Smart City Logistics. A United Nations report estimates that by 2050, there will be more than eight billion people living in urban societies; an increase of 100 percent on the current situation. Because the figures are for 2050, it is easy to dismiss them as ‘future guessing’ that does not apply to the ‘here and now’. However, the increases may … Read More
Use inventory tools or supply network intelligence
Getting excited about ‘new’ tools. It can be refreshing to learn about new tools and techniques that will make our supply chain lives easier. But, as always, wear your sceptics hat and ask such questions as ‘better for who’ and ‘free for whom’? I recently read an article about the benefits of implementing ‘multi-echelon inventory optimisation’ (MEIO). This article is … Read More
Digital Supply Chains and implementing applications
Digital supply chains into the future. Technology trends are often driven by businesses which have a lot to gain from building a ‘buzz’ around their products or technologies. We currently have a steady stream of articles and commentary about ‘self driving’ cars that make it seem an inevitable occurrence. At a recent IT exhibition, I was pleased not to be … Read More
Carbon emissions and Logistics infrastructure spending
Lower carbon emissions sooner. The Paris Climate Agreement seeks to limit global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. However, the Agreement is vague concerning the pace of change, therefore countries (and businesses) have different opinions concerning adoption and implementation of carbon emissions reduction actions. Members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) considered that to … Read More
Algorithms and trust in supply chains
Algorithms and us. In our everyday lives, computers control the activities of infrastructure such as traffic lights or energy availability and we trust that the outcomes are the best available under the circumstances. This is accentuated with social media able to advise the ‘best’ restaurant, movie or book for us, based on previous selections and those of our ‘friends’. These … Read More