The road to creating user-friendly, science-backed, technology-enabled supply chains is paved with good sustainability intentions that get foiled by today's dynamic, global complexities. Achieving sustainability of scale requires involvement of the entire supply chain. To meet the needs of customers and markets, manufacturers need up-to-date and accurate information about their suppliers' materials and components.
Nearly a quarter of respondents to a survey claimed their organisation had suffered losses of at least €1m ($1.25m) during the previous 12 months (up from 15 percent last year) as a result of supply chain disruptions, according to a report from the Business Continuity Institute. Slightly more than 13 percent suffered a one-time disruption that cost in excess of €1m (up from 9 percent last year). The study also showed that 40 percent of respondents claimed their organisation was not insured against any of these losses while 20 percent were only insured against half of these losses.
By 2019, retail sales from all channels are expected to hit $19.6tr, according to market research company Euromonitor International, and beginning five years from now as much as a third of new retail sales will come from China.
In the world of supply chains, signing on a new partner or trading partner has typically marked the beginning of a marathon. Whether by electronic data interchange, EDIFACT, cXML, ebXML, value added networks, portals or the rest of the alphabet soup of connectivity approaches, a great deal of time and effort is required to get trading partners’ systems aligned - even if trading hubs are involved. Every company has a different system, and different processes for getting things done. For a company with thousands of trading partners, imagine how much in resources it gobbles up just to manage and keep every partnership aligned. Of course, cloud changes all that right?
Four years ago, when its little card reader attachments for phones and tablets began to show up in cabs and at farmers' markets, Square was one of the coolest, most innovative companies in Silicon Valley. That's over.
Few economic entities have been grabbing as many headlines in recent years as the factory. Increasingly human-like robots, self-replicating 3D printers, and software programs that are directing complex supply chains have all been in the news. Reactions have been varied, with some worrying about employment implications and others sensing the possibility of a new era of U.S. industrial might.
There is no disputing that talent is a top challenge for companies worldwide. In PwC's 2014 CEO Survey, 93 percent of participants said they recognize the need to change their strategies for talent, but 61 percent acknowledged that they haven't yet taken the first step. The challenge is especially acute in supply chain operations, which is facing a talent shortage - despite an increasing number of undergraduate majors, MBA concentrations and entire programs in supply chain management.
Research reveals vast age differences in U.S. consumers' attitudes toward mobile payments, with Generations Y and Z - often referred to as Millennials - twice as likely to view them as faster, easier or more efficient than other types of transactions. These younger consumers also show more confidence in the security of mobile payments - although Generations Y and X are actually more concerned than Baby Boomers about the possibility of a personal information breach via mobile payments.
The robots are coming. Lowe's is testing whether new "bots on wheels" can improve its customer service, like helping a shopper find a match for something as simple as a nail. Four robots are being tested an Orchard Supply Hardware store owned by Lowe's Companies Inc. in San Jose, Calif.