Analyst Insight: Now that ERP for cloud has crossed the chasm, organizations have a multitude of choices to select the correct software to run their business. New vendors are rapidly emerging in the ERP cloud market. This is especially so within the the SMB market. Vertical specific solutions will disorient organizations by providing too much choice and unnecessarily increase selection time-lines. – Dylan Persaud, Managing Director, Eval-Source
Analyst Insight: Business process management has changed immensely within the last few years. Last year, many new vendors emerged in all industries and verticals due to SaaS business models. The BPM market is rapidly evolving to include a combination of products services and software bundled into one deliverable in a turnkey solution. As the race to zero continues, vendors will have to discover what customers are willing to pay for. – Dylan Persaud, Managing Director, Eval-Source
At the core of supply chain trends in healthcare is a need for quality data so that leaders can make informed, quality decisions. Quality data means accurate data for sourcing and procurement along with normalisation of data for reporting and predictive analytics.
Vendors "are seeing the cloud as the opportunity for the future and are looking at revenue models and thinking of offering a subscription-based service to reduce clients' CAPEX," according to Jagdish Rebello, senior manager for cloud and computer electronics at IHS. "Microsoft's doing that, Oracle's trying to do that, Google's doing that, and Salesforce.com is seeing explosive growth."
By now, most people know that collaboration is key to success in any line of business. This holds true in the private label industry where retailers, manufacturers and suppliers are constantly competing with premier brand names. In fact, in a recent Nielsen report, "The State of Private Label Around the World," a Nielsen consultant says that a collaborative mindset is essential to compete in the private label space.
U.S. manufacturing executives have an opportunity to make their factories even more competitive through parts and components de-costing programs. De-costing is simply a term that refers to removing cost from operations period-over-period. Parts and components usage is a great place to focus because improvements can provide such clear returns.
Companies with centralized manufacturing have a single facility to produce and distribute their products or a central factory with multiple distribution points in their supply chain. A decentralized manufacturing company has multiple facilities that cover large areas, allowing products to be manufactured and distributed close to customers. Which is right for your enterprise?
Organisation-wide purchasing is often the responsibility of the procurement team with the business reliant on them to source the right goods and services at the best price. But different departments within an organisation will often have very specific and specialist requirements and there are significant merits in empowering selected personnel to source exactly what they need, when they need it.
You'd be forgiven for missing the most important development in RFID, or for dozing off if you did spot it. But earlier this month, GS1 announced the Tagged Item Performance Protocol (TIPP), a new approach to testing tags that simplifies life for retailers, suppliers and tag vendors, and ensures that tags will really work in the field.
Dematic Group, a supplier of integrated automated technology, software and services to optimize the supply chain, has acquired FSU Investments Limited, which holds a majority stake in SDI Group, a supplier of garment-on-hanger and flat sorter technology in Europe. Dematic intends to make an offer for the remaining share capital. The purchase of SDI Group Europe will expand Dematic's global order fulfillment offerings in apparel, retail and e-commerce markets.
