Physical Flows

Nov 6, 2021

Human-machine Tradeoffs in Supply Chain Decisions (and the LA Port)

The current set of supply chain disruptions is bringing increased focus on the need for digital transformation of our supply chains. Nowhere is digital transformation needed more than the Los…

Oct 30, 2021

Los Angeles Port Bottlenecks Don’t Have Any Short-term Fixes

There is no question that the LA port is one of the biggest economic bottlenecks facing the United States. The success of the port is undeniably tied to the success…

Nov 16, 2019

Decoding the Signals of the Global Tariff and Trade Wars

What will global trade and commerce look like in the coming years, and how will it influence the business landscape? This question has moved to the forefront of executives’ minds…

Dec 8, 2019

SCRC Meeting – Tom Linton’s “Supply Chain Eight” and Golden Winged Warblers : Questions Every New CSCO Should Ask Their CEO

Our 40th Bi-Annual Supply Chain Resource Cooperative meeting was a great success, culminating with the student gallery walk, featuring 27 undergraduate and MBA supply chain projects. The meeting was attended…

May 6, 2024

The Origins and Growth of Supply Chain Management – and the Need for a Common Lexicon

The term “supply chain management” quickly exploded into the public lexicon during COVID, at which time people would often heard saying “blame it on the supply chain”! For the first…

Jul 9, 2019

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. …

May 29, 2018

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…

Apr 9, 2018

Excess and Obsolete Inventory: An Outcome of a Series of Unfortunate Events!

Inventory continues to be a problem for many companies. In particular, inventory that is considered “Excess and Obsolete” often accumulates and has to be dealt with – often at the end…

Jan 19, 2011

Inventory Positioning

Inventory positioning refers to the selective location of various items in the product line in plant, regional, or field warehouses. Inventory positioning has a bearing on facility location decision, and…

Jan 19, 2011

Inventory

1) Those stocks or items used to support production (raw materials and work-in-process items), supporting activities (maintenance, repair, and operating supplies), and customer service (finished goods and spare parts). Demand…