Supply Market Intelligence

Sep 15, 2017

Sales Can Use RACI Charts to Understand Procurement… and vice versa!

RACI Charts have been around for years, yet are often discounted. RACI stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed – which refers to the relative governance structure that exists in…

Sep 10, 2017

Beroe Founder Vel Dhinagaravel speaks at NC State on Origins of Company

This week, my former student Vel Dhinagaravel, and founder/CEO of supply market intelligence company Beroe, came to my class to speak. Listening to him reminded me of the fun we…

Dec 14, 2016

Handfield's 2017 SCM Predictions: Impact of the Trump Presidency on the Supply Chain

OK, so Trump won, Clinton lost. Get over it, it’s a done deal. Time to move on, and figure out what this means in terms of how the global economy…

Dec 14, 2016

Day 3: Lenovo Goes About Creating the End to End Transparent Supply Chain

On the third day the team visited the Lenovo “Green Data Center”, and learned of how Lenovo is working to create their “converged” network servers that are on the leading…

May 30, 2016

Mapping Product Genomes: The Life Blood of Supply Chains

One major technological development is being able to map genomes for products. A genome is all of a living thing’s genetic material. It is the entire set of hereditary…

Feb 18, 2016

Procurement Analytics: Hanging Out and Thinking About Value

I had an opportunity to go on a “Google Hangout” with Alex Zhong from IBM yesterday. We recorded the hangout discussion, and it gave me an opportunity to share some of…

Feb 8, 2016

"Procurement at a Crossroads": Spot On and Makes You Think

I had a chance to review the new book by Jim Hansen and Kelly Barner, “Procurement at a Crossroads“, which explores the many changes that the profession is facing, and…

Feb 3, 2016

Transparency is the new Sustainability

The focus on corporate sustainability often calls for companies to increase transparency in all aspects of an organization’s operations, and much more so in the supply chain. Apparel and electronics companies that…

Jan 21, 2016

Nike partnership with Flex producing innovation coupled with digitization

I spent the last two days meeting with members of the Global Supply Chain and Manufacturing team at Nike, in Beaverton, Oregon. Nike has developed a partnership with NC State’s…

Aug 24, 2015

New Student Projects Suggest Greater Focus on Analytics

Every fall, Betty Minton and Bill Collins (my trusted and capable student project advisors) and I play a game of musical chairs. The challenge involves matching a group of bright,…