Articles
Sourcing/Negotiations
You’re Invited To: Bring New Trading Partners to the Party
More U.S. companies are asking a Plus One guest to join China sourcing strategies, inviting suppliers beyond the border of the world’s primary outsourcing powerhouse to the dance.
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The Costly Consequences of Bad Data
A majority of sourcing and procurement leaders say they were inadequately prepared for supply chain disruptions in 2022. This lack of preparedness is partly due to continued and overwhelming reliance on manually updated source-to-pay platforms, which seriously limit operational efficiency. Worse, inaccurate supplier data inhibits business continuity, especially as disruptions continue.
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How to Unlock Opportunity With a Procurement Control Tower
With market volatility and sky-high inflation driving shifts in the price of oil and other commodities, it’s not surprising to see businesses adjust sourcing and inventory strategies in anticipation of future roadblocks. Plus, with consumer demand softening, many companies that largely over-indexed on orders last year are now sitting on a surplus of supply.
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Reshoring? Not So Fast
Reshoring might sound like the solution to the United States’ supply chain woes, but here’s why it is not a cure-all for current and future disruptions.
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Why Procurement Is the Key to Preparing for the Next Supply Chain Crisis
There is no clear sign when the global supply chain crisis will end. It began during the COVID-19 pandemic, worsened with the surge in demand that followed the lifting of national lockdowns around the world, and further deepened amid recent global events. Some corporate leaders contend that the crisis, triggered by these exceptional events, could […]
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Vertical Focus: Luxury Goods
Shedding Animal Materials Fur Good Dolce & Gabbana joins several other luxury fashion brands in banning fur from all future collections starting in 2022. It will continue to work with fur artisans in its supply chain to incorporate into its designs sustainable faux fur made from recycled materials, the fashion house says. The company has […]
Read MoreGlobal Shipping Costs Break Records
Today’s disruptions are even more significant than those during the financial crisis of 2008, says the Thomas Index Report. Prices for ocean freight shifted more than 72 percentage points over the course of the pandemic starting in 2020 to a peak in Q3 2021, when prices were more than 50% higher than average container shipping […]
Read MoreThe True Value of Supply Chain Transformation
Lyndsi Lee is senior vice president of supply chain with True Value Company, a leading hardware and home improvement wholesaler. Responsibilities: Drive end-to-end supply chain optimization, develop integrated planning and logistics strategies, and build best-in-class sourcing programs. Experience: Division vice president, inventory management and global sourcing, also with True Value; principal, project leader, Boston Consulting […]
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Applying Lean Thinking to Procurement
How to slate demand and supply initiatives and techniques into your procurement strategies.
Read MoreGREEN SHOOTS: How to Implement GSCM
Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) can be integrated into almost any industrial business. The key to implementing this concept is to identify areas where sustainable practices can be applied to an existing supply chain. These areas include: Cleaner material sourcing. For retailers, this may involve partnering with companies to redesign packaging using recyclable or biodegradable […]
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