Technology

IBM Unveils New Technologies and Services at Smarter Commerce Summit

October 3, 2012

IBM introduced several new products at its recent Smarter Commerce Summit in Orlando, Fla.

Should Apple, Others Consider Getting Out of China?

October 2, 2012

You'd expect to see headlines like this - 'Launch of New Apple iPhone Causes Riots - when consumers beat down doors and trample each other, yet these riots were in China, among workers at Foxconn, a major supplier to Apple and other U.S. companies.

BI, Analytics Help Leverage Vast Amounts of ERP Data

October 2, 2012

Industrial Distribution

Those who make the investment in business intelligence and the cloud will realize improved cost and operational efficiencies, expanded real-time collaboration with customers, vendors and partners as well as faster and more personalized customer relationships. But how do you get there?

If You Make It a Game, Perhaps Your Sales Team Will Use Your CRM Systems

October 2, 2012

CFO

It's not news that salespeople don't like to show their work. Customer relationship management systems were designed to not only collect and mine customer data but also let CFOs and other executives keep a closer eye on their enigmatic sellers. But there's a problem with CRM systems: many salespeople don't want to take the time to use them.

The Healthy Supply Chain Transformation at Boston Scientific

October 2, 2012

Inside Supply Management

The business of helping people live longer, healthier lives is not taken lightly in any regard. Suppliers to Boston Scientific must guarantee extremely high quality and delivery, because the smallest imperfection or delay could be life-threatening. For this reason, the entire supply chain depends on efficiency and quality. The global indirect sourcing and procurement (GISP) organization at Boston Scientific is responsible for all strategic and tactical procurement of indirect materials and services, using a center-led operating model to organize sourcing around the world.

Retailers' Dream: Cellphones Revealing Consumers' Exact Location

October 1, 2012

Storefront Backtalk

For quite a few years now, retailers have salivated over the idea of mobile phones revealing exactly where shoppers are at all times. Retailers would know which displays customers are standing in front of, for how long and what actions they take right afterward. Unfortunately, even though mobile devices have advanced quite a bit recently, the ability to know location with any precision has been elusive.

Tufts Hospital Keeps Tabs on Valuable Inventory with RFID Technology

October 1, 2012

RFID Journal

Tufts Medical Center, a 415-bed teaching hospital in Boston, has saved $1.5m on stents, angioplasty balloons and other implantable devices, based on information provided by a radio frequency identification inventory-management system deployed within its catheterization, electrophysiology and interventional radiology laboratories.

Analyzing Retailer Data to Accurately Forecast Demand in Volatile Markets

September 29, 2012

Challenge: A large consumer products company faced demand volatility and increasing costs of holding inventory.

Unplanned Downtime Is the Greatest Source of Waste

September 28, 2012

Industry Week

Downtime is the enemy of lean. Downtime is, in fact, waste. Idled lines do not add value. Restarting production after unplanned downtime requires more effort, usually expended with less efficiency and worker productivity. This reintroduces waste, which creates added costs that customers do not pay for, yet must be absorbed into cost of goods sold.

HighJump Partners on Voice Technology for Distributors, Manufacturers

September 28, 2012

HighJump Software

HighJump Software has forged a strategic alliance with Speech Interface Design (SID) to provide voice-recognition technology to distributors and manufacturers.

Technology

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.