Supply Chain Archives - Page 11 of 15

May 20, 2015January 30, 2016

The Supply Chain: 5/20/2015

IBM Empower 2015: The Evolution of Supplier Engagement General Session
The Empower event took place last week, I have been scanning the web to see if any video was released:

The recent CPO study from the IBM Institute for Business Value highlights the changing relationship between the enterprise and their suppliers. The procurement organization and its internal stakeholders are the conduit to innovation and value held within the supply chain. Unlocking that potential is key to driving the next wave of transformation and evolution. Join us in the Empower general session to hear the debate about what’s next for procurement and learn from your peers on what they are doing to release the value from their supply base.
Why businesses should combine NPS with analytics

Alec Gardner, general manager ANZ, Teradata, says, “Businesses should be using data analytics in conjunction with NPS to enhance customer satisfaction, and in many cases, even help predict NPS.” “Doing this lets companies use data analytics to proactively seek customer sentiment using channels such as social media well ahead of the customer’s intention to contact the company,” Gardner says. ”Discovery analytics from big data sources lets companies gain new insights about competitors as well as their own products or services.”

http://itbrief.co.nz/story/why-businesses-should-combine-nps-analytics/
What to Ask, and Not Ask, Your Cloud Hosting Provider

Don’t Ask: What is the provider’s availability record? This may seem like a very important question, and it is. However, it should be noted that if you’re researching a reputable hosting provider, many of the organizations that report on downtime don’t look at the clients of the provider, but only at the provider’s website. This can create false positive or negative results, since it isn’t a customer production environment.

http://www.itbusinessedge.com/blogs/from-under-the-rug/what-to-ask-and-not-ask-your-cloud-hosting-provider.html
I read this Fast Company article this morning and thought it would be good to share (I think this will sound very familiar to something happening in July):
THE MESSY BUSINESS OF REINVENTING HAPPINESS

It is a tale of corporate politics, personal feuds, and turf wars. But it also the story of a success, even though the project didn’t fully deliver on its massive ambitions. This is what happens when a huge corporation tries to reinvent itself. This is what you have to do when you better make it work.

http://www.fastcompany.com/3044283/the-messy-business-of-reinventing-happiness#!

May 12, 2015January 30, 2016

The Supply Chain: 5/12/2015

A supply chain issue caused shortage in Apple’s new iWatch:

Taptic Engine components manufactured by AAC Technologies Holdings Inc. “started to break down over time,” a manufacturing defect that “people familiar with the matter” say caused Apple to throw out some watches that had already been built.

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/04/wsj-taptic-engine-component-responsible-for-limited-apple-watch-supplies/
Big Company Supplier Squeeze – A Disturbing Trend Continues

Such attitudes are on display in a recent New York Times article that revealed that some sizable, global companies are now asking for 120 days – four months – to pay their suppliers. They are doing so even as they continue to require 30 days payment from their customers. This practice has been prevalent in the food and beverage industry, following the lead of Anheuser Busch who initiated these onerous payment terms on their suppliers back in 2008. The article suggests that many others in varying industries are now following suit not because they are in financial dire straits but, well, because they can.

http://www.procurementleaders.com/blog/my-blog–guest-blog/2015/05/07/big-company-supplier-squeeze–a-disturbing-trend-continues
Supply chains ‘extremely important’ to success of healthcare firms, says survey

“The importance of the supply chain in the competitive strategy of healthcare products companies is clear, and many companies in the field have committed to innovation in order to address the challenges described,” said the report. “But the modern supply chain is too complex for any one company to face on its own. Companies need to build a trusted network of experienced and reliable vendors.”

http://www.supplymanagement.com/news/2015/supply-chains-extremely-important-to-success-of-healthcare-firms-says-survey
How Strategic Sourcing Can Save a Bundle

A branch of the Texas Procurement and Support Services Division analyzed spending data for commonly purchased goods and services and developed new contracts to secure better prices. Contracts and vendor performance are monitored to ensure compliance. And in Texas as elsewhere, centralization of purchasing maximizes buying power and cost savings for agencies’ commonly competitively-purchased goods and services, while real time-data is used to make smart purchasing choices.

http://www.governing.com/gov-institute/voices/col-how-strategic-sourcing-save-money-procurement.html

Note: These last two articles about “supply chain management is good” is the reason why this report isn’t published every week. Good, interesting content, is limited. The same basic ideas and statements are repeated each week. When I see something good or a great example, there will be a post.

April 29, 2015April 25, 2015

Video: How to Use Time to Your Advantage in Negotiations

April 28, 2015January 30, 2016

The Supply Chain: 4/28/2015

Where’s the payback in (supply chain) software?

One out of every two supply chain software deployments is falling short when it comes to delivering the expected return on the investment. That was the surprising finding of this year’s survey on supply chain software and how logistics professionals are using it. Designed as a follow-up to a study conducted last year, this year’s research looked specifically at which applications are most popular, what kind of payback they’re providing, and the challenges users face to successful deployment.

http://www.dcvelocity.com/articles/20150424-wheres-the-payback-in-software/
Press Release: Global Supply Chain Management BPO: Genpact Named Leader by Analyst Firm Everest Group

Genpact reduced a leading consumer packaged goods (CPG) company’s quality costs by 30 percent through a Kanban lean manufacturing process. It also designed, developed and deployed an integrated planning solution to reduce a global high tech security company’s finished goods inventory by 25 percent. Genpact also utilized a “should cost” analysis to help a top energy firm save $1 million in direct materials costs and save 60 percent time in parts negotiations.

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/NY88443.htm
Top-performing supply chains: Pharmaceutical companies

We believe supply chain excellence is based on the ability to improve that portfolio of metrics. To help the reader, we have applied the model to different industries; this article looks at progress in the pharmaceutical sector. Progress in driving supply chain excellence in this sector is stalled. The reason? With a growth agenda and intense investment in research and development (R&D), growing regulation, and the building of global capabilities, the last decade has been a time of change for the global pharmaceutical companies. Their progress has not been equal to that in the consumer goods or food and beverage industries. The many mergers and acquisitions among companies in this category have also slowed progress in achieving supply chain excellence.

http://www.supplychainquarterly.com/articles/20150422-top-performing-supply-chains-pharmaceutical-companies/

April 15, 2015January 30, 2016

The Supply Chain: 4/15/2015

Demand growing for supply chain execs:

A new study from researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich—the first empirical attempt to document the presence and impact of supply chain managers on large U.S. firms—shows a long-term, gradual increase in the number of chief executives responsible for supply chain management, even though most firms have cut down on the size of their top management team. That’s great news for supply chain jockeys and their advocates. But the study also contains a bit of not-so-great news. It turns out that firms that have a chief supply chain officer (CSCO) post lower operating profit margins than those without one.

http://www.strategy-business.com/blog/Demand-Growing-for-Supply-Chain-Execs?gko=97bcd
B2B integration and the supply chain:

When it comes to supply chain management, the research indicates that 51 percent of high tech companies can process an invoice in under on hour, and 84 precent of CPG companies have an average customer delivery time of less than seven days. That same research indicates that 97 percent of CPG companies have an average time to market in less than 120 days.

http://www.pymnts.com/news/2015/b2b-integration-and-the-supply-chain/
Supply Chain Innovation Unloads Elevated Demand For MBA Talent

Traditional supply chains will radically change over the next five to 10 years as a result of new technologies. Companies surveyed by Deloitte and MHI expect to invest heavily in new supply chain tech in the next two years, with the top 17% spending over $10 million.

http://www.businessbecause.com/news/mba-careers/3202/mba-jobs-supply-chain-innovation