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

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

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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Trade War Myopia and Supply Chain Leadership!

All of the protectionist tariffs that are being imposed are surely upsetting the world order in international trade.  The starting position that initiated all of this was that it was to protect national security in the U.S., largely from its Allies!  Seriously?

This is all politically motivated with the intent of generating more jobs within the U.S. and improving real, or perceived, trade imbalances by the richest country in the world.   Not unexpectedly those countries that have been hit by tariffs from the U.S. are responding in kind to protect their own interests.  The death spiral spins on.

While we must wait to see how all of this mess sorts itself out the Supply Chain leaders of today must create and implement the strategies necessary to combat these trade complications and ensure the ongoing integrity of their Supply Chains.

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Our 2017 Top 10 List! – Part 2

It’s been a tremendous first year at  supplychaingamechanger.com.  Our goal has always been to share experiences and expertise.  And in the second half of 2017 we had an ever increasing number of articles contributed by industry leaders all of whom have been very generous in sharing their intellect and insights.  This is our second 2017 Top 10 List.

Our readers and contributors come from all over the world.  They include individuals new to Supply Chain as well as Industry leaders and everyone in between.   And they work in many different industries and vocations.   But they all have a common interest in Supply Chain, Operations, Business, Leadership, Change Management, Human Resources, Transformation,  and Technology.

Most importantly they all have an interest in learning and sharing.

As we end this first year we wanted to publish our 2nd Top 10 List.  Our first Top 10 List covered the Top blog posts from the first half of 2017 so our 2nd Top 10 List will cover the second half of 2017.

Thank you for your tremendous, ongoing support.  

So here is our 2nd Top 10 List of 2017…

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Humanless Warehousing: Tips for a Robot-Driven Future!

Mujin, a Tokyo-based company, has developed and deployed the first fully automated, humanless warehousing robotic systems, reports CNBC.

Unfortunately, significant challenges continue to plague the idea of humanless warehousing, yet the benefits of automation and robotics must not be ignored.

Supply chain leaders need to understand these facts and follow a few tips to prepare for a robot-driven future. 

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A Comprehensive Warehouse Safety Guide!

When it comes to the state of working in America, warehouses have seen a huge increase of workers with over 1,000,000 total since the start of 2018. With this trend looking to continue into the next couple of years, it’s time to examine the state of the industry, especially when it comes to safety with all of these new employees entering the field.

Warehouses, often full of moving machinery carrying heavy loads, are inherently one of the most dangerous places to work. If you’re a warehouse manager, failing to control these risks can lead to high employee turnover, decreased productivity, legal issues, and, at worst, injury or fatality.

In most case scenarios, the law requires companies to train their workers for a CPR certificate to improve workplace safety practices.

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The Baby Supply Chain!

We have a newborn Grandson!  A beautiful baby boy!

Aside from being a parent there is no better feeling than being a Grandparent!

A whole new world of joy and responsibility has begun for my son and his girlfriend.  It is such an exciting time but their routine will be completely turned upside down as new parents.

They will have to figure out so many things that they never had to deal with before.  Parents immediately  have to care for their child in every way.

They have also just entered the world of the Baby Supply Chain!

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Augmented Reality (AR) is the Future of Supply Chain!

Augmented Reality (AR) enables transformational change!

When I started in the distribution space, I was told “…business is simple…cases in, cases out.” Reports were on green bar paper and forklifts were everywhere. As the distribution space evolved, the reports became spreadsheets and forklifts remained very important as they are coupled with the latest and greatest automation.

Supply chain improvements over the last 15 years have been incremental at best. The advances we are making in the supply chain powered by Augmented Reality (AR) are going to be wildly disruptive. The supply chain community that leans into AR and gets it right will come out the clear winners for every perspective: simplicity, safety, quality and productivity.

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Crowdfunding Fulfillment Solutions: Things You Should Know About

Crowdfunding has given entrepreneurs and inventors greater access to startup capital. You might not be able to get seed money or Series A funding from a venture capital firm for your idea, but backers on Kickstarter or Indiegogo could give you just the leg up that you need.

Crowdfunding marketing is a strategy to raise funds for a project by asking a large number of people to donate money, usually in small amounts to fulfill the financial goals of the project. Crowdfunding, on the other hand, gives you a quick place to showcase and share your pitch with a bigger audience.

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Turn your Brick And Mortar Stores into E-Commerce Distribution Hubs!

Retailers with Brick and Mortar stores continue to be under tremendous pressure.  Competition is intense in the fast growing Omnichannel E-Commerce world.  Every week there seems to be news about how one Retailer or another is closing more of their stores when they could be using them as Distribution hubs.

And very few Retailers with Brick And Mortar stores have been able to make a profit in E-Commerce.  Competitors who only sell online without physical stores appear to have an advantage with lower overhead costs.

So how can Brick And Mortar Retailers turn their stores into a competitive advantage plus a source of greater profitability?

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Cutting out the Middleman: The Growth of Direct to Consumer!

As supply chains evolve and grow, products are often passed between dozens of hands at factories, shipping vehicles and pallets, distributor warehouses, retail warehouses, shop floors, and delivery fleets. They often travel thousands of miles to go direct to consumer.

And they go through multiple intermediaries, something which has an impact not only on the profit margins, but also on the brand’s ability to connect and communicate with their customer.

With revenue growth remaining a challenge, almost half (48 per cent) of manufacturers are racing to build Direct to Consumer (DTC) channels, with almost all of them (87 per cent) seeing these channels as relevant to their products and consumers.

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Our 2018 Top 10 List (Part 2)!

As 2018 comes to a close we offer a list of the Top 10 most viewed articles that we have published over the last half of the year.

When you look at this list you will see that there is a common theme amongst most of the articles.  That theme is one of “Definitions”.

Based upon tremendous viewer interest this year we began our “What Exactly Is … ” article series to describe definitions and commentary on terms which we often see and hear but don’t always truly understand.

For instance, the term “Supply Chain Management” itself has innumerable definitions and our article What Exactly Is Supply Chain Management? 10 Different Definitions! proved to be one of our most popular articles ever.

So here it is, our Top 10 list for the second half of 2018!

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The Ultimate Guide to Pick and Pack Methods!

A lot more goes into successful order fulfillment than shelves of neatly stacked products. There is an art and a science to pick and pack methods.

Good inventory management and the right pick and pack software will help you ship orders with maximum speed and accuracy.

Here is your ultimate guide to pick and pack methods.

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Warehouse Efficiency Improvement Tips!

Things can always be faster when you work in a warehouse or distribution center. Speed has become the name of the game when it comes to staying competitive in the global supply chain.

Major players like Amazon and Walmart have distribution centers all over the world, pumping out packages at lightning speed.

If you want to keep your customers satisfied, you need to keep things moving in your warehouse or distribution center. Use these tips to keep up the pace and make your facility as efficient as possible.

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What’s the Difference Between Fulfillment and Replenishment?

People who do not work in Supply Chain may hear the terms Fulfillment and Replenishment and consider that they mean the same thing.

Interestingly many people who do work in Supply Chain consider the terms Fulfillment and Replenishment to be synonymous.

I have worked in many different industries and all around the world but the place where I heard these terms used most frequently was in Retail.

Given that there is some ambiguity in the understanding of these terms it makes sense to provide the distinction.

What is the difference between Fulfillment and Replenishment?

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