Time to come home?
To offshore, nearshore, or "reshore"? A total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis can answer that question. For some companies, TCO analyses are suggesting that manufacturing close to the point of consumption is the best choice.
Are you a candidate for produce-to-demand?
Produce-to-demand manufacturing can help some consumer packaged goods companies reduce finished-goods inventory, improve order fill rates, and cut supply chain costs. Here’s how to know whether it’s right for you.
"Guerrilla Lean": Leading a Lean initiative from below
By laying the proper groundwork and working effectively with their peer group, middle managers can gradually implement lean practices and make big operational improvements—without leadership from the top.
Bend, don't break
A four-part approach to creating flexible supply chains is helping the construction industry in the United Kingdom respond better to economic downturns —and recoveries.
All for one and one for all
To ensure success when they outsource manufacturing, companies need to adopt a community approach with their partners and back it up with collaborative technology.
A pet project pays off
A Web portal for communicating order and shipping information improved visibility, timeliness, and accuracy for a pet products company and its contract manufacturers.
How rapid manufacturing could transform supply chains
Rapid, or direct digital, manufacturing will move companies to adopt a globally distributed supply chain that supports economic, low-volume production.
Control is instrumental to Teradyne's success
Like many electronics companies, Teradyne has outsourced the production of its high-end equipment. But that doesn't mean it has given up control of its supply chain. Far from it.
Now you see it!
A visual scheduling method allowed one manufacturer to adjust production to meet variations in demand for its make-to-order product.
Supply Chain Executive Insight E-Newsletter
Each month the Supply Chain Executive Insight e-newsletter will include brief articles about developments that are often overlooked by other supply chain publications. We will present you with summaries of the latest research as well as new ideas on how to make your supply chain operations more effective. And we'll offer commentary that sheds light on what's happening in supply chains today.Sign up now!
Free Articles From The Current Issue
Supply chain segmentation: 10 steps to greater profitsSegmentation lets companies boost profitability by tailoring their supply chain strategy to each customer and product in their portfolio. Here are 10 key practices that will ensure success.
Turn your reverse supply chain into a profit center
Selecting the right disposition strategies and understanding their financial impact can help you turn the reverse supply chain into a revenue generator instead of a cost center.
Panama Canal expansion: game changer, or more of the same?
Some ports and ocean carriers expect significant new business to come their way following the Panama Canal expansion. But do the "shipper math," says the author, and it's clear that U.S. distribution patterns are unlikely to change much.
"Imagineering" a supply chain
Disney's supply chain executives coined the term "imagineering" to describe the convergence of precise engineering and execution with the imagination and "magic" that makes the company one of the world's cultural icons.
SCPro certification: the path to leadership
Even though today's supply chain talent may be better educated than previous generations, they still need to gain experience in the depth and breadth of logistics and supply chain management in order to become high-impact leaders.
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Perspective
What additive manufacturing could mean for supply chains
Years from now, individualized production could change transportation and logistics patterns.
Forward ThinkingWhat additive manufacturing could mean for supply chains
Years from now, individualized production could change transportation and logistics patterns.
Companies are rethinking offshore sourcing
Concerned about rising transportation costs and longer lead times, nearly half of the supply chain professionals who took part in a new survey on procurement are considering sourcing materials and parts closer to home.
Forward Thinking
Revamped benchmarking model goes green
Supply chain benchmarking initiatives are beginning to incorporate environmental conditions as a factor for assessment.
Forward Thinking
Five ways to prepare for an economic downturn
As the United States teeters on the brink of recession, a panel of financial and procurement experts has recommended five ways that procurement professionals can prepare their companies for an economic downturn.
Forward Thinking
Measuring the social impact of logistics
Proponents of the European "bestLog" project say that logistics best practices should take into account the social and environmental impact of those standards.
Forward Thinking
Translating SCM into P&L
If you want to get the attention of your company's top executives, you need to speak their language, and that means finding a way to show the impact of supply chain management on the profit and loss statement.
Forward Thinking
Rollin' on the river—the Yangtze, that is
With manufacturing and consumer demand moving steadily westward in China, that nation's rivers are fast becoming the mode of choice for transporting raw materials and finished goods.
Forward Thinking
Who operates the best supply chains?
The votes are in, and Apple Inc. has won the top spot in this year's AMR Research report on the world's best supply chain operations.
Forward Thinking
Leading a diverse workforce
With companies now employing people of every race, nationality, religious background, and age group, author Juana Bordas says, it is good business practice to incorporate the practices and values of diverse cultures in a respectful and productive manner.
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Dialogue: A Conversation With a CSCMP Member
Playing by the rules
When it comes to international trade compliance, Monsanto's Mark Baxa follows the letter of the law.
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Upcoming professional education programs around the world
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