Any attempt to apply "lean" thinking to a manufacturer or retailer's supply chain must have merchandise lifecycle plans in alignment with supply chain strategy to succeed, according to the vice president of strategic services at software company JDA.
George Wheeler, senior director of the Lucena Group, explains why it's critical to have an effective supply-chain security program, and where many existing efforts are falling short.
Analyst Insight: Retailers are starting to use brick-and-mortar stores as distribution nodes, to connect demand with inventory in the most flexible and cost-effective way. Ship-from-store enables them to leverage their entire inventory for higher sales, better margins and improved service. It allows them to offer omnichannel customers access to a broader array of products, and helps to offset the impact of an imperfect forecast. - Adam Mullen, Apparel Industry Leader, Fortna Inc.
Depending on which corporate silo you belong to, inventory can be a liability, an asset or something in between. How do supply chain professionals overcome these biases and implement optimal inventory management solutions?
There are few issues guaranteed to make environmentalists' blood boil quite like packaging and food waste. From single bananas in plastic wrapping to giant bags of produce that spoil within days, packaging and food waste remain one of the most visible symbols of resource inefficiency and a source of deep frustration for green campaigners and mainstream shoppers alike.
The days of selling within seasons are long gone; sales periods that once spanned months have now shrunk to weeks. This "multiplier" effect presents retailers with huge challenges, because shoppers want the latest, most fashionable products immediately.
Walmart, already struggling to woo shoppers constrained by higher taxes, is "getting worse" at keeping shelves stocked, the retailer's U.S. chief told executives, according to minutes of an officers' meeting obtained by Bloomberg News.
According to a new survey of 600 executives from Deloitte "” "The Ripple Effect: How Manufacturing and Retail Executives View the Growing Challenge of Supply Chain Risk" "” global executives are increasingly concerned about the growing risks to their supply chains and costly negative impacts such as margin erosion and inability to keep up with demand.