August, 2017

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How Pallets Play a Crucial Role in the Supply Chain

GlobalTranz

Pallets are an iconic part of any warehouse or supply chain, but they’re more crucial than most people know — and we’re not talking about using them as material for upcycles or shabby, chic furniture. Why are pallets such a critical part of the supply chain, and how can they contribute to things like worker safety and loading times? More Complicated Than They Appear.

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Cognitive Computing: Getting Clear on Definitions

Supply Chain Shaman

No doubt about it. The decision support technologies that we use today–price management, trade promotion management, network design, supply chain planning, transportation planning, supplier risk management–are on the cusp of redefinition through new forms of analytics. We are on a hype cycle. There is no common definition of cognitive computing and there are many variants.

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The Difference between Multichannel, Omnichannel and Unified Commerce. And Why It’s Important.

ToolsGroup

It can be exhausting in retail. As shoppers use technology more frequently during their buying journey, their expectation of service increases. Retailers are forced to transform their business to keep up. It seems that just as one strategy is created to take advantage of (or at least deal with) the situation, another set of circumstances comes along requiring new ways of thinking.

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Career advice: Keeping your edge as a supply chain professional in the face of change!

Kinaxis

by Dr. Madhav Durbha There is a standalone vehicle emission check shop that I visit to get my car checked prior to the annual tag renewal. For those who are not familiar with the emission check process, you drive your car into the shop. As you wait in your car, a technician hooks your car up to his computer, measures emissions and prints a certificate.

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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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Solar Eclipses and Supply Chain Risk Management

Enterra Insights

Today, much of the United States will experience a total solar eclipse. That hasn’t happened for nearly 100 years. Because … Continued. The post Solar Eclipses and Supply Chain Risk Management appeared first on Enterra Solutions.

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Women in Logistics: Leading Top-Level Supply Chain and Logistics Operations

GlobalTranz

Editor's Note: Today's blog is from Nicole Lewis who talks about embracing the idea of women in logistics for top-level talent. When a young lady turns into grown up, and it is time to make a decision about a future career, how many parents will consider the logistic profession as a good choice? In the variety of modern specializations, they would rather recommend studying one of the liberal sciences.

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Why Is Blockchain Not Hotter?

Supply Chain Shaman

I was sitting with a representative from the United Nations on my way back from Colombia. As we took off from Bogota, we discussed the potential of blockchain to help her with feeding children in the highlands of the Colombian-Venezuelan border. I was surprised that she knew enough about blockchain to have a discussion, and I think that she was surprised to find someone who could help her to have a deeper discussion.

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Gartner’s Five-Stage Maturity Model for Supply Chain Analytics

ToolsGroup

Gartner measures supply chain analytics maturity across seven different dimensions. There are supply chain and demand analytics models that describe the type of analytics being deployed (e.g., descriptive, prescriptive, etc.). Now Gartner has created a different look at the issue by creating a five-stage maturity model for assessing the overall maturity level of your organization in using supply chain analytics.

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Supply chain pain points in the Aerospace and Defense industry

Kinaxis

by Alexa Cheater 7 barriers to aerospace and defense supply chain success. As air travel demand soars, aircraft equipment manufacturers continue to innovate in areas like jet engine fuel efficiency, navigation technology and materials science. These improvements, especially around fuel efficiency, are driving demand for newer aircraft models, and speeding up the replacement of previous generations as a result.

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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 Unstoppable Digital Supply Chain Movement

Enterra Insights

In many aspects of life — from politics to criminal investigation to investment — the advice you often hear is … Continued. The post The Unstoppable Digital Supply Chain Movement appeared first on Enterra Solutions.

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The Evolution of the Direct-to-Consumer Supply Chain

Talking Logistics

No one can argue that the rise of ecommerce and omni-channel fulfillment has dramatically impacted the supply chain in recent years. Once consumers were shown what was possible in the world of online retailing and home delivery, their behavior – and expectations – began to change. This shift forced retailers to change how they did business, worked with suppliers and served their customers.

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5 Reasons Supply Chain Companies Need to Be Curating Content

GlobalTranz

Sharing content from third-party sources establishes supply chain companies as a go-to resource for all things related to your industry, sector, products, or services. When I hear the word “curate,” I think of an art gallery. I think of someone systematically picking pieces of art to display together. I think of the time and effort it takes to put these pieces together in a cohesive manor.

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Lassoing S&OP

Supply Chain Shaman

A lasso is what supply chain leaders would like to have. Why? To align S&OP. As companies transitioned from regional to multi-national organizations, Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) processes proliferated. The average company has seven S&OP processes, but a global chemical company averages over 30. Each is different, and I have not found a company that can easily roll up a global material balance.

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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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The Best Way to Set Inventory Targets?

ToolsGroup

Source: Gartner, Cover Considerations—How to Optimize Retail and Consumer Product Inventory Targets, 2017. Gartner’s insights are quite good and it’s not often that I disagree. But I have to differ with the conclusions of a recent report, “ Cover Considerations — How to Optimize Retail and Consumer Product Inventory Targets.”. There is a story about Abraham Lincoln arguing a case as a young lawyer.

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How Kennametal developed an integrated supply chain by connecting its data dots

Kinaxis

by Alexa Cheater Faced with growing global complexity and increasing demand volatility, Kennametal set out to improve its supply chain maturity, increase data integration and improve its bottom line. But doing so meant developing an integrated supply chain connecting data, process and people. Driving the decision to change was the impact of market demands on Kennametal’s revenue.

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Digital Transformation in Trade Promotion: What Must Change?

Supply Chain Insights

You’re hearing it every single day now… Digital Transformation. If “going digital” implies changing the way things work, then how must digital transformation change the way trade promotion works today? While that may require several volumes, let’s focus on five areas we know must change. #1: Failed Promotions. Oh heck, why not just tackle the big one right away?

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Webinar: Newest Software Innovations (and Pay-Offs) for the Global Food Supply Chain

3GTMS

If you’re like many companies struggling with the complexity of food logistics, you likely have too many manual processes and/or outdated systems to manage the environment. This disparate approach doesn’t work in an industry that’s undergoing rapid change, from omni-channel demands and regulatory changes, to dynamic carrier bases and multi-modal transportation needs.

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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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Comparing Parcel and LTL Shipping: When Do I Choose What in Order to Save the Most Money?

GlobalTranz

More than 25 million small packages , otherwise known as parcels, are shipped daily. Meanwhile, the top 10 commodities shipped tend to be bulky and require less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping. But, the lines between parcel and LTL shipping have started to blur in recent years. Parcel carriers are spending less per shipment, and LTL shippers are spending less by reducing the “work” that goes into shipping.

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Lassoing S&OP

Supply Chain Shaman

A lasso is what supply chain leaders would like to have. Why? To align S&OP. The processes are out of control. Let me explain. As companies transitioned from regional to multi-national organizations, Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) processes proliferated. Today, the average company has seven S&OP processes, but a global chemical company averages over 30.

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The Power of Downstream Data for Sensing Demand

ToolsGroup

Source: Supply Chain Insights, “The Power of Downstream Data”, July 2017. POS data helps sense and respond to localized demand. The blue bars represent historic average order demand profiles, while the colored lines represent regional POS demand patterns. Editor's Note: Due to the summer holidays, there will be no blog post next week. Lora Cecere, CEO of Supply Chain Insights, has released a useful new report entitled “The Power of Downstream Data” which describes new value proposition data for

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Where are you on your capacity planning journey?

Kinaxis

by Bill DuBois Balancing capacity can be as challenging as walking a tight rope. It’s a fine line between staying balanced or plunging to your death. Not enough capacity and you lose balance when it comes to delivery and customer satisfaction. Too much capacity and you lose your balance when it comes to costs and margins. All companies are walking this fine line with capacity planning , but some are continuously waving their arms trying to stay upright, while others have secured their footing.

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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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Editor’s Pick: Profiles in Yard Management Excellence – Universal Logistics

Talking Logistics

Note: Today’s post is part of our “ Editor’s Pick ” series where we highlight recent posts published by our sponsors that provide practical knowledge and advice on timely and important supply chain and logistics topics. In this post, Rafael Granato from PINC Solutions summarizes a video case study we featured recently on Talking Logistics, part of our “Profiles in Yard Management Excellence” series where we highlight companies (in this case, Universal Logistics) that are

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The Self-Service Customer: Revolutionizing Customer Service

4WL Consulting

Logistics is no longer a conversation between a 3PL and their client; the end consumer has a permanent eavesdropping position that needs to be respected and catered to. Rather than functioning as a point of positive difference, customers in eCommerce spheres now expect reasonably straightforward access to their tracking information on product shipments.

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The Many Types of Inventory Management Technology

GlobalTranz

There are diverse types of inventory management technology and systems, designed to properly sort, control and act upon information with a company’s inventory. As explained by Kenneth Hamlett of the Houston Chronicle , the two dominant types of inventory management technologies include manual and automated systems. But, there are additional levels of inventory management in between.

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Has China lost its relevance as a production location?

Supply Chain Movement

China’s position as a production location is currently a hot topic amongst global thought leaders in supply chain. The general price level of products made in China is rising rapidly, and it has been claimed that some of the products actually originate in North Korea. So has the time come to look beyond China for low-cost production facilities? This is one of the most common questions that I’m asked when holding keynote speeches, workshops or supply-chain training courses.

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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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Life Sciences Industry Inventory Optimization Health Check

Logility

Over the last 100 years the average lifespan has doubled from 35 years to more than 70 years mostly due to advances in medicine and medical devices. In fact, experts predict that babies being born in developed countries today could have an average life expectancy approaching 100 years. Not many will argue against the benefits of advanced healthcare, but many believe we can get there at a lower cost.

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Why inventory management should be a company-wide conversation

Kinaxis

by Alexa Cheater Don’t get caught having your company’s inventory management conversation alone! Making the most of one of your company’s largest assets means bringing together everyone involved from the manufacturing floor to the corner office, and focusing on more than just what’s in your warehouse. Re-evaluating your inventory management practices can help you overcome rising supply chain costs, increasing customer demand and the growing complexity of global operations.

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This Week in Logistics News (July 31 – August 4, 2017)

Talking Logistics

Last week I asked “What can potentially stop or bring down Amazon?” In case you’re wondering, the top vote-getter in our highly unscientific poll was “A massive asteroid hitting the Earth.”. It’s actually not a far-fetched possibility. “A leading astrophysicist from Queen’s University Belfast has warned that an asteroid strike is just a matter of time,” states an article published this past June in Phys.org.