Articles
The Lean Supply Chain
Internet of Things to Come
The Internet of Things (IoT) allows users to collect and make data visible at key points, improving customer satisfaction and optimizing supply chain responsiveness. It can also offer greater differentiation and innovation, leading to a competitive advantage. IoT is widely discussed, but what does it refer to and how does it relate to the lean […]
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Peak Season Planning: A Year-Round Venture
It’s never too early to start planning for peak season supply chain capacity. To meet customer demand at a reasonable cost, it is best to plan ahead as much as possible with a lean, flexible supply chain. Many retailers do an inordinate volume of business—some as high as 70 percent—from Black Friday until the end […]
Read MoreSometimes It’s Better Not to Be So Pushy
Supply chain processes fall into one of two categories: pull systems, where a company initiates execution in response to a customer order (reactive) and push systems, where execution is initiated in anticipation of customer orders (speculative). The boundary that separates push processes from pull processes is one measure of a supply chain’s “lean-ness”—the farther upstream […]
Read MoreGlobal Supply Chain Risk: Don’t Wait, Mitigate
Having a global supply chain risk management strategy in place can not only increase value to your customers but also reduce your costs and increase performance. Companies globalize supply chain management to increase competitive advantage, add value to the customer, and reduce costs through global sourcing. But global supply chains also increase risks from considerations […]
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Stay Competitive with a Flexible TMS
Lean principles, when used in conjunction with a transportation management system (TMS), can deliver lower transportation costs, reduced inventory levels, and progress toward business goals. New technology is emerging to further improve the efficiency of transportation systems. You must manage and properly control—with complete visibility and great communication between partners—the transportation systems that connect your […]
Read MoreWhat’s Your Sourcing Strategy?
Having a current, flexible sourcing strategy can not only reduce costs and increase efficiency, but also serve as a competitive advantage to help organizations increase the top line. Supply chain costs, primarily procurement and transportation, can range from 50 to 70 percent of sales, depending on industry. So it is critical to spend considerable time […]
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Predictive Analytics Takes Forecasting to a New Level
Technology users in 2012 generated 2.5 exabytes of data per day, three-quarters of which is text, audio, or video messages. That’s a lot of data for companies to review and potentially leverage, and is one reason for the increasing use of predictive analytics, a cost-effective way to filter through and utilize large amounts of data. […]
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Using Network Optimization Technology To Enable Your Lean Supply Chain
From a lean and agile supply chain perspective, an optimally designed supply chain can significantly improve margins, support expansion into new markets, enhance the customer experience, and reduce operating costs. Optimizing your supply chain network helps achieve more value and less waste through keeping lower inventories, maintaining the right stock levels, and choosing the right […]
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How Supply Chain Strategies Impact
E-commerce Success
E-commerce has emerged as part of a company’s omni-channel marketing program. Achieving success requires not only an agile, lean supply chain, but also a strategy to get there. Many e-commerce companies sell a variety of products, and each type of product establishes different strategic needs. For example, functional products require lean and flexible network strategies, […]
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Lean: It’s Not About Pens and Pencils Anymore
Traditionally, Lean has been considered a "pen and pencil" technique. But today it is a key enabler of an efficient supply chain that links lean thinking with available and affordable systems and technologies to get the most out of improved processes. This "traditional" view is understandable. In the past, Lean was more often than not […]
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