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Supply Chain Innovation

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… 

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… 

Oct 24, 2017

Overcoming the Objections to Being Transparent

In addressing some of the questions, one that came up is the fat that many companies are hesitant to act, because of their inability to construct an effective business case for transparency.  “What is the ROI?” is a common complaint.  The key to establishing the business case is not on market share, but through the velocity of material and decision-making, taking action in the face of uncertainty, using the most up-to-date information. 

Jun 21, 2017

The Digital Supply Chain Will Change Everything… Ask Gary Kasparov!

A lot of blogs and writers are discussing the role of machines vs. humans and their relationship, especially in the context of supply chain management.  Scenarios are being painted of… 

May 23, 2017

The Strength of the Pack is the Wolf… The Strength of the Wolf is the Pack!

In a recent article in Supply Chain Navigator, I spend some time discussing the interesting relationship between the introduction of wolves in Yellowstone Park, and the evolution of digital supply… 

Mar 16, 2017

Procurement Leaders '17: Supplier enabled innovation is a foundation for procurement's strategic repositioning

I had the opportunity to sit in on a number of sessions at Procurement Leaders American Congress 2017 in Miami this week.  Despite the snowstorms that prevented many from making… 

Mar 10, 2017

Can Blockchain become the solution for anti-counterfeiting and chain of custody?

Recent articles in the New York Times and in the International Business Times highlight the emerging role of blockchain as a key enabler of improved integration between parties in the… 

Sep 23, 2016

Procurement Must Transition into an R&D Based Organization to Exploit Big Data!

I had the opportunity to spend some time at IBM’s Research Triangle Park facility, (the actual hosting site for the Watson computer) this past week.  IBM hosted a roundtable for… 

Sep 14, 2016

Outsourcing: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – Lessons from Nortel Networks

Jeff Townley, former Chief Procurement Officer at Nortel Networks, provided some fantastic insights in my MBA class this evening.  In so doing, he shared some great insights about “Outsourcing:  The… 

Aug 16, 2016

Supplier Co-Innovation: The Next Source for Economic Growth

We hear the words “innovation” as a source for growth in the economy over and over again.   New ideas on how to manage business processes, digital technologies, ways of delivering value…