SupplyChainBrainMore from SupplyChainBrainAll TechnologyFor Tech Industry, IoT Is Changing the LandscapeAnalyst Insight: Relatively flat growth over the past several years coupled with margin erosion and heavy M&A activity in the industry has companies looking to the their supply chains for greater efficiencies. Long-tail SKUs and accelerated obsolescence cycles are clogging storage capacity that is needed for expansion of new lines, categories and products to deliver "one-stop shopping" for customers and competitive advantage for distributors. The next competitive edge will come, not from step change, but from transformational projects that deliver unprecedented efficiency and agility. - Chris Mehl, electronics industry leader, Fortna Inc.March 31, 2017All LogisticsThree Steps to Manage and Monitor Logistics PerformanceAnalyst Insight: The 2016 DC Measures Study from the Warehousing Education and Research Council shows over 35 percent of respondents report to the C-suite, where interest in logistics performance will only increase. To better communicate to the C-suite, logistics needs to focus on managing and monitoring their performance by concentrating on the three pillars of performance management. In order to be successful, we must think beyond simple short-term results and move towards a better model for managing performance. - Joe Tillman, principal research lead for supply chain, APQCMarch 31, 2017All TechnologySmart Tools: How Machine Connectedness Will Grow by 2020Analyst Insight: Internet of Things (IoT) and smart product resellers connect industry networks to the customer. They offer service in addition to supply, and are familiar with product demonstrations, try-before-you-buy deals, how to handle product version changeovers, and many more practicalities of doing business. By 2020, these resellers will need new tools to simplify the buying process because they will be selling to the majority, not just to early adopters. - Peter Thorne, director, Cambashi Ltd.March 31, 2017All LogisticsHow E-Commerce Is Changing Facility Planning and DesignAnalyst Insight: The impact of omnichannel fulfillment requirements and growth of e-commerce have altered the way companies plan and design distribution facilities. The plan and design processes themselves haven't changed as much as the number of variables that must be considered. Today's distribution facilities require greater flexibility to adapt rapidly to changing customer requirements. - Phil Quartel, senior director of operations design, Fortna Inc.March 29, 2017Logistics OutsourcingEnd-to-End View Drives Savings in Labor, Freight and Working CapitalAnalyst Insight: End-to-end supply-chain visibility is one of the top five pain points facing executives in modern global supply chains. It allows supply-chain trading partners to visualize, share, collaborate and manage every aspect of supply chain processes, from raw materials to end customers. While businesses put resources towards improving supply-chain visibility, they find it is difficult to attain without connection to a value network that fosters sharing among stakeholders and good, quality information. Simply put, for a business to sustain growth in the current volatile business environment, executives need end-to-end supply-chain visibility to gain insights into activities they don’t control. - Cindi Hane, vice president of product management, ElemicaMarch 29, 2017All LogisticsWarehouse Logistics: The Gap Between Strategy and PerformanceAnalyst Insight: For the past 13 years we've studied metrics used in DCs across the U.S. During that time we've shared benchmarking data, reporting how some of the best firms use metrics to improve performance. Yet, gaps still exist - and bridging them can lead to greater performance gains. For the past two years, we have been examining how companies are using metrics to align to the strategic objective. The results have been surprising! - Donnie Williams, assistant professor of logistics and supply chain management, Georgia State, and Karl Manrodt, professor of logistics and supply chain management, Georgia StateMarch 28, 2017Air CargoAssets in Motion: Internet of Things Delivers Real-Time ViewsAnalyst Insight: Visibility in the supply chain has long been a challenge that supply-chain managers have struggled with, especially when it relates to assets in motion. Fortunately, we now live in a world of constant connectivity, and with that the emergence of applications that enable true real-time visibility to assets or inventory in motion through the support of the Internet of Things (IoT). - John Santagate, research manager, IDCMarch 28, 2017All LogisticsHow to Use Data to Compete in the Digital MarketplaceAnalyst Insight: Defining success for retailers today is pretty straightforward: Respond more rapidly and efficiently to customers' demands, at a price they are willing to pay, regardless of order platform or physical location of the products at the time of purchase. - Karl Manrodt, logistics and supply chain management professor, Georgia College and State University, and Mary Holcomb, supply chain management professor, University of TennesseeMarch 27, 2017All LogisticsThe Sharing Economy Is Disrupting Traditional WarehousingAnalyst Insight: The sharing economy has been disrupting and transforming industries, with companies like Uber disrupting the taxi industry and Airbnb disrupting the hospitality industry. Now, even the very mature space of warehousing is in the process of disruption as warehouse-sharing platforms emerge that are providing benefits to both shippers and facility owners. - John Santagate, research manager, IDCMarch 27, 2017All TechnologyReport: Digital Mapping and Risk Assessment Prevent Supply Chain DisruptionsAnalyst Insight: The 9th Annual BCI/Zurich Supply Chain Resilience Report categorically said last year that ineffective management of supply chains is leaving organizations open to severe disruptions and large financial negative impacts. The report also states that almost 75 percent of companies have experienced one disruptive event and that many more experienced multiple risk events in 2016. Why? The report concludes that organizations are still not ensuring adequate supply-chain visibility upstream and downstream. - Gregory Schlegel, executive-in-residence, Center for Supply Chain Research, Lehigh UniversityMarch 27, 2017Previous PagePage 449 of 589Next Page