In the United States, the concept of supplier diversity is becoming more embedded in corporate culture each year. Supply management professionals seek out small- and midsized businesses owned and operated by women, African Americans, Hispanics and other minorities to round out their supply chains, and they are increasingly developing relationships and partnerships built on the foundation of mutual benefit to both parties. Such initiatives outside the U.S. often aren't quite as developed.
British Telecommunications plc (BT) has developed cloud-based capabilities for BT Trace, the company's suite of services for managing global supply chains.
IFS, a vendor of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and related software, has launched seven new smartphone applications in the IFS Touch Apps series, in addition to its first app for Windows Phone and Windows 8.
Every company possesses supply-chain capabilities and supporting IT systems. But they often don't mesh. Roddy Martin, senior vice president of global supply chain with CCI, calculates the price of misalignment - and lays out a strategy for combating the chronic problem.
Every business needs to "go digital." Data about customers, competitors, suppliers and employees are exploding. Ninety percent of all data were created in the past two years. By 2016, there will be 3 billion internet users globally, and the internet economy will reach $4.2tr in the G-20 nations. No company or country can afford to ignore this phenomenon.
Is ignorance bliss when it comes to sourcing? A recent poll of buyers in the retail, grocery and restaurant chain industries found that 75 percent of those not using e-sourcing methods are confident that they're getting the best value from their suppliers. But they're wrong, according to a report from Intesource. A suppliers' true rock-bottom price is almost always far lower than a buyer suspects. And it's even more likely another qualified source may be hungrier for new business. Buyers just need to know how to shift the tables.
The latest news, analysis and trends regarding technology solutions and their impact on supply chain management. New technologies in forecasting and demand planning, supply chain visibility, big data analytics, the internet of things (IoT), cloud and software as a service (SaaS), enterprise resource planning (ERP) and transportation management systems (TMS) and WMS are transforming the way companies do business - and allowing them to stay ahead of the competition in their industries. As these solutions continue to evolve, businesses are discovering new ways to increase efficiency and cut costs. Learn how companies around the world are improving operations through their strategic use of supply chain technology solutions.
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