The Fifth P of Marketing
Why are the four Ps of marketing—Product, Price, Promotion, Place—important to logistics practitioners? Collaborating with suppliers and being tightly wired to customers and their demand signals helps craft the right Product. Reducing inventory, touches, and supporting infrastructure helps keep any Product’s Price lower. And when your Promotion materials arrive where they need to be, and […]
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Supply Chain Education: Ask The Professors
Show of hands: who has questions about supply chain education and pursuing a career in the field? Leading professors are here with the answers.
Read MoreBroken Processes and Broken Promises
Commerce operates on promises. Some are formalized in contracts, others are informal agreements. The processes that allow your supply chain to keep those promises also need to be managed and controlled.
Read MoreImproving the Order-to-Cash Cycle
When pursuing order-to-cash improvements, many companies try to speed receivables. Instead, they should focus on setting long-term goals and improving customer relationships. Scott Pezza, research analyst, the Aberdeen Group, offers the following tips for improving order-to-cash effectiveness. 1. Stay ahead of the game with pre-sales credit analysis. Identify potential problems early so you can either […]
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Don Riley: Building for the Future
Don Riley joined Denver-based ProBuild Holdings as executive vice president of supply chain and technology in November 2011. ProBuild is a leading supplier of building materials, with more than 430 locations nationwide. Responsibilities: Supply chain, manufacturing, information technology, enterprise resource planning (ERP) deployment. Experience: Developer, Singer-Link Flight Simulation; various positions culminating in account executive, Electronic […]
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Trends–February 2012
BNSF Lays Down Investment Plan Transportation infrastructure funding remains a hot topic on Capitol Hill while legislators continue to bandy about ideas to satisfy a long-overdue highway reauthorization bill. Out on the rails, however, the railroads continue to lead by example. BNSF Railway Company recently announced a planned 2012 capital commitment program of approximately $3.9 […]
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Global Logistics–February 2012
UK University Engine Behind Carbon Tool The University of Sheffield has developed a supply chain environmental analysis tool (SCEnAT) to help manufacturers cut carbon emissions. The solution, which a number of international companies, including aircraft engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce, are already using, creates a database of carbon usage. It then arms businesses with ways to reduce […]
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Software as a Service: Changing the TMS Landscape
In 2009, a major cable manufacturer was faced with rising LTL costs, a disorganized supply chain, and a severe lack of reporting capabilities. The recovering freight market forced carriers to raise rates, and the manufacturer was told by its LTL carrier base it was at a "less than optimal operating ratio." The shipper needed a […]
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The Truth Behind “Made in the USA”
Much talk across the American political and economic landscape centers around the importance of domestic manufacturing. Yet the issue and challenges of "Made in the USA" are so poorly understood that fatalistic hand-wringing and stump speech vitriol are obfuscating its rapidly emerging potential for near-term revitalization. Revitalization implies that there has been a reduction in […]
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Dealing With Daily-Deal Sites
New sales channels have enhanced supply chain complexity. Consumers who wish to buy a sweatshirt, for example, can make their purchase from the local mall; a big box retailer such as Walmart or Target; a catalog; a direct-response television ad or shopping network; or a Web site. Shoppers might also receive an email from Groupon, […]
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