SupplyChainBrainMore from SupplyChainBrainBusiness Strategy AlignmentSkills for Supply Chain 2.0From sourcing to delivery, the supply chain is now the most horizontal function in the enterprise, says Tony Pittman, director of global procurement at HP. And any role that has such wide-ranging impact, from how money is spent to affecting the customer's experience, needs highly trained managers and workers.April 3, 2012Logistics OutsourcingAn Introduction to Portfolio PlanningMost companies go through some form of portfolio planning, whether they use that term or not, says Eric Symon, principal with Digital Tempus. He defines it as a strategic effort to determine "what products you're going to sell to whom, and what businesses you're going to invest in." The model can help businesses to understand which products are growing in demand, and which need to be phased out.April 2, 2012All TechnologyBT's Role in the Global Supply ChainBT Global Services provides managed networked IT services for business and government organizations around the world. Its expertise begins at home, says Keith Sherry, the company's general manager of supply chain solutions. BT procures some $16bn in products and services for 30,000 engineers and 1.3 million customers.April 2, 2012All TechnologyUnlocking Cash Flow in the Supply ChainThe efficiencies and cost-containment initiatives that the physical supply chain has seen have not been brought to the financial supply chain by most companies, says Robert Kramer, vice president for working capital solutions at PrimeRevenue. That's unfortunate because there are literally trillions of dollars in accounts receivable in corporate supply chins that can be freed up, he says.March 30, 2012All LogisticsRedundancy Planning in Seaport Gateway SelectionProperly planning for the unplanned - a supply chain disruption of any kind and for whatever reason - means optimizing your distribution center network, having the right modes lined up to transport your goods to market, and ensuring that you choose the best ocean port, says John A. Moseley, general manager, trade development, at the Port of Houston Authority. It also means having a backup port just in case.March 27, 2012Global Trade ManagementSupply Chain Collaboration: A 21st-Century RevivalThere has been a recent renewal of interest in collaboration among supply-chain partners, according to Ann Grackin, chief executive officer of ChainLink Research. Reasons include a greater reliance on outsourcing and the general trend of globalization of trade. Yet another element is the desire to draw on sophisticated technology, including video, teleconferencing and social networks, to link all players throughout the chain. With such factors in mind, says Grackin, "you need working relationships with trading partners to be successful."March 26, 2012All TechnologyAlign Shop Floor Metrics to Your Corporate StrategyAnalyst Insight: The Warehousing Education and Research Council's latest benchmarking study shows that the performance gap between best-in-class and "Major Opportunity" warehouses remains large. In order to close the performance gap, Major Opportunity warehouses need to understand how to find their process weeds and pull them up by the roots. By aligning shop floor metrics to corporate strategy, companies link accountability to where the work gets done and will begin to close the gap. - Joe Tillman, senior researcher, Supply Chain VisionsMarch 23, 2012All TechnologyCollaboration and Best Practices Set the Scene for Warehouse Management in 2012Analyst's Insight: Every day in the trade press and across our laptops, we read about infrastructure weaknesses, transportation shortages, closing businesses, unemployment rates and all the other ills associated with the dreaded "R" word - recession. We know from our members how challenging these past few years have been, and we support and admire the collaboration and focus on best practices that are clearly evident and becoming more and more important in logistics. - Michael Mikitka, CEO, Warehousing Education and Research CouncilMarch 23, 2012All TechnologyIs Visibility a Grand Aspiration or Grounded in Reality?Analyst Insight: At the beginning of 2011, IDC Manufacturing Insights predicted that supply chain visibility would climb on the IT application priority list as manufacturing companies identified the business cases to improve both service levels and dollars saved. This held true throughout the year as manufacturers get a handle on what visibility means to their organizations in a tactical, rather than strategic, manner. - Simon Ellis, practice director, Supply Chain Strategies, IDC Manufacturing InsightsMarch 22, 2012All TechnologyEliminating Supply Chain Silos Is Crucial to Improved Visibility and SuccessAnalyst Insight: Ditching spreadsheet programs and stand-alone supply chain solutions for integrated software solutions is key to increasing visibility throughout the supply chain. By improving visibility, supply chain leaders can further optimize inventory and improve forecasting abilities, as well as increase the business's ability to react to disaster within the supply chain - a top priority for many executives. - Michael Koploy, ERP analyst, Software AdviceMarch 22, 2012Previous PagePage 536 of 590Next Page
