SCM Supply Chain Management Definitions & Terms
State of Flux: An Update on the Current State of Supplier Relationship Management
I had the opportunity to speak at the annual SRM Summit coordinated by State of Flux, led by their leader Alan Day. Alan spoke on insights from their annual SRM “book”, which included survey results on the current state of […]
Data Analyst, Data Scientist, and Data Engineer: What’s the Difference?
Many CPO’s and CSCO’s today complain about being overwhelmed with the amount of internal and external data they are being asked to analyze to create improved supply chain outcomes. The volume and velocity of data streaming at us is increasing […]
Lead Logistics Provider Capabilities Will Require Customized Innovation
With the onset of cloud computing, automation, and machine learning, organizations are integrating their global supply chains, and finding themselves with more transactional data than they could have ever imagined. The question of how to convert this data to strategic […]
Closing the Gap Between Buyers and Sellers: “Everything is Changed, Nothing is Different”
We hosted an extremely successful set of speakers at our SCRC meeting this past week. One of my core beliefs, that I’ve espoused over the 30 years that I’ve been working in this field, is that working together for mutually […]
Siemens BT: Every analytical transformation requires a “Jonah Hill”
One of our newest SCRC partners, Siemens Building Technologies, recently shared their insights on creating an analytics strategy. This effort was led by the Chief Procurement Officer for Siemens BT, Carl Oberland, but has recently been rolled out across the […]
You Can’t Buy Digital Transformation “Off the Shelf”…(And Expect Results)
Companies everywhere are setting aside budgets for investment in upgrading their analytics capabilities. Very often, this involves investments in cloud-based computing, data warehouses, artificial intelligence, business intelligence dashboards, and multiple other forms of software and hardware investments. But the truth […]
New MBA Healthcare Analytics Class Takes Off This Fall
Healthcare providers are facing continued lower operating margins, increased risks and potentially once-in-a-lifetime health care reform. With this backdrop, there is an increasing focus on Supply Chain Management as a means to minimize risk, optimize operating costs, improve revenue, improve […]
Pharmaceutical offshoring makes recalls more costly with more quality headaches
I spent some time working on a study of how offshoring impacts quality issues, specifically product recalls, with a number of researchers at the University of Palermo, led by Manfredi Bruccoleri. Our research led to some very interesting findings on […]
The Risks and Benefits of Socializing with Suppliers
I had a chance to meet with a group of supply chain executives at the University of Calgary this week, which included a discussion by Ken Rawson. Ken has over 30 years of experience working in supply management, first with […]
The Lowly Wooden Pallet is a Critical Conveyance in the Supply Chain
In a recent interview, discussions with Patrick Atagi, VP for Advocacy & External Affairs at the National Wooden Pallet and Contain Association (NWPCA) helped to educate me on just how prolific wooden pallets are in the global supply chain. Patrick […]