Increased offshore manufacturing coupled with growing demands for more customized products and rapid delivery require a more flexible order-fulfillment model. Supply-chain strategists and solution providers are responding to this challenge.
A conversation with Jeremy Shapiro, professor of operations research and management emeritus in the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology.
Point of sale is "where the facts are" that help retailers readjust orders to accommodate sales peaks and valleys that may be predictable but aren't always intuitive.
For "complexity masters," the world can be a dependable supplier and profitable market. But lackluster business performance is an unpleasant side effect for companies ill prepared for globalization and mounting value-chain complexity.
The first generation of SCEM vendors did not offer enough value to earn a permanent place in the marketplace, but a new wave of vendors with expanded capabilities promises to do a lot better.