Summer Reading Guide 2017

Summer Reading Guide 2017

Add these books to your summer reading list to keep your logistics and supply chain skills sharp, even while you enjoy some time away from the office.

Supply Chain Ethics—Using CSR and Sustainability To Create Competitive Advantage

By John Manners-Bell

Supply Chain Ethics

Supply chain stakeholders can no longer afford to rush to the cheapest supplier. From climate change to human trafficking, any number of ethical concerns can impact today’s global supply chain. This book shows supply chain managers not only how to address moral obligations in an end-to-end supply chain, but also how to do so in a way that drives value and growth.

Highlights: Many businesses choose to ignore their obligation to build a sustainable supply chain, relying only on bare minimum efforts to comply with guidelines laid forth by their governments. Business leaders have a responsibility to create an integrated approach to public policy that takes into account environmental, social, and economic factors.

Quick Takeaway: Many ethics violations are not overtly intentional, but result from a lack of supply chain visibility.


Demand-Driven Supply Chain Management—Transformational Performance Improvement

By Simon Eagle

Demand Driven

Traditional methods of pushing supply were invented in different times, when holding large amounts of inventory was the norm and market stability was predictable. Modern supply chain managers, however, realize the value of demand-driven replenishment practices. This book lays out the what, why, and how for anyone looking to understand or implement demand-driven supply chain strategies and processes.

Highlights: Materials requirement planning has become an outdated method that doesn’t account for the modern supply chain’s ability to collect and analyze data. Demand-driven supply chains operate more efficiently, hold less inventory, require less transportation capacity, avoid stock outs, and improve service levels.

Quick Takeaway: Forecast-based push systems fail because forecasts are, by their nature, inaccurate to some degree. Supply chain managers are constantly adjusting to match new forecasts, which only drives inefficiency.

On Time, In Full—Achieving Perfect Delivery With Lean Thinking in Purchasing, Supply Chain, and Production Planning

By Timothy McLean

On Time

Meeting product delivery windows sounds easy, but in practice can be extremely difficult. Many factors work in tandem to bring a shipment to its destination on time. This practical guide breaks down complex practices and concepts to help manufacturers and supply chain managers ensure on-time delivery.

Highlights: On-time delivery shouldn’t seem like an impossible feat and it shouldn’t break the bank. Understanding shipment processes end to end enables supply chain managers to implement the appropriate Lean solutions in the proper places to ensure consistency and cost effectiveness.

Quick Takeaway: A strong and Lean supply chain not only retains existing customers, but is also a powerful negotiating tool when seeking new ones.

The Handbook of Logistics and Distribution Management—Understanding the Supply Chain, 6th Edition

By Alan Rushton, Phil Croucher, and Peter Baker

The Handbook of Logistics

This handy reference for students and practitioners alike covers every major distribution, logistics, and supply chain management-related topic. Advances in supply chain practices occur continuously, making this indexed guide a highly useful tool for those who need to stay in the know on the latest industry best practices, philosophies, and theories.

Highlights: A virtual A to Z of logistics practices, this book provides a general overview of nearly any concept or practice a reader may not be clear on. Updated to reflect the most recent changes in supply chain management, the sixth edition includes new or revised content on costs and trade-offs, demand forecasting, inventory planning, international freight forwarding, and outsourcing logistics.

Quick Takeaway: Fostering an environment of partnership, engagement, and communication between a client and logistics provider is key to ensuring a successful relationship.

Shipping and the 800-lb Gorilla

By K.D. Adamson

Shipping

Covering topics from autonomous ships to artificial intelligence to brand image, this collection of articles and essays from futurist K.D. Adamson both praises and criticizes the maritime industry. The book examines what’s coming in ocean shipping’s future, and what the industry must do to prepare for it.

Highlights: The shipping and maritime industry consistently fails to predict the impact of disruptive technologies. Adamson argues that the industry must come together to create a more comprehensive long-term vision that anticipates technological advances and how they should be implemented, defended against, and taken advantage of.

Quick Takeaway: The global shipping industry has become so sure of its place in the world that it fails to adapt quickly and necessarily to change.

Sustainable Logistics and Supply Chain Management—Principles and Practices for Sustainable Operations and Management, 2nd Edition

By David B. Grant, Alexander Trautrims, and Chee Yew Wong

Sustainable Logistics

The impact of climate change is edging closer to irreversible levels and the rise of technology enables consumers to see how the supply chains of the brands they buy impact environmental and social factors around the globe. This book examines sustainable practices in nearly every aspect of the supply chain to help executives and supply chain leaders operate responsibly.

Highlights: The environmental impact of the supply chain goes beyond fuel usage and greenhouse gas emissions, extending into purchasing, warehousing, packaging, and product design. To move responsibly into the future, companies must incorporate sustainable practices into their business model.

Quick Takeaway: Science-based approaches can help managers sustainably operate nearly any aspect of the supply chain.

Successful Supply Chain Vendor Compliance

By Norman A. Katz

Successful Supply

Managing multiple vendors is difficult, and without an effective vendor compliance program in place, all parties face increased costs and strained relationships. The author outlines how to build a program that educates vendors and enables them to meet compliance demands through self-management instead of relying on increased bureaucracy and communication.

Highlights: Vendor compliance programs don’t have to be a headache. If properly managed, the right relationship with the right vendor can benefit both partners and reduce supply chain disruptions.

Quick Takeaway: A properly managed relationship with the correct vendor can set a company apart from its competitors.

Contemporary Issues in Supply Chain Management and Logistics

By Anthony M. Pagano and Mellissa Gyimah

Contemporary

Countless books detail the basics of supply chain management, but books that focus on documenting current trends are more difficult to come by. The authors delve into supply chain practices on the cutting edge, giving readers insight into global issues and trends today’s logistics practitioners face. This guide is a handy reference for practitioners who want to stay on top of the changes impacting their supply chain.

Highlights: This book covers several hot-button issues, including public-private partnerships in transportation infrastructure, the need to improve forecasting and demand models to better predict the toll of increased traffic on economies, and the latest supply chain technology developments in the United States.

Quick Takeaway: Logistics professionals who stay current on new developments and technologies will be most suited to lead supply chain strategy for their organizations, and best positioned to be tomorrow’s industry thought leaders.

The LIVING Supply Chain—The Evolving Imperative of Operating in Real Time

By Robert Handfield and Tom Linton

The LIVING Supply Chain

The LIVING—Live, Intelligent, Velocity, Interactive, Networked, and Good—supply chain method helps companies navigate emerging trends and changing technologies as they build a real-time, more sustainable supply chain. Many traditional supply chain strategies are beginning to break down, making new rules for supply chain management necessary.

Highlights: Each word forming the acronym LIVING comes with a valuable question attached to help supply chain managers evaluate their supply chain and its methods. Each word drills down into key areas of focus, including visibility, data, speed, and sustainability.

Quick Takeaway: Balanced, sustainable supply chains are the way of the future; selfishly designed supply chains are doomed to fail.

International Supply Chain Relationships—Creating Competitive Advantage in a Globalized Economy

By Patrick Daly

International Supply Chain

You can’t make a chain by yourself. Each link in the supply chain represents a relationship, and maintaining those relationships is what makes the global economy run. To be successful, supply chain practitioners must have the tools, strategies, and communications skills to keep relationships healthy, or they risk breaking a link in their chain.

Highlights: Strategic relationships are critical to the success of any business, and fostering relationships on international, inter-organizational, and multi-disciplinary levels is crucial to the success of the modern supply chain manager. Even short-term strategic partnerships can be critical to success.

Quick Takeaway: Maintaining healthy relationships with supply chain partners at all levels helps mitigate disruption caused by changing trends and practices

Resilience by Teaming in Supply Chains and Networks (Automation, Collaboration, and E-Services)

By Rodrigo Reyes Levalle

Resilience

After a global disaster, some supply chains face severe disruptions while others seem to keep moving right along. Why? This book explores the concept of supply chain resilience and how even companies prone to disruption can design a supply chain that’s resistant to the unpredictable.

Highlights: Resilience by teaming is the old “one stick breaks, a bundle of sticks is strong” concept, but for supply chain partners. If many weaker partners collaborate to ensure continuous service, they become much more difficult to disrupt than if they were to stand alone.

Quick Takeaway: The first step toward operating a resilient supply chain is admitting that it is vulnerable to internal and external threats.

Warehouse Management—A Complete Guide to Improving Efficiency and Minimizing Costs in the Modern Warehouse, 3rd Edition

By Gwynne Richards

Warehouse Management

Warehouse managers don’t just manage goods. They also manage teams of people and must stay up to date on the latest regulations and technologies—including equipment and software—amid myriad other responsibilities. This newly updated reference book covers nearly any issue warehouse managers might face as they strive to run an efficient and cost-effective facility.

Highlights: This new edition features new or updated sections on warehouse technology and robotics, as well as warehouse design and the challenges e-commerce creates. It also comes with downloadable tools to help warehouse managers audit their own operations.

Quick Takeaway: The benefits of improving warehouse operations outweigh the costs. An improperly run warehouse can be one of the costliest parts of the supply chain.

Global Liner Shipping—The Engine Room of World Trade

By Lars Jensen

Global Liner Shipping

The advent of modern shipping lines changed the way global commerce occurred, allowing goods to move in large quantities between any two points in the world. Now, with a capacity crisis fading and disruptive technologies on the horizon, this book helps logistics managers deal with challenges, both current and future.

Highlights: Every supply chain manager deals with goods, components, or materials that moved by ocean transport, so there is value in understanding this transport method. Each chapter ends with a case study that puts the contents of the chapter in context, helping to apply concepts and theories to real-world events.

Quick Takeaway: Ocean shipping plays an important part in maintaining international stability and security.

Managing Global Supply Chains, 2nd Edition

By Ron Basu and J. Nevan Wright

Managing Global Supply

As technology, transport methods, regulations, environmental concerns, and numerous other factors continue to change the way the supply chain operates, practitioners must stay up to date with current best practices. This book gives an updated overview of currently used supply chain methods and how they apply across multiple verticals.

Highlights: The updated chapters on e-business, emerging markets, and sustainability combine with current case studies to show how the most recent advances in supply chain methods function in practical environments. The author offers a plethora of practical, evidence-based advice on how to build a lean and agile supply chain in nearly any vertical.

Quick Takeaway: Even though supply chains vary in size and form, the most basic principles of supply chain management apply across all verticals in operations of all sizes.

Reverse Logistics—The Complete Self-Assessment Guide

From The Art of Service

Reverse Logistics

Logistics is a complicated and many-faceted field, so implementing or maintaining a reverse logistics program can often seem like a daunting task. Through this self-assessment, supply chain and logistics managers can review their existing operation and see what’s missing, what’s already in place, and how it all stacks up against best practices and industry standards.

Highlights: It’s difficult to know what data you need to begin or improve a reverse logistics program if you don’t know the right questions to ask. This book’s questionnaires ask the correct questions to help any supply chain practitioner evaluate the performance of their reverse logistics operation.

Quick Takeaway: A proper self-assessment can occur only if the assessor keeps an open mind about whether or not the operation needs improvement.

The Supply Chain Revolution—Innovative Sourcing and Logistics for a Fiercely Competitive World

By Suman Sarkar

The Supply Chain Revolution

It’s time to take the supply chain out of its silo. Major global brands such as Starbucks, Zara, and TJX have realized that they can no longer consider the supply chain as a function that rests behind the scenes. The supply chain is not just an easy place to cut costs, but is a source of value. The author draws on 20 years of experience and practical examples to show supply chain practitioners how to get the most out of not only partners and suppliers, but also internal corporate resources.

Highlights: Sales, marketing, research and development, and customer service departments must learn to collaborate with supply chain and procurement teams to discover breakout solutions that provide the most value. Supply chain and procurement professionals must also learn to collaborate with others if an organization hopes to have the most efficient supply chain possible.

Quick Takeaway: Use performance-based metrics to avoid clashing with suppliers and partners. If everyone knows the threshold for successful partnership from the beginning, there’s no reason for conflicts to arise.

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