Risks challenge businesses. Last week two events occurred that illustrate the risks you can face in operating global supply chains. The first concerned leather balls used in Australian Rules football games. Like many companies in developed countries, the brand company sources its products from low cost countries (LCC). If your company approaches suppliers that have low labour costs, the procurement staff are … Read More
Getting the careers message to students about supply chains and logistics
Promotion events are successful. Last week I was invited to take part in an information evening about careers in Procurement, for students at the University of Melbourne. It was a very successful event with about 50 undergraduate and post graduate students attending. The outcome was that 50 more people knew about the potential benefits to themselves and employers from careers … Read More
Location can cost you money
Where to locate your warehouse. The decision about locating a new distribution centre or warehouse will not be made that often in the course of a company’s business – the review of location suitability will be about every five to seven years. Selecting a site a location that is close to a freeway can be a sensible decision; new warehouses … Read More
Improve your supply chains through materials productivity
Thinking about reuse. In my last two blogs I have been discussing the productivity of materials and why it should have a higher visibility in our consideration of supply chain improvements, equal or even more important than labour productivity. Thinking about sustainability and improving materials productivity has generated new terms, such as environmental logistics, with its focus on reducing all … Read More
Reverse logistics does not tell the whole story
Improve the productivity of materials. My previous blog discussed price volatility for hard and soft commodities. This situation is unlikely to change, being influenced by factors of supply availability and disruptions, plus spikes in demand. The flow on effect of volatile raw material prices is that producers must take action to protect their businesses, as materials are a high percentage … Read More