News to affect supply chains. Three articles this week provided input into a picture of supply chains in the future. One article discussed the recently agreed (but not ratified) Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade facilitation pact between 12 countries of the Pacific rim. The second talked about the benefits of incorporating the Internet of Things (IoT) into supply chains. The … Read More
Know your client’s supply chains plans for the future
There will be a target to aim for. Thinking forward over 15 years is not so difficult. Remember back to 2000 – it was only 15 years ago. The challenge then was the number of business options about the future to select, rank and plan. In 2015 the ever more likely scenario is that governments of the world will be … Read More
Transport changes and the design of your supply chains
Links in your supply chains. The nodes of your supply network are the suppliers of items, which are contracted to deliver; the movement of items between nodes are the links. The routes selected to deliver your items can be decided by 3PL and shipping companies to suit their business objectives. Could future changes in the links affect your supply network? … Read More
Know the capability of your suppliers to deliver
Your supplier’s motivation. Buying decisions can be subjective, with buyers possibly having inbuilt bias towards a particular supplier. But one of the challenging aspects of Procurement is to consider which supplier is the ‘best’ for an item or service and is the ‘best’ the right supplier? Suppliers exist in business to sell you their offer. Potential suppliers can present very … Read More
Supply chains are too complex to be managed
Your business can be complex. How would you attempt to manage your supply chains when it is difficult enough to manage your own business? Too many articles and blogs that talk about ‘managing supply chains’ seem to assume that it can be done, but avoid describing how to achieve success. The individual supply chains that make up the supply network … Read More