Be prepared for anything to happen and at the most inconvenient time! Whatever resources an enterprise invests in its supply chains, the supply network will never be perfect – from nowhere something can happen that wrecks your carefully calculated plans. The conference organiser eft has recently provided links to articles concerning ‘things that have gone wrong’ in different supply chains, … Read More
Transport emissions, new regulations and Supply Chains
Freight transport and emissions Transport accounts for about 65 percent of world oil consumption and has responsibility for the fastest growth in global emissions. This obviously cannot continue. Although the road and rail transport sectors emit the major part of all transport emissions, responsibility for their reduction is with national governments. But this is different for global air and sea transport. Freight … Read More
Inventory to ensure deliveries through supply chains
Actions to limit variability Increasing numbers of stock keeping units (SKUs), extended and variable lead times and shorter planning horizons are challenges for planners. Variability was discussed in the previous blogpost, identifying (at the end) actions that could be taken to limit variability. One action is to manage the allocation of finite capacity within a business. An approach to increasing … Read More
Variability in supply chains adds to uncertainty
Variability in processes Variability is always present as a natural part of any process and describes the random disruptions that may occur as a process or event is undertaken. In supply chains, Variability is the term associated with the difference between actual and planned lead times, which are not static. Variability exists at all tiers of a supply chain: supply … Read More
Product Platforms to simplify planning of supply chains
From Supply Network Design Map to Platforms The less complicated it is to plan your supply chains, the more likely there will be believable plans and achievable outcomes. But the scope of international trade and the reach of organisations into countries for sales and supply means that complexity in planning is not only present, but can easily increase. In the … Read More