Supply Chain Management Article Library

Jun 2, 2004

The Increasing Necessity for Reverse Logistics

Due to environmental regulations and consumer pressures to increase customer service, companies are focusing on reverse logistics. Reverse logistics can lead to improved relationships with supply chain partners, improved profits…

Jun 2, 2004

Aligning Demand and Supply Management

Supply chain managers are increasingly being relied on to deliver greater returns to shareholders – and are also being held responsible for “supply chain glitches” that negatively impact a company’s…

May 5, 2004

Cost Reduction Measures

According to a study by the Center for Applied Purchasing Studies (CAPS) Research, the primary goal of most purchasing executives is to reduce total costs (1). Supply managers in general…

Apr 22, 2004

The Role of Purchasing in the New Product Development Process – Part II

As was discussed in Part I, it is important for organizations to integrate suppliers into the new product development (NPD) process (1). Because purchasing specialists are a key liaison between…

Apr 14, 2004

The Role of Purchasing in the New Product Development Process – Part I

Market globalization and the rapid advancement of technologies require that companies differentiate themselves with innovative products and services to create competitive advantage. Increasingly, manufacturers face shortened product life cycles and…

Apr 8, 2004

Do Organizations Consider Strategic Cost Management When They Outsource To China?

In today’s economy, the driving force behind global competition can be summarized in a single equation: Value = (Quality + Technology + Service + Cycle Time) / Price At the…

Apr 1, 2004

Leading Change in Supply Chain Management

Any company that has undertaken the mission of implementing an integrated supply chain management strategy knows that one of the greatest challenges it faces is the significant change in internal…

Mar 24, 2004

Unification of Bar-Code Standards

Within bar-coding, there have historically been two distinct standards, North America’s Uniform Product Codes (UPCs) and the rest of the world’s European Article Numbering (EAN) codes. The “Sunrise 2005” initiative,…

Mar 9, 2004

South Korea – Growing and Learning

With no lack of issues to deal with regarding the South Korean external business environment, planners at Daewoo and Hyundai have plenty to think about. For these companies, though, operating…

Mar 1, 2004

Lean Implementation Is Tough!

Lean Business Solutions publishes free e-newsletter discussing applications of lean thinking in the workplace. Recently a reader by the name of Marty Laurent who has a lot of experience in…