely to find these popular clothing manufacturing countries.