Tag: supplychain

supplychain is the tag associated with every aspect of Supply Chain Management, Planning, Technology, Logistics, Procurement, and more.

Food Waste and World Hunger – The Food Supply Chain is Broken!

The Baby Supply Chain!

There are many different Supply Chains in the World covering every industry, every business or institution and every aspect of our lives.  But the single most important Supply Chain is the Food Supply Chain!  Our very survival depends on there even being a Food Supply Chain.

But there are two very opposite, yet unacceptable, problems in this Supply Chain.  On one hand there is a horrendously large amount of Food Waste.  Yet on the other hand an enormous portion of humanity suffers from Hunger!  The Food Supply Chain, the most important Supply Chain in the World, is BROKEN!

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The Coming Evolution of the Digital Supply Chain!

The Internet of Things (IoT) – Welcome the Digital Supply Chain!

The evolution of the Digital Supply Chain, the broad concept that cloud-based systems, analytics and monitoring of goods, vehicles and other assets via the Internet of Things will improve the way supply chains run, is a major concern for many logistics organizations today.

We know its coming, but how many have a clear understanding of the technology and its applications? Similar terms like digitalization or Industry 4.0, digital supply chain management spans multiple technologies and includes its fair share of buzzwords but how will it all work?  How will the evolution of the Digital Supply Chain occur?

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The Internet of Things (IoT) – Welcome the Digital Supply Chain!

The Coming Evolution of the Digital Supply Chain!

Over the last 5 years there has been an explosion of smart and connected devices. Gartner is predicting that by 2020 there will be 37 Billion connected devices and more than 4.3 Zetabytes of data generated by these devices.  The Internet of Things (IoT) is well upon us!

Quick adoption of health devices like Fitbit and smart thermostats such as Nest are bringing more and more connections and opportunities into the consumer world. As such many home appliance and consumer goods companies are looking at how they can take advantage of this trend and transform their interaction with their consumers and customers.

In order to understand how this is starting to evolve and how it will impact and change the digital supply chain, let us consider 4 user cases that are emerging with early adopters in this space.

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Supply Chain Personified! The Link Between Your Company Silos!

What Exactly Is Supply Chain Management? 10 Different Definitions!

How many parts of your company act as independent Company Silos?  How many functions in your  organization conduct themselves like they are islands?

One of the main problems in a functionally organized company is that those functions over time can become isolated from each other.  The responsibilities, metrics, skills, strategies and mandates for each function can cause people to put their functional focus ahead of the greater company objectives.

But the Supply Chain team is uniquely positioned to bridge all of these silos and islands.  Supply Chain is truly the link that can hold your company together!

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10 Great Lessons Learned in Business!

Leadership Techniques To Inspire Your Team!

In reflecting back on over 1,000 sessions and almost 10,000 hours of working hands-on with entrepreneurial leadership teams, I’ve observed and learned some great business lessons that will help you and your leadership team.

My hope is that these leadership lessons will serve as constants for you as you build a great company, and that they’ll give you insight, something to shoot for, peace of mind, a wake-up call, and a few aha’s.

Enjoy.

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Supplier Collaboration is a Win-Win Strategy!

How to Create Collaborative Innovation with Suppliers!

Suppliers are an intrinsic part of the Supply Chain.  It does not matter what business you are in, what products you make, distribute and sell, or what part of the world you are in.  And it doesn’t matter where in the Supply Chain you are.  You can not accomplish anything without collaboration with your Suppliers.

Yet I have seen, like many of you, Suppliers treated in many different ways.  No matter what the circumstances are poor treatment of Suppliers is never appropriate.  Given that Customers fundamentally need their Suppliers to be successful why do people treat them badly?  And how do we ensure there is a healthy and productive relationship between Suppliers and Customers?

Working together with your Suppliers is always a formula for success!

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7 Pitfalls of Amazon FBA (Fulfillment By Amazon)!

How to Sell on Amazon! The Complete Guide!

Fulfillment by Amazon or Amazon FBA lets sellers in the Amazon marketplace take advantage of Amazon’s giant logistics operation to ship their orders.

FBA items are eligible for Amazon Prime shipping and Amazon handles your angry customers (which Amazon considers its customers, not yours). Amazon has dozens of warehouses all over the country, and more around the world, so your products may be in your customers’ hands quickly.

If you pull back the Amazon curtain, however, you find the picture isn’t always rosy.

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Customers Do Not Care About Your Problems!

Omnichannel Customer Service Best Practices!

“The system is down.  We can’t ship any customer orders. We’re not sure when the system will be back up again.”  Oh no … Customers do not care about this stuff.

Coming into the Holidays, the busiest time of the year, that is the last thing that I wanted to hear.

I thought about it and said, “The Customer doesn’t care.“

From that point forward we pulled together the necessary resources and visibility to get the problem solved quickly.   But the message was clear: The Customer doesn’t care about our internal problems.

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Amazing Examples of 3D Printing Technology!

The Guinness Book of World Records for 3D Printing!

3D printing technology is not new.   Its been present for two decades now.  But this technology is so broad, immersive and innovative, people are continually stretching the limits of 3D Printing and continuously discovering more interesting and more challenging things with its application.

From developing an artificial human body part to manufacturing a fully-fledged supercar prototype, it’s assured that this is the most innovative and cutting-edge technology we have discovered to date.

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What is Supply Chain Management (SCM)? (Video)

Thesis Ideas for Supply Chain Students!

What is Supply Chain Management?

The term was coined over 35 years ago but still to this day there are a large number of different definitions of SCM.

To someone who is starting out their career, or who is new to the field of Supply Chain, it is understandable that there may be confusion as to the definition of SCM.

But the reality is that there are many expert individuals and organizations who define Supply Chain differently. Are they really that different or are there just subtle nuances in what some people consider SCM that others do not?

Watch our video to learn more about how people define Supply Chain Management!

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The Target Canada Story and the Brand Impact of the Supply Chain!

Brand Protection – The Definitive Role of the Supply Chain!

The responsibility for protecting and promoting your product or company brand is often thought to be generally held by the Marketing Department.  But in reality the Supply Chain organization has an enormous role to play as the Supply Chain can positively or negatively impact your brand in many significant and different ways.  This was the case with Target.  

One of the most pronounced examples of the role of the Supply Chain in serving and protecting your brand is found in the story of Target Canada.  Faced with unprecedented plans for expansion in Canada Target had to close its entire operation only two years after beginning operations.

The performance of the Supply Chain was a central element leading to this massive failure and damage to the Target brand.

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The 5 Big Benefits of the Digital Supply Chain!

Stand Out Digital Supply Chain Strategies!

What’s the core difference between today’s supply chain and benefits of the digital supply chain?

Look down at your desk. What do you see? If you see paper, pen, and a computer, you see the typical, modern supply chain.   If asked, could you provide the latest information on your current automation, key performance indicators, data, use of IT applications, and finance government?

The chances are good that much of this information is stored digitally. However, you would probably need to look through some of the physical, tactile paperwork to find all of the information.   Also, is the information stored only your computer or a server? Now, how long is that going to take you?

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How AI, Machine Learning and Automation Will Impact Business!

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Over the Next Half Decade!

We are living in exciting and innovative times with futuristic technology literally at our fingertips to impact business. But for the longest time, small to medium sized businesses were not serviced by the latest tech trends enterprises have been able to benefit from. That is, until now.

In this article, we’ll explore these technology trends and how they will impact business in the future.

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What’s the Difference between Procurement and Purchasing? (Infographic)

Featuring Our 12 Best Procurement Articles!

It’s a good question. We often see these terms used interchangeably, but there are some concrete differences between Procurement and Purchasing such that we think they are two different practices, each with their own set of concerns and skills.

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Warehousing: Optimize Storage Locations!

Disruptive Warehouse Technologies for Any Company!

“We just spent several millions of dollars on a new Warehouse Management System for our E-Commerce Online Distribution Centre.  We do not need to spend any more money on our Supply Chain.” That sounded very intriguing to say the least.  At a minimize we needed to optimize storage.

The E-Commerce business anticipated 20-30% year to year growth. I could only interpret, having just joined the company, that all of the steps and planning needed had been taken.  We had to ensure that the Distribution Centre could handle Holiday volumes, especially over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday period.

However imagine my surprise when I went to the Online Distribution Centre.  All I saw was a very large warehouse with nothing but racks and shelving as far as the eye could see.  Employees were pushing carts up and down aisles, across the entire warehouse.  They were trying to find each of the products required to fill a particular customer order. The company had just invested in an expensive Warehouse Management System.

Yet  no time or money had been spent on process optimization, order fulfillment cycle time reduction,  cost reduction, or peak capacity load management.

We were in for a hectic Holiday season, at best!

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