Global Distribution

Feb 10, 2013

Controlling the extended supply chain: Horse Bolognese, anyone?

A recent article in the Guardian shows how uncontrollable supply chains can be.  Managing tier 2 suppliers, in this case, became problematic when supermarkets found that the beef they were… 

Jan 30, 2013

Bangladesh Working Conditions: A Human Rights Issue? Or a Supplier Capacity Issue?

The recent press in the Wall Street Journal and other papers on Walmart’s fire in Bangladesh is raising the ire of corporate responsibility groups and human rights groups alike.  … 

Dec 13, 2012

Where's My Stuff? The West Coast Strike is Over….Get Ready for the East Coast to Shut Down!

Just when you thought that global shipping channels were re-opening and imports/exports to the US were going to resume after the union settled in Los Angeles, the word on the… 

Oct 17, 2012

ThyssenKrupp: The Amazon of Material Services

ThyssenKrupp is one of the big steel producers in Europe, and is getting ready to move to a completely different supply chain model.  The company competes in a number of… 

Oct 17, 2012

Logistics Notes from the BVL Conference in Berlin

This week I had the opportunity to attend the BVL (Bundesvereinigung Logistik) conference in beautiful Berlin, Germany.  Berlin in the fall is a beautiful time of year, with the leaves… 

Oct 11, 2012

Ralph Lauren's Supply Chain: A Lot More Complex Then You Think!

Jeff Holcomb, Senior Vice President of Customer Operations and US Transportation at Ralph Lauren’s offices in Greensboro, NC spoke in my MBA supply chain class last week.  He told the… 

Sep 12, 2012

Organizations Continue to Expand their Global Supply Chain Footprint…But Not Without Growing Pains

Organizations in multiple sectors are continuing to pursue global growth strategies that focus on expansion into new regions.  In particular, the focal BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) represent major… 

Jul 30, 2012

A differentiated lean volume channel strategy for Russia and India

I recently spoke with a CFO in charge of building a global value chain into India and Russia, who shared with me some of his insights on the differentiated supply…