Issue Archives: Quarter 3 2007

Why abandon your 3PL partner when it is performing well? Apparel maker Joseph Abboud brought distribution in-house to make its operations leaner.

When companies purchase parts or components, historically they have comparison-shopped to find the lowest-cost supplier. But forward-thinking companies are now applying the concept of "should costing" to procurement instead. In essence, they analyze what a product should cost to determine what they ought to pay for it. The emergence of should-cost systems is paving the way for companies to perform true-cost analyses of suppliers' parts.

After Procter & Gamble bought Gillette, it faced the daunting task of managing the largest supply chain integration in consumer products history. Here's how P&G did it.

Companies looking for higher customer service levels and lower logistics costs in Europe are designing distribution networks with a central warehouse backed up by satellite facilities in major markets.

Want your suppliers to rally around your corporate goals? Scorecarding can help you shift their focus from the tactical to the strategic.

Nontraditional warehouses are helping companies restructure their supply chains to meet the changing needs of their customers.

Together with the dot-com revolution, supply chain management has transformed business as we know it.

As the forces of globalism and the proliferation of technology relentlessly level the proverbial playing field, it's safe to say that the men and women who manage your supply chain are everything.

The instantaneous way in which we move information around the globe is a critical component of today's rapid-fire business environment.

In some cases, companies are finding that it may actually be more cost-effective to bring outsourced jobs back in-house.

Soaring demand for Africa's raw materials, coupled with rising global commodity prices, have raised its international stature.