Articles
Supply Chain Management
10 Ways KPIs Combat Disruptions
It’s essential to measure performance to create a competitive advantage and prepare for unpredictable events. Therefore, I have put together my “10 commandments” of key performance indicators (KPIs) to mitigate supply chain disruptions. 1. Make Sure KPIs Align with Overall Business Goals. What are your specific goals? Are those goals limited by staff hours or […]
Read MoreGetting Value from Class C Suppliers
Smart purchasing departments focus on their Class A suppliers— the ones they use the most. However, many businesses spend a disproportionate amount of time and money on their larger group of Class C suppliers. Digitizing your supplier relationship management can flip this trend so that purchasing departments instead focus attention where it should be: on […]
Read MoreIt’s Time to Embrace Supply Chain Chaos
As someone who has worked in supply chain and logistics management for more than one decade, I find a duality in watching all the attention cast on our corner of the economy over the past year. On one hand, it’s nice to see society at large recognize the giant global operation behind making and delivering […]
Read MoreThe Road to the Circular Economy
As the world realizes that the linear economy is unsustainable, companies are under pressure by regulations, investors, consumers, and employees to lower their carbon footprint and transition to a circular economy.
Read MoreData-Driven Supply Chain Optimization
Q: What is data-driven supply chain optimization, and why is it important? A: Data-driven supply chain optimization applies prescriptive analytics in mathematical programming and operations research (OR) to provide decision support for supply chain decision-making at the strategic, tactical, and operational levels. By properly capturing the decisions to make (decision variables), the performance metric to […]
Read MorePop Quiz: Supply Chain Educators Answer 6 Pressing Questions
For much of the decade prior to the pandemic, the number of students in supply chain programs couldn’t match industry’s need for supply chain professionals. “The biggest challenge was convincing students it was a real career path,” says Brian Fugate, chair of the department of supply chain management at the University of Arkansas. As the […]
Read MoreThriving on Change, Growth, and Opportunity
Fresh out of grad school, Thad Bedard moved to the San Francisco Bay area hoping to become a professor of American literature. But teaching jobs were scarce. “To make ends meet, I started working as a warehouseman,” recalls Bedard. “I enjoyed the industry. The work challenged a lot of my preconceived notions about business.” He […]
Read MoreNOTED: The Supply Chain In Brief
The latest mergers & acquisitions, logistics contracts, sustainability initiatives, humanitarian logistics efforts and more. Good Works The Coca-Cola Company, based in Atlanta, donated $1 million to the Technical College System of Georgia Foundation’s Commercial Truck Driving Program. The donation funds driver training programs and helps ensure more drivers are in the pipeline to fill trucking […]
Read MoreWhat pandemic-era adjustment will have the greatest supply chain impact?
The acceleration of digital twins. The ability to digitally model a company’s manufacturing and distribution network will allow it to quickly assess the impact of large and small disruptions and take appropriate actions. —Allen Jacques Industry Thought Leader Kinaxis The use of data analytics to help suppliers really understand consumer behavior. Suppliers decided to eliminate […]
Read MoreSay Yes to the YMS
Companies sometimes overlook how important the yard is to their success. Without proper management, facilitated by a yard management system (YMS), pile ups can lead to delays, fees, and a full shipment of stress.
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