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SupplyChainBrain

Robots Will Soon Be In The Store Helping to Fulfill Orders

As retailers continue to compete with e-commerce, they remain challenged in optimizing the use of in-store inventory as available to fulfill. The emergence of safe, mobile robots will help retailers to make better use of in-store inventory, while also enhancing the customer experience. Robots in the store will soon be used to not only handle product but to engage with the customer to improve customer service. -John Santagate, Research Director, IDC

March 6, 2018

0306 Robots Will Soon Be

A Complete Supply Chain Transformation From Push to Demand-Pull

Until 2001, the world of supply chain management, especially in retail, had been driven by what we call the "push system," a very linear and slow-to-move-forward process. This approach, historically in retail, has been driven by an antiquated "middleman & merchandising" model involving "The Show", followed by design, material planning, production, then pushing product to stores, in anticipation of a "one season" market. A process fraught with risk to the bottom line. -Gregory L. Schlegel, Founder, The Supply Chain Risk Management Consortium, Executive-in-Residence, Center for Supply Chain Research, Lehigh University

March 6, 2018

0306 A Complete Supply Chain

All Warehouse Services

Four Ways Amazon Disrupting Customer Expectations

Amazon is the great disruptor, in part because innovation is built into their culture. It’s in their DNA to try new things knowing some of them will fail, and they are experimenting and learning all the time. This cycle of innovation has enabled them to disrupt retail by raising customer expectations – anticipating what customers want and responding with new products and services before anyone else. Amazon is resetting customer expectations around convenience, speed, price and selection. -Robert Dold, Retail Industry Leader, Fortna

March 5, 2018

0305 Four Ways Amazon Disrupting

Global Supply Chain Management

Emphasis on Corporate Social Responsibility

This year, the Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 revealed that retailers are placing an increased emphasis on corporate social responsibility. The average CSR score for the top 10 retailers in the report was 6.8 in 2017, compared with 5.8 last year. Furthermore, four companies (Inditex, H&M, Gap and Wesfarmers) scored a maximum of 10 this year, whereas the highest ranking by any company last year was nine, also achieved by four companies. -John Johnson, Senior Content Specialist, Gartner

March 5, 2018

0305 Emphasison Corporate Social

Global Supply Chain Management

There's No Time to Relax in 2018

2017 brought a new presidential administration and an almost immediate end to the highly anticipated Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The rest of the year consisted of many unfulfilled protectionist threats in the U.S. and abroad such as the initiation of NAFTA renegotiation. The World Economic Forum has pointed out that supply chains are the backbone of the global economy. As companies continue to send armies of lobbyists to protect their global supply chains, there is no chance that the threats to your company will disappear. -Beth Pride, President, BPE Global

March 2, 2018

0302 Theres No Timeto

Shipping Dangerous Goods Is About More Than Licking Labels and Kicking Boxes

110 people in 1996. Two pilots in 2010. Eight warehouse workers in a sort facility in 2014. 239 people in 2014. Each case, dangerous goods were or may have been involved. The value lost, immeasurable. Shipping dangerous goods is more than kicking boxes and licking labels. With over a million shipments of dangerous goods everyday in the United States, it is critical for organizations to recognize when they have dangerous goods and to provide training to employees. -Joe Tillman, Founder, TSquared Logistics

March 2, 2018

0302 Shipping Dangerous Goods Is

How Well Does My Past Predict My Future?

Over the past decade, businesses have accumulated a sea of data on their operations, customers and business practices. Businesses have attempted to consume this data to drive effective business solutions with limited success. We are at the precipice where solutions seamlessly consume traditional data and merge it with unstructured data to cohesively drive business planning and execution. -M. Scott Moon, Principal, Tompkins International

March 1, 2018

0301 How Well Does My

All Aboard: Low Fuel Prices and Steady Demand Keep Railroad Operators Chugging Along

During the past few years, rail cargo transportation service prices have been on a slippery decline. Despite increasing demand, tanking fuel prices have laid the track for cheaper rail transportation during the past three years. While falling prices have been a welcome relief to shippers, carrier profitability has still been increasing due to steady demand and absent competition for many routes. However, service prices rebounded in 2017 and look to keep pushing higher over the next few years as oil prices recover further. -Connor DiGregorio, Research Analyst, IBISWorld Inc.

March 1, 2018

0301 All Aboard Low Fuel

Education & Professional Development

Distinguishing Perception From Reality

The Warehousing Education and Research Council's annual benchmarking study, DC Measures, shows a majority of respondents believe they are performing better than their competitors. This perception gap is common for warehouse managers, especially when using metrics to improve performance. To bridge the difference between perception and reality, we have to understand the basics and go back to school on metrics. Joe Tillman, Founder TSquared Logistics

February 28, 2018

0228 Distinguishing Perception From Reality

Go for 'Best Fit' – Not 'Best Practice' -- Metrics

Picking the right metrics for your supplier relationship should not be about simply buying into the latest benchmarking data. Rather, it should be about aligning the right metrics for the purpose. For quality metrics, pick what is the "best fit," not the "best practice." This is especially important for strategic, long-term supply chain relationships. -Kate Vitasek, faculty member, University of Tennessee Haslam College of Business Administration; author of six books on the Vested business model; and Karl Manrodt, Professor of Logistics at Georgia College. He is the co-author of seven books and numerous academic articles.

February 28, 2018

0228 Gofor Best Fit

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