Lean Supply Chain Archives - Inbound Logistics

November 20, 2023 | Lean Supply Chain | Supply Chain

Lean Supply Chain: Definition, Advantages, and Disadvantages

In today’s highly competitive business environment, a lean supply chain is more than just a strategy; it’s necessary for companies looking to enhance efficiency and customer value. By employing lean principles that originated from the Toyota Production System, businesses across various sectors are streamlining their supply chains to reduce waste, improve customer satisfaction, and gain […]

October 20, 2023 | Lean Supply Chain | October 2023

Small Businesses Need Supply Chain Planning Tools, Too

Supply chain technology vendors historically have paid little attention to the planning needs of small “mom and pop” businesses. That’s surprising, considering there are approximately 32 million such businesses in the United States, with 2.7 million in the retail trade alone, according to the 2019 U.S. Census.

August 16, 2023 | August 2023 | Lean Supply Chain

Reader Interview: Integrated Supply Network’s Theron Neese

Theron Neese is chief operating officer with Integrated Supply Network (ISN), a Lakeland, Florida-based distributor of automotive tools and equipment.

Autonomous at Last?

One of the most difficult and expensive areas of the supply chain is last-mile and home delivery. It can also be the most memorable and important aspect of the customer’s buying experience. So, it’s no surprise that last-mile delivery of goods is a key application for driverless technologies.

May 22, 2023 | Inventory Management | Lean Supply Chain | Manufacturing | May 2023

Don’t Blame Lean Manufacturing

Lean manufacturing has been blamed for the recent supply chain crisis, with critics claiming lean and just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing encouraged extremely low inventories of raw materials and components. When the pandemic arrived, and supplies were disrupted, manufacturers had to stop production due to material shortages. This had cascading effects all the way down the supply […]

Just In Time to Near-Source or Nearly Time to In-Source?

As the global economy grows more complex, the concepts of in-sourcing and near-sourcing are receiving increased attention from many supply chain professionals.

January 29, 2023 | January 2023 | Lean Supply Chain | Supply Chain

The Supply Chain: It’s Alive! It’s Alive!

In some ways, the supply chain of today is a living, breathing organism. It’s not just links and nodes on a map, but a blend of digital and/or analog data, machines, and yes, real people who are constantly moving and adapting.

October 24, 2022 | Lean Supply Chain | Security | Supply Chain Management

The Future of the Supply Chain is Cloudy

We hear a lot about the cloud these days. The cloud (public or private) refers to software and services that run on the Internet instead of locally on your computer. There is a good chance that the majority of business data will eventually reside in the cloud.

Lean Isn’t Mean and Agile Isn’t Cheap

Back in 2014, I wrote a column extolling the benefits of a lean and agile supply chain, also known as a hybrid strategy. Depending on your product or service, your supply chain may tilt more one way or the other, or it might be segmented but still exhibit characteristics of both. For example, if you […]

How can retailers compete with the logistics dominance of the e-commerce behemoths?

Don’t view this as a competition with e-commerce behemoths, but as another sales channel in your omnichannel strategy. Treat it as such and develop your strategy to provide differentiation on customer service and trust to be able to drive direct sales, while still leveraging other channels to build brand awareness. —Scott Hebert CEO SYSPRO USA […]

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