Technology

Segmenting Supply Chains for High-Impact Analysis

March 14, 2013

Analyst Insight: Innovative and strategic supply chain segmentation is a key strategy for effective supply chain analysis, enabling greater responsiveness and the ability to focus resources. Competition requires a better identification of key supply chain segments, considering that 80 percent of results come from 20 percent of items. An additional factor adding complexity is that increasingly manufacturers are adding services as part of their offerings - termed "servitization." Effective segmentation is the key to managing these complexities. - Nada R. Sanders, Professor of Supply Chain Management and Iacocca Chair, Lehigh University

Use of RFID at Item Level in Retail Expected to Greatly Rise in 2013

March 14, 2013

ChainLink Research

Walmart, Macy's, JCPenny, Marks & Spencer, FaÃ§onnable, American Apparel, and others are implementing item-level RFID in a big way. Last year, well over one billion apparel items were tagged. That number is expected to rise substantially this year.

Manufacturers Said to Be Upbeat This Year About Making IT Investments, Expanding Supplier Bases

March 14, 2013

MFG.com

This year is expected to be one of growth, with many product development companies looking to make new technology investments and expand their supplier base, according to a survey of 8,840 sourcing professionals by MFG.com, an online manufacturing marketplace.

50 Percent of UK Businesses Vet Suppliers for Bribery Act Compliance

March 13, 2013

Supply Chain Digital

A study that polled procurement managers and directors from a range of firms across the UK found that while mid-market firms are often less likely to have robust processes and systems in place to counter bribery risk, companies at both ends of the spectrum appeared complacent when it came to vetting their suppliers for compliance with the Bribery Act.

Companies Falling Short on Supply Chain Risk Management

March 13, 2013

Logistics Viewpoint

According to a survey of 600 manufacturing and retail executives conducted by Deloitte, 71 percent of the executives surveyed view supply chain risk as "an important factor in their companies' strategic decision making, including 20 percent who view it as extremely important." Yet, 42 percent of the executives from large companies said their supply chain risk management programs are only somewhat or not effective.

New Shipping Lane Through North Pole Possible

March 13, 2013

Supply Chain Digital

Melting polar ice could create a new shipping lane through the North Pole by 2050, according to research by the University Of California at Los Angeles. In the future, melting sea ice could mean that ordinary shipping vessels will be able to navigate parts of the Arctic Ocean which were previously inaccessible, without the use of icebreakers to clear their route.

Tesco to Open Two Distribution Centers in Europe

March 13, 2013

Supply Chain Standard

Tesco is reorganizing its distribution network with new sites in Reading and Dagenham to move products closer to stores and to keep up with its growing convenience business in the South East.

Big Data Is Becoming a Big Deal for Agile S&OP

March 13, 2013

SupplyChainBrain

Analyst Insight: Based on a survey of 160 supply chain leaders in a recent webinar conducted by Steelwedge, we found that companies captured a whopping 70 percent more data (product, supply, demand and finance) to manage their organizations in 2012. Yet, 77 percent of these businesses are not actually leveraging this data in their S&OP processes, thereby leaving "blind spots" in their decision making processes around critical supply/demand trade-offs. - Nari Viswanathan, Vice President of Product Management, Steelwedge

The Demand for On Demand Is Growing

March 13, 2013

SupplyChainBrain

Analyst Insight: Neither a lack of cogent definitions re: what these services and technologies are nor confusion in pricing models is slowing down interest in cloud, SaaS and on-demand solutions. Our research shows a consistent increase in buyer adoption of enterprise and consumer applications - cloud-accessible - from desk top, smartphones and tablets of all size companies in all industries. - Ann Grackin, CEO, ChainLink Research

Sales & Operations Is Only the Tip of the Iceberg

March 13, 2013

SupplyChainBrain

Analyst Insight: For the past 30 years, sales and operations planning (S&OP) has been espoused by the Oliver Wight organization based on its founder's concepts. It has manifested itself to include inventory (SIOP) and has morphed into integrated business planning (IBP). However, only within the last five years, has it been heralded and crossed the chasm to mainstream business practice. We think it may only be the tip of the iceberg though, not the core solution to step-change improved performance. - Rich Sherman, Supply Chain Discipline Expert at Trissential