Supply Chain Analysis & Consulting

Small, Medium-sized Businesses in Asia Impeded by Limited Trade Financing, Study Says

September 17, 2015

While large businesses have resumed international trade at levels seen before the financial crisis, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have not fared as well. For these firms - the backbone of economies everywhere - growth is impeded by the limited availability of bank loans to finance trade.

Consumers Rack Up Retail Sales, Apparently Unconcerned About Volatility in Financial World

September 17, 2015

Business Week

Retail sales in the U.S. climbed for a second straight month, a sign consumers may be looking past recent volatility in financial markets.

Linking Sourcing and Product Design to the Global Supply Chain

September 16, 2015

SupplyChainBrain

Jim Preuninger, chief executive officer of Amber Road, outlines the challenges that companies face, when they seek to integrate product design with sourcing. Their success or failure promise to have a significant impact on the supply chain, he says.

Disruptive Mobile Technologies Key to Best Supply Chain Performance

September 16, 2015

EBN

Tying the Internet of Things to a strategy for mobile devices - wearables, tablets, smartphones - is not only forward-thinking, but gets to the heart of what good supply chain management is all about.

Inaugural Report on Best-Performing Cities in China Launched

September 16, 2015

Milken Institute

Which cities in China have the most dynamic economies and why? The Milken Institute’s inaugural Best-Performing Cities China Report seeks to identify the urban areas with the most exceptional economic performance in the country.

Insurance Damage Caused by Tianjin Blasts Could Top $3Bn

September 16, 2015

Maritime Executive

New York reinsurance broker Guy Carpenter & Company has estimated that it could cost $3.3bn to cover the extent of losses associated with the Tianjin explosions.

Most Small, Medium-sized Businesses in UK Prefer to Leverage Cash Flow to Fund Growth, Study Finds

September 15, 2015

C2FO UK

A majority of UK business owners find it too time-consuming or expensive to borrow cash from their bank, according to the Working Capital Outlook Survey from C2FO, a working capital exchange.

Growth in Manufacturing Expected to Be Propelled by Construction Supply Chain

September 15, 2015

Manufacturing.net

Economists from the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation expect the construction supply chain to be a primary driver of manufacturing growth over the next two years.

Does Target Finally Have the Right Leader to Fix Its Supply Chain Problems?

September 14, 2015

FierceRetailIT

Target's supply chain woes are coming to a boil. Out-of-stocks and sometimes entirely empty shelves have become all too common, and have come to the attention of the national media.

Exports From U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones Hits All-time High of $99Bn in 2014

September 14, 2015

NAFTZ

The value of exports from America's foreign-trade zones (FTZs) increased by 24.8 percent in 2014, to a record $99.2bn in merchandise exported, according to figures released by the U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones Board in its recent Annual Report to Congress. The 2014 export figure also represents a threefold growth of FTZ exports in the five years since 2009.