New terms and perceptions The disciplines that engage with supply chains receive a continual upgrade to their vocabulary. New terms are added and promoted without much thought about their meaning and more importantly about perceptions by executives at the peripheral of supply chains. An example has been the recent use of the term Command and Control in relation to obtaining … Read More
eCommerce supply chains have many future challenges
eCommerce is not different It is generally accepted that after reaching eight percent of the target market, a new product, idea or process gains general acceptance. In 2020, eCommerce broke through that barrier across many countries, due to COVID19 generated demand, although the take-up diverged widely. Unfortunately, there are assumptions that eCommerce, using advanced IT applications and automation, is different … Read More
International Trade and effect on Supply Chains by 2030
‘Normal’ trade and supply chains Due to the pandemic and the inability of businesses engaged in supply chains to quickly respond, international trade has been disrupted. The expectation is that trade flows will return to ‘normal’ by the end of 2021 (but it may take until mid-2022). However, will ‘normal’ continue to be the same? Currently, about 70 percent of … Read More
When Demand exceeds Capacity it hurts Supply Chains
Lead Time Syndrome The flexibility of a supply chain or an operation is based on the time to change (or flex) capacity and the total cost to change. Automotive assembly lines may have a flex time of up to six months to change the output of cars per day and with a substantial cost. The aim of Operations Planning (also … Read More
Risks in Humanitarian Logistics drive delivery design
The flow of disaster relief As the negative effects of climate change become evident, the increase in natural disasters will require additional relief resources. A Learn About Logistics reader in Somalia asks a question about the risks to be considered when providing logistics services in a disaster. The terms used are: Humanitarian Logistics, which provides international disaster assistance, typically into … Read More