Organizing for Supply Chain

Feb 12, 2017

Best Practice: Creating a Governance Mechanism for Analytical Learning in Organizations

I recently interviewed a large semiconductor company that developed a cross-enterprise initiative to drive analytical learning across its entire supply chain. The company established a supply chain IT organization that reports… 

Dec 13, 2016

More Insights on Deploying the Digital Supply Chain

On the second day of our executive focus group on the LIVING Supply Chain, the group took the opportunity to share insights regarding the emerging trends in the future of supply… 

Nov 24, 2016

Who Owns Contract Management of Major Projects: Procurement or the Business?

Proponents of integrated supply management propose that successful Contract Management (both pre and post award) requires a collaboration between the business functions (Engineering, Operations, Maintenance) that have the need (demand,… 

Apr 27, 2016

SCRC Meeting Insights Part II: Management Principles for Executing Visibility Strategies

As organizations move towards visible, high velocity, transparent supply chains, a number of questions arise that are fundamental to the business, but which executive often struggle to answer with any… 

Apr 4, 2016

Outsourcing : Tesla is Bucking the Trend

Debates over outsourcing are appearing with more frequency in the press. Companies have outsourced so many of their processes, through “Business Process Outsourcing”, that many now just sit as marketing… 

Jan 26, 2016

"Collaboration" is becoming a bad word…in some circles

The concept of “Collaboration” has been getting a lot of grief lately. For instance, recent articles in the Harvard Business Review and the Economist emphasize that collaboration has reached the… 

Dec 4, 2015

Interview on Buyer's Meeting Point BlogTalk Radio: Creating Procurement Value is a Lot of Work!

Gerard Chick and I were recently interviewed by Kelly Barner on the Buyer’s Meeting Point Blog Talk Radio yesterday, and this was posted on their site for any interested parties… 

Nov 30, 2015

Only 1 Week Until the Supply Chain Analytics Conference at NC State!

With only one week left prior to our upcoming SCRC meeting, students are busily preparing their final posters, putting the finishing touches on their presentations, and getting ready to meet… 

Oct 29, 2015

Procurement as a Non-Profit Center for Supply Chain Risk Consolidation

I spent some time this week with a group of procurement executives from Restaurant Supply Chain Solutions, a company that conducts all of the procurement and supply chain activity for… 

May 10, 2015

Spectra Energy Supplier Forum: Driving Collaborative Project Management

I had the pleasure and honor of attending the 2nd annual Supplier Forum, hosted by Union Gas & Spectra Energy in Hamilton, Ontario at the end of April.  The meeting…