Articles
Supply Chain Management

How Will the Future Unfold?
As the coronavirus continues to disrupt global supply chains, Gartner developed three scenarios to help chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) prepare for recovery and make preemptive decisions to set up their organizations for success. Gartner polled 833 IT and IT/business professionals and found that 84% of organizations are facing varying forms of disruption—from slight disruptions […]
Read MoreMore Companies Seek Sustainability Data
An uptick of 24% more companies are asking their suppliers to report environmental data in 2020 through nonprofit CDP Global, with a 34% surge of growth in North America. Suppliers report data on their impacts, risks, opportunities, and strategies related to climate change, deforestation, and/or water security through CDP’s platform. Companies then use the data […]
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Make a New Plan, Stan
More than half of surveyed industry professionals say their supply chain planning process is only “somewhat effective,” regardless of the technology used, finds new research by AIMMS. A combined 28% state that their planning process is “very effective” or “extremely effective,” while 15% say their process is “not so effective,” and 2% say it is […]
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What COVID-19 supply chain pivot impressed you the most? Why?
One Million Masks, founded by Shafqat Islam, which has built a digital supply chain. Powered by UPS, they have secured hundreds of thousands of PPE units for hospitals. Furthermore, it demonstrates a supply chain that was built in months that otherwise would have taken years. Over the coming months, we will continue to see this type of rapid innovation from savvy organizations.
Read MoreThe True Value of Supply Chain Transformation
Lyndsi Lee is senior vice president of supply chain with True Value Company, a leading hardware and home improvement wholesaler. Responsibilities: Drive end-to-end supply chain optimization, develop integrated planning and logistics strategies, and build best-in-class sourcing programs. Experience: Division vice president, inventory management and global sourcing, also with True Value; principal, project leader, Boston Consulting […]
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In Defense of You
You’ve failed at logistics. So says David Segal in his recent article entitled "What Happened to the Great American Logistics Machine?" in The New York Times. Here are the article’s punchlines: The virus is "winning at the logistics game," and "let us acknowledge the obvious: The country is flunking a curriculum that it basically wrote." […]
Read MoreWhat’s the most unexpectedly good advice you’ve received about the supply chain?
Speed is not always the solution. Breaking shipments into inventory replenishment and just-in-time SKUs allows price and transit time optimization. Asia-to-U.S.-East-Coast transit through the Panama Canal versus the Suez Canal differs by 7 to 13 days. Pushing inventory cargo to the slower/lower-cost options provides free warehousing on the water while reducing overall landed cost. —Alan […]
Read MoreHow Mobile IoT Brings End-to-End Supply Chain Visibility to Life
End-to-end supply chain transparency has proven a difficult-to-attain gold standard, not only by transportation and logistics companies, but by any company that depends on the movement of goods to propel business forward. In the thick of the COVID-19 era and its ripple effects, this need has become even more critical across nearly every sector. The […]
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COVID-19 Supply Chain Resources & Recovery Strategies
3 Innovations on the Fast Track 1. Delivery drones. Their deployment has been fast tracked to reduce the risk of exposure for drivers and bolster capacity to meet soaring demand for home deliveries. For example, UPS and CVS plan to use drones to deliver prescription medications to a Florida retirement community. Alphabet’s drone delivery company, […]
Read MoreThe Value of Global Trade Insights in Navigating COVID-19 Supply Chain Disruptions
The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the fragility of the modern supply chain, as companies struggle to acquire the products and raw materials needed to keep revenue flowing. With many businesses relying heavily on a limited number of trading partners, many located in hard-hit areas like China, the scale of the supply chain disruption has been […]
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Act Fast, Act Smart
More than ever before, maintaining flexibility in logistics is essential.
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We Must Learn to Mitigate Supply Chain Disruption from Disasters
While the coronavirus pandemic put supply chain weaknesses on display, it has also shined a light on where we need to strengthen our capabilities to mitigate future disruptions.
Read More10 Tips for Leading Your Team
Clear and effective leadership helps set a company’s culture and motivates employees to work together toward a common goal.
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Staying Productive in Unproductive Times
While driving around my neighborhood, I’ve noticed a lot more people putting items out to the curb. Have you noticed this? I wondered about that for a moment and then realized what was happening. People are using the virus downtime to organize, clean, and take up projects long postponed. The result is an uptick in […]
Read More6 Keys to Pandemic Preparedness
Companies that have handled supply chain disruption the best to date did the following 6 things well in advance of the pandemic.
Read MoreAdapting Supply Chain Strategies Amid COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an enormous strain on global supply chains as they rush to complete and ship orders as quickly as possible. With tightening budgets and a need to stay connected using technology, it is more important than ever for transportation and logistics companies to have an effective mobility strategy in place. To […]
Read MoreSupply Chain Cleanliness Matters—During and Beyond COVID-19
As the world grapples with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chain leaders are busier than ever and working hard to keep workers and customers safe—even as they keep millions of products moving. Of course, the threat of COVID-19 has dominated the national dialogue. But responsible warehouse managers know that safeguards to protect workers, drivers, […]
Read MoreCOVID-19 Supply Chain Resources & Strategies
Redefining Global Supply Chain Management The traditional ways of managing the supply chain may have changed forever as COVID-19 brings heightened awareness of its fragility. Every shipper, carrier, and logistics manager appreciates there could be a significant paradigm shift for future sourcing and inventory management. While just-in-time shipment delivery with tight inventory-to-sales ratios were the […]
Read More3 Ways to Mitigate Supply Chain Slowdowns
As the supply chain faces factory closures and limited access to employees and logistics to move goods amid the COVID-19 outbreak, leaders can help ease disruption by focusing on their workforce, products, and costs. Gartner recommends: 1. Support Your Workforce To limit the impact of COVID-19, governments and employers instructed many employees to stay at […]
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This Is Not a Drill
Create an agile, real-time approach. Have an effective communication strategy, one that includes internal users, vendors, and carrier partners.
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