Forecasting supply chains and logistics businesses. Even in large companies, the person or team who consider future economic and business scenarios and how the enterprise may respond, do not always get it right. The chairman of Origin Energy has admitted that management had not foreseen the extent of the fall of crude oil prices and had been mistaken in its … Read More
Inventory the base of customer service in supply chains
Inventory is a cost or asset. Too often, inventory is viewed as just a feature within a business – that is, until it is the cause of lost sales. I always hope that understanding by senior management will improve about the value of inventory and the people who manage it, but there is still a way to go. Two situations this … Read More
Your supply chain organisation is the best – is it?
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
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
System for a decentralised logistics services business
Support a decentralised business with one system. Discussions about the benefits of either centralised or decentralised IT systems often assume a business has a main focus, with performance measures structured to improve the focus. However, what should be the approach to IT systems if your business has an overall reason for being, but is structured to be very decentralised, with … Read More