Articles
Supply Chain Technology
We’ve Got a Long Way to Go, Baby
The globalization of commerce has made sophisticated logistics technology not just a luxurious expense for the Fortune 50, but a necessity for companies of all sizes and in all industries. A typical apparel company, for example, might source fabric from China, manufacture garments in Malaysia, send them to Italy for custom design work, then ship […]
Read MoreMetals and Liquids: RFID Kryptonite?
A recent conversation with my seven-year-old nephew turned to the new Superman movie. “Superman is cool because he can bend steel with his bare hands,” he told me. Ironically, his statement made me think of an e-mail from a reader who was searching not for someone to bend steel, but for an RFID product that […]
Read MorePaying by the Drink at D/C Expo
If you missed this year’s Distribution/ Computer Expo, May 23-25 in Chicago—and judging from the poor attendance level, it’s likely you did—you missed seeing the supply chain technology industry line up to pay by the drink. No, I’m not talking about vendors’ after-show bar habits, but rather the industry’s embrace of pay-by-the-drink software solutions. More […]
Read MoreMicrosoft’s New SCM Dynamic
While many already use Microsoft software to manage transportation and logistics, the company is now making a splash with specialized supply chain solutions. Microsoft is beefing up its business application offerings for small- to mid-size businesses (SMBs) with the release of several enhanced products, including the Microsoft Dynamics suite, designed to empower customer relationship management […]
Read MoreFollow the Freight, Find the ROI
While the threat of cargo terrorism steals headlines (Dubai Ports World debacle anyone?), U.S. shippers are equally challenged by more common cargo perils such as vandalism, breakage, spoilage, transport accidents, and theft. In fact, the FBI estimates losses from cargo theft at $50 billion in the United States alone, according to Denis duNann, CEO of […]
Read MoreFostering Flexible Fulfillment
As customers pressure their suppliers to create new products, new variations of products, and new services attached to those products, the supply chain can become severely strained. It may not be enough to handle increased supply chain pressures merely by optimizing existing hardware and software solutions. An increasing need for real-time and synchronized processes exists […]
Read MoreSourcing Out of Africa
It’s easy to say that world trade will expand based on available global resources, but it’s harder to do. We have become all too used to thinking of Asia as the prime—and almost exclusive—new supply chain market. But it is a big world, and suppliers will need even more resources if trade is to double […]
Read MoreManaging the Supply Chain in Reverse
Those of us who enjoy changing gears manually when we drive don’t hesitate when we have to shift into reverse. But not all reverse actions are comfortable. Taking in, sorting, and repairing or redistributing returned goods is an onerous task for many manufacturers and retailers. Unlike goods moving out of the factory, goods coming back […]
Read MoreIdentifying Products: It’s Not Just About RFID
Not all issues surrounding proper identification of products involve RFID. Companies must address some core challenges to reap the maximum benefits of product identification and visibility. In this age of RFID research, development, hype, good works, pilots, case studies, claims, ever-evolving standards, and the force of the big gorillas—super-retailer Wal-Mart and the Department of Defense—it’s […]
Read MoreWorking on the Railroads
The recent fuel crisis emphasizes just how much we need our national rail system. The rails, with their efficient fuel usage, are a vital link in most supply chains; the only link in others. Rail hubs and intermodal transportation connect shippers to truckers, and to ocean and air carriers. But the fuel crisis has also […]
Read MoreInfrastructure: The Weakest Link
A supply chain is only as strong as its weakest links, which today are found in down-to-earth, practical transportation modes—rail, ocean, and trucks—and their support systems. Too many infrastructure links that enable supply chains to operate in the United States are old and antiquated. They are partly clogged with overcapacity, breaking down, or simply just […]
Read MoreAs the World Shrinks, The Supply Chain Grows
In Detroit, the good old days of General Motors viewing Detroit-based Ford and Detroit-based Chrysler as its main competitors are long gone. Even the days when Volkswagen and Japanese auto manufacturers became apparent competitors to the Big Three’s largely myopic corporate managers have disappeared. These were days of nostalgia and naivete; a great deal else […]
Read MoreERP and SCM: Making the Marriage Work
Once a cozy nook for enthusiasts, supply chain management has turned into a major focus for enterprises worldwide. That’s why IFS North America has extended its services from pure Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to offer component supply chain software. “ERP and supply chain management need to work hand-in-hand,” notes Cindy Jaudon, president of IFS North […]
Read MoreThe Care and Feeding of Your Global Supply Chain
When an enterprise goes global, the nature of its supply chain has to change—not once, but continually. Nationwide may be big but worldwide is much, much bigger, with more factors exponentially governing the health of an enterprise operating a complex global supply chain. Scaling up to manage a global supply chain means dealing not just […]
Read MoreInside the Automated Warehouse
The traditional functions of a warehouse are well known. Unlike its predecessors, however, the modern warehouse is an assemblage of highly evolved automation technologies, making it a core part of the supply chain. Today’s warehouse activities include crossdocking, palletizing, kitting, tagging, and identifying products, as well as storing them in the most time- and space-efficient […]
Read MoreThe Three Sides of SCE Implementation
In part one of this two-part article (April 2005), we explored relationship building among partners in a Supply Chain Execution (SCE) software implementation. The players in that successful SCE implementation included: Major Brands, an alcoholic beverage distributor that sought an SCE system to cut costs by improving inbound and outbound shipment processing, and refining picking […]
Read MoreCollaborate for All-Star SCE Implementation
Building relationships among partners in a Supply Chain Execution (SCE) software implementation is like getting an all-star team to work together. Each player can be great, but it is the combined teamwork that makes the difference when the game begins. To achieve success, roles and objectives have to be clearly defined, and teams must work […]
Read MoreRFID: Setting the Standards
Anyone who thinks RFID and all it entails will quietly fade away is going to be terribly disappointed. Any new technology or strategy operates like a dog preparing to lie down—it goes in circles. First we circled around Wal-Mart and the Department of Defense mandates. Now we are circling around establishing standards for the RFID […]
Read MoreRFID Mandates: Gorillas in the Mist
Embracing a new technology can sometimes feel about as good as a hug from an angry gorilla. Implementing RFID within a customer-mandated time frame is a good case in point. Rushing to implement is less wise than doing finely tuned planning, regardless of the scale of the demand. RFID is not just about tags, readers, […]
Read MoreTalking Tactics with IBM
The global outsourcing trend has generated enough excitement in the media and the business community to heat a small Midwest city for a year. At issue is the concern that outsourcing strips away many U.S. jobs, and does detriment to America’s general long-term economic well being. The fact that outsourcing is by no means new […]
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