Supply Chain From The Field

Mar 12, 2018

The US needs to step up Biobased investment to catch up with the rest of the world

Multiple discussions gleaned from interviews with executives in biobased product categories emphasize that significant barriers exist in two areas:  1) demand for biobased products that is supported by government incentives,… 

Mar 5, 2018

Get Ready for the Electronification of Everything …and More Global Component Shortages!

I had an opportunity to speak with some executives this week that are frequently in Asia, negotiating with suppliers of everything from memory, semiconductors, and multiple other types of electronic… 

Feb 8, 2018

Is the FAR getting in the way of Early Supplier Involvement in defense projects?

Product development within the U.S. defense industry tends to follow a waterfall-phased lifecycle development approach beginning at the concept level and concluding at the subsystem/component level. The concept level design… 

Jan 31, 2018

Thoughts on Supply Chain Impacts (After Listening to Trump’s State of the Union)

I listened to all one and a half hours of Trump’s State of the Union address last night, and while it was certainly very positive in terms of the economy,… 

Jan 27, 2018

Sorting out Risk in FinTech Source Chains

Most big banks (MUFG, Citi, Deutschbank, HSBC, JP Morgan, and others) have been forced to re-examine their external supplier relationships in a highly regulated environment.  This is old news.  But… 

Jan 26, 2018

Emerging technologies impacting contract management in the Financial sector

A meeting of financial supply management executives, faculty, and IACCM thought leaders took place on January 26, 2018 in New York.  A number of different topics were discussed during this… 

Jan 25, 2018

Resin prices vary a lot more than you think! RTi helps you understand why..

I had a great opportunity to meet with CEO Pete Suerken from Resin Technologies Inc. (RTi), yesterday, and share thoughts on how should-cost models are being actively used to drive improved… 

Jan 18, 2018

Off to another exciting year of student-industry engagement at NC State on cutting-edge supply chain projects

In a prior post on 2018 supply chain predictions, I shared how NC State’s Poole College of Management engages directly with industry through student-led projects.  I also predicted how this type… 

Jan 16, 2018

Low unemployment is great for everyone, right? (Not so much in logistics…)

Unemployment levels are at an all time low.  Economists are trumpeting about the economy, and how great this is for everyone.  Employers added 228,000 jobs in November, while the unemployment… 

Dec 22, 2017

Supply Chain Predictions for 2018: Real-Time, Innovation, Cognitive, Blockchain, Industry-Academic Partnerships, and Taking a Stand!

I had an opportunity to work on a number of exciting projects this past year, and in the process, spent a lot of time talking about digital supply chains with…