Design for Supply Chain

Oct 24, 2014

Global Luxury Management "Lifestyle" brands require push supply chain design customization

More and more global luxury brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and others are promoting themselves as Lifestyle brands, spanning many products including fragrance, home collections, apparel, paint, wallpaper, foods, and…

Aug 27, 2014

SCRC Student Project Lineup Off to a Great Start…

NC State kicked off classes last week, and as usual our incoming group of MBA students were lined up with projects as part of their entry class into supply chain…

Mar 22, 2014

"Supplier-Led Innovation" – Theme for Upcoming SCRC Meeting April 23-24, 2014

Our SCRC team sent out invitations to our next SCRC meeting on April 23 and 24, which will focus on a theme that is often discussed in the press, but…

Feb 27, 2014

Small Business Manufacturing in America: Innovate, Design, Develop and Manufacture

I had a remarkable interview with a medium sized supplier today, that has truly found a business model which I believe holds a promise for a new industrial revolution in…

Dec 16, 2013

Handfield's Supply Chain Analytics Predictions for 2014

2013 has certainly been an interesting year! I’ve had the good fortune to be presented with opportunities for compelling discussions with a significant group of leading thinkers, senior executives…

Nov 15, 2013

Sourcing Analytics Combined with Relationship Management is Key for Automotive Suppliers

I spent some time visiting this week with Sensata in Aguascaliente Mexico. Sensata is a major manufacturer of automotive sensors, with major customers such as Continental AG, BMW, Bosch, Nissan,…

Aug 28, 2013

Vendor Managed Inventory? Think twice and consider the risks!

Historically, businesses have used one of two extremes for inventory management: push-based or pull-based. Push-based inventory management uses demand forecast to manage inventory and replenish from the supply base. Pull-based inventory…

Feb 5, 2013

The Dreamliner Debacle Continues….the Death of Outsourcing?

Tim Cummins, CEO of the International Association of Commercial and Contract Management (IACCM), notes in his blog Commitment Matters that Dreamliner’s battery problems are perhaps due to the lack of…

Aug 15, 2012

Using the Influence Model to Improve Quality and Cost in Product Design

I recently spoke to an individual whose title was Director of Engineering Operations at a major technology company. He shared with me details regarding his role, and the relationship to…