Forecasts about future jobs. Articles and videos about ‘new’ technologies and the future of work can be alarming at first impression – like “80 percent of operations planning jobs will be automated in 10 years”! Over the past 40 years, there have been forecasts, which have not eventuated, of change’ in industries and the workplace. Memorable instances were ‘computer integrated … Read More
Improving supply chains without technology investment
The business case for investment. The question “what is the need?”, has been front of mind while recently reading articles and reports concerning new technologies and their possible effects on business in general and supply chains in particular. All the articles seemed to assume that justifying the expenditure on new technologies is not a problem. However, buying technologies (new or … Read More
Minimise supply chain risk for business viability
Supply Chain risks are real. Sustainability is too often used as a generic, catchall term (like innovation) that has little impact within an organisation. To put meaning around the term, identify and review the risks that may affect the future viability of your enterprise. For operational type businesses, the majority of risks are related to the supply chains and they … Read More
Sustainability means all the risks in your supply chains
What does sustainability mean to you? To address new circumstances, commercial organisations have always had to change their business model, products and processes. However, the added challenge in this century is the increasing range of factors to be be considered. The various factors have often been incorporated under the heading of Sustainability. But sustainability can mean different things. An example … Read More
Performance measurement and your supply network
Review your supply chain performance measures. Performance measurement at department level is often locally focused, without links to performance of the wider organisation or events outside the business. My previous blog discussed ‘you behave how you are measured’ and noted that performance measurement can be debased. Managers (and their staff) can ‘tick the box’ while hiding behind what appears to … Read More