Consumer Packaged Goods

Vast Majority Feel Customs Delays Hinder Management of Their Business, Study Finds

May 30, 2012

More than 80 per cent of small- to mid-sized businesses are concerned about customs delays impacting their ability to properly manage their business - yet nearly a third say they tend to ignore the myriad of changes to government regulations and hope for the best when transporting their goods across international borders.

Loyal Fortna Employee Retires After 62 Years of Service

May 30, 2012

Fortna

After sixty-two years with Fortna, Barbara "Susie" Hafer is retiring. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average employee tenure is 4.4 years. Hafer's 62-year tenure is a great achievement and a reminder of different times.

Return of Some Manufacturing Jobs from China Expected as Cost Gap Narrows

May 29, 2012

The Hackett Group

The tide has begun to turn on the flow of manufacturing jobs from the U.S. to China and other low-cost countries, according to a new study from The Hackett Group. Some companies are already reshoring a portion of their manufacturing capacity, and this trend is expected to reach a crucial tipping point over the next two to three years, as the total landed cost gap between the two nations continues to shrink, driven in part by rising wage inflation in China and continued productivity improvements in the U.S.

New Life for Warehouse VMI

May 29, 2012

SupplyChainBrain

The demand for vendor-managed inventory programs in warehouses behaves "as a pendulum swinging back and forth between supplier and retailer," says John Mayer, vice president of sales with Park City Group. Over the last six to 12 months, he says, it has swung back in the direction of favoring VMI. Mayer has seen particular interest in the technique in the grocery industry.

Wrestling With Demand Variability in CPG

May 29, 2012

SupplyChainBrain

Downstream demand signals have been available in the retail world for some time now, but it has taken a while for suppliers to take full advantage of them. Mark Kremblewski, global business expert in demand planning with Procter & Gamble, likens the situation to the mining industry, which trades in deposits of both high- and low-grade ore. The latter type is more plentiful, but it's the first that offers the biggest payback from a better use of demand data in unpredictable situations.

Where Are the Standards and Metrics to Help Supply Managers Monitor Sustainability Efforts?

May 24, 2012

Inside Supply Management

Supply management professionals are uniquely positioned to influence a company's environmental sustainability efforts as well as the performance of supply base partners in this area. But where are the standards and metrics?

SAP Develops New Mobile Apps for Business Users, Consumers

May 24, 2012

SAP AG

SAP AG has introduced a series of mobile applications for business users and consumers. The new tools provide real-time access to human resources, finance, sales and mobile commerce functions.

Apple Polishes Its Sustainability Credentials with Commitment to Renewable Energy

May 23, 2012

News Factor

Some Apples will be green. Apple data centers, that is. The technology giant has announced that its new half-million-square-foot data center in Maiden, N.C., will only use electricity that has been generated by renewable energy. The company said that the Maiden facility will be "the most environmentally sound data center ever built."

Bit by Bit, Airline Industry Moves Into the Cloud - Computing, That Is

May 23, 2012

IATA

Its supporters claim cloud computing has the potential to transform the air transport industry, streamlining not only information technology departments but also entire business processes.