Articles
Supply Chain
Jack the Giant Killer
In the fabled tale of old, Jack the Giant Killer, a smaller, more wily competitor (who also has a friend with special powers) whips a larger, more powerful foe. It can happen in modern times too, logistically speaking. Let’s consider a real-world example of how using a 3PL helps a company operate successfully against competitors […]
Read MoreStrikepoint: Part Three
"I won’t let it happen!" Gan McManus slapped the table, rattling the espresso cups. "Dammit, we had the prize in our hands—manufacturing capacity, a bridge solution to our supply chain dilemma, the works! And now it’s all whisked away by Ike Boone and his checkbook!" "Bravo!" Ed Combs said from across the table. "I’ve been […]
Read MoreGan’s the Man
As editor of Inbound Logistics, I get plenty of mail from readers. This month, I was bypassed. All your mail went straight to Gan McManus, the fictional hero of Strikepoint . It’s only fair to turn this column over to Gan and let him talk to you directly. —Felecia Stratton, Editor Wow. I want to […]
Read MoreStrikepoint—Part Two
Mary Ann Dugan had left the meeting supercharged, rushing off to delegate everything so she could plunge into crisis mode—with Gan McManus, Ed Combs and anybody else in the hierarchy of Cornelius Footwear they decided to grab. "It’s going to be a long day—and probably night," she’d told Gan. "Which reminds me, I’m going to […]
Read MoreStrikepoint—Part One
IT CAME LIKE A BOLT OUT OF THE BLUE THAT FRIDAY. Rob Wylie, a defector to Cornelius’ humongous rival, Zip Athletic Wear, had called, offering Gan a "real" logistics job. For more money. Plus stock options that could actually mean something. And, probably the clincher, a chance for Gan finally to use some of the […]
Read MoreHappy Holidays! Are You Ready?
Is all your product staged for this holiday season? Some companies were not ready for the shopping frenzy last year, and it wasn’t just the dot.com failure to execute and deliver in time. Low inventory levels and faster moving supply chains, given the growing practice of inbound logistics, offer high rewards but there are high […]
Read MoreStart-me-up, Scotty!
In the classic Star Trek series, whenever someone wanted to go from here to there in an instant, they just said, “Beam-me-up, Scotty,” and there they’d be. It was more than transportation. It was transformation. And “beaming up” might be a way to describe what is happening today. Our bold new 21st Century has vaulted […]
Read MoreCapturing a ‘Supply Chain Moment’
A “Kodak moment” can be the moment that grandma sees the new baby or Aunt Helen gives the proud graduate a check. What is a “supply chain moment”? The supply chain deals with a very complex set of technologies and issues. Technologies are stacked over the supply chain like planes over O’Hare on Thanksgiving. Any […]
Read MorePositioning the Supply Chain in a Volatile Market
The supply chain and its attendant technology is a warp-speed moving target that responds to enterprise strategy changes, the intelligent moves and vagaries of the Big Six accounting firms, the latest acronyms of the supply chain consulting community, and the shifting forces of the marketplace. The need for faster response time alone has ushered in […]
Read MoreHow To Not Get ‘Dissed’
In the parlance of the street, getting “dissed” means getting disrespected. In the business realm, many intermediaries, or middlemen (distributors, for example) are worried about getting dissed another way, falling victim to the disintermediation trend. That’s a lot of alphabet, but it means simply that technology, the Internet, and the need for corporate efficiency has […]
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