Small to mid-sized companies are better positioned than large corporations to take advantage of cloud-based solutions because they have not made big investments in enterprise systems, says Yogesh Pathak of Technoforte. The supply chain is one of many areas where cloud solutions promise to change the game, Pathak says.
Today's supply chains are so complex and change so rapidly that optimization efforts often are overtaken by events, says Mike Comstock of Grand Canal Solutions. Planning needs to become much more dynamic, with analytics adapted to make optimization a continuous process, he says.
The goal for 3PLs always is to negotiate a win/win contract with existing and new customers, says Mike Bautch of Universal. He offers insights and examples on how to create win/win relationships that keep improving over the years.
John Reichert, director of supply chain execution solutions at Tecsys, discusses factors driving increased demand for 3PL services and describes the type of provider best positioned to leverage this growth environment.
The term "digital supply chain" describes the integration of advanced technology, big data, and analytics to better manage and execute the physical supply chain, says Frederick Hartung of Jabil. He explains how this is playing out today and what it means for the future.
Retailers increasingly are using customized packaging to meet the preferences of customers in specific stores, regions or channels, says Jason Tham, CEO of Nulogy. This work often is outsourced by brand manufacturers and Nulogy has developed software to link and streamline the process.
Today's businesses need to go beyond visibility to full transparency, says Nancy Marino, partner at Columbus Consulting, whose clients are mostly retailers. This means using technology to focus the performance of independent silos on corporate KPIs, thus improving performance, she says.
Companies are driving "smart manufacturing" through the use of data, automation and a more intensive approach to analytics. Simon Jacobson, vice president with Gartner, explains how this trend will impact the way in which product is made in the future -- and what role human beings will play.
Consumers' demand for ever faster service and the overall rapid pace of change in today’s markets will force companies to completely rethink their supply chains over the next few years, says Thomas Craig, president of LTD Management.