Our annual 100 Great Supply Chain Partners issue is dedicated to showing what supply chain excellence looks like in the real world — through partnership. Technology is critical, of course, but it requires expert help to use it to make supply chains hum.

The best way to illustrate the importance of excellent supply chain partnership is through real-world case studies, and this August’s issue is chock full of them.

See the Full List of 100 Great Supply Chain Partners 2024 Here.

You’ll read how almond producer Blue Diamond developed a strategy to acquire all of the software it needed to run a digitized global supply chain with end-to-end control, one piece at a time.

You’ll learn how BD Biosciences worked with a technology vendor to reduce delivery lead times at a global scale.

We’ll also tell you optimized storage capacity allowed security hardware firm Levata’s new warehouse to efficiently manage a wide range of SKUs, maximizing storage utilization, and giving the company room to grow.

Read SupplyChainBrain’s latest 100 Great Supply Chain Partners issue now! 

View the Digital Flip Book here.

Then, we’ll dig into how freight brokerage and transportation management company TI & NTG found a way to streamline multiple legacy systems for interacting with customers and carriers. 

Next, you’ll discover how a golf equipment manufacturer, TaylorMade, took advantage of the fact that leases were expiring on its customization and distribution facilities to find a smart way to rejig its distribution network.

Another great partnership success story comes from kitchen cabinet manufacturer, American Woodmark, which deployed voice technology to help workers assembling cabinets perform better, and new employees get up to speed much faster than before.  

Love Twinkies? Find out how snack giant Hostess significantly increased the accuracy and speed of data available regarding movement of goods in its warehouse.

Another intriguing case study comes from 3PL Langham Logistics, which deployed drones for inventory counts, meaning employees no longer spend long, tedious hours doing manual inventory with forklifts, and there is now less likelihood of misplacing product.

A well-designed supply chain should function like a precision Swiss watch. And timepiece brand Breitling saw sales increase by 20% in the U.S. the month after it introduced an omnichannel inventory management technology, with online sales revenue increasing by 15% to 30%.

Keeping workers happy is important. International shipping and mailing company Pitney Bowes found a huge opportunity to improve operational efficiency, as well as employee retention, with a lively, ongoing feedback loop between workers and management.

Finally, we plunge into the world of swimming pools, with pool liner and cover vendor Tara Manufacturing, which reduced its downtime by 75%, saving the company $100,000 in the first year, after implementing computerized maintenance management system.

Running through these case studies is the need for new tools that automate manual processes and supplant legacy systems that were designed for a simpler and less volatile time. Artificial intelligence, in particular, comes to the fore as a means of overseeing just about every aspect of the supply chain, with its ability to make sense of more data than humans could ever manage. 

But humans remain firmly in the loop, and here again we’re reminded of the value of partnership.

See the Full List of 100 Great Supply Chain Partners 2024 Here.