In the face of challenging economic headwinds, consumer goods manufacturers have focused on cutting costs and optimizing working capital. Those routes still offer opportunity, but recent analysis indicates that traditional assumptions regarding tradeoffs among costs, inventory and service don't always hold true, and leading companies are using new, customer-centric levers to unlock value. These actions could yield a potential value of nearly $50bn industrywide, according to research conducted by The Boston Consulting Group on behalf of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA).
California Innovations, inventor of the collapsible cooler, works with Weber Logistics to minimize shipping costs and meet the demanding specifications of its retailer customer base.
To state the obvious, contract packaging is rapidly evolving. The core outsourced-packaging function is easily understood, but the form and function of the contract packaging organization is a moving target. Decades ago, a co-packer was defined by the machines the company had on the floor.
Mobile has become an integral part of our everyday lives, extending beyond just personal use for the consumer to what is now a can't-live-without-it tool in the business world as well. Today, just about every industry is impacted by mobile devices, opening the door to workplace flexibility, increased efficiency and quicker exchange of data and knowledge. However, with this opportunity comes greater risk. Without the proper data exchange technology, secure information can be exposed, lost or more difficult to track. To address these challenges, application programming interfaces (APIs) are being used to help supply chain organizations take control of their data, and enable various systems and devices to communicate with each other.
Solving the sustainability challenges of the palm oil market will require use of alternative oils and the cooperation of all stakeholders, says a study from A.T. Kearney.