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.
Leveraging private sector practices in the public sector
Supply managers who work in the public sector must comply with unique transparency rules. Despite those and other constraints, they can achieve substantial savings by integrating the public sector requirements with privatesector supply chain management concepts.
Adding value through process mapping
When DineEquity combined the supply and distribution networks for two of its restaurant chains, it used process mapping to identify where to make changes. A top executive tells how this technique helped the company create a single, streamlined supply chain.
10 best practices you should be doing now
Want to be a "best in class" organization? Then follow the lead of highly successful companies and adopt these 10 practices in your own operation.
4 steps to rebuilding customer-supplier relationships
Many customer-supplier relationships were weakened or damaged during the economic downturn. To rescue them, both sides need to acknowledge past mistakes, identify the causes of those problems, take corrective action, and monitor the results.
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.
New green strategies replace old notions
If companies are to generate savings from "green" initiatives, they need to take a total-cost-of-ownership view and throw out old assumptions underpinning common supply chain practices.
A smarter way to spend your money
When executed properly, a spend management strategy can save cash and accelerate return on investments—even in a down economy.
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.
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.
Six steps to energy-efficient supply chains
A new McKinsey & Company white paper identifies six actions shippers and carriers could take to reduce transportation energy consumption by as much as 8 million barrels a day.
Forward Thinking
Auto suppliers are headed for a shakeout
Asian and European auto suppliers are likely to take over their distressed counterparts as that industry undergoes consolidation, according to the results of a study consulting firm PRTM.
Forward Thinking
Which countries are riskiest?
Known as the home to bands of seafaring pirates, Somalia now holds the dubious title of the riskiest country in which to conduct business and manage supply chains.
Forward Thinking
"Reshoring"—the next supply chain trend?
Recently, four Northern California companies pulled some or all of their production out of China and back to the U.S.
Forward Thinking
"Localization" of product assortments raises inventory and margins
Retailers that offer local and regional product assortments, promotions, and pricing appear to have found a winning strategy.
Forward Thinking
Happy birthday to U.P.C.!
The now-ubiquitous Universal Product Code celebrated its 35th birthday in June.
Forward Thinking
The world's largest logistics companies
For the second consecutive year, DHL, CEVA, and Kuehne + Nagel are the world's three largest contract logistics providers, according to a recent report by the British research firm Transport Intelligence.
Forward Thinking
CFOs overlook the value of procurement
As cost cutting absorbs more of their attention during the economic downturn, many chief financial officers appear to be ignoring supply chain risks.
Forward Thinking
Corporate culture can block agility
A recent survey of 164 manufacturers conducted by Hitachi Consulting and AMR Research found that corporate cultures often block supply chain innovation and responsiveness.
Forward Thinking
U.S. logistics costs decline as a percent of GDP
One of the major findings of CSCMP's annual "State of Logistics Report": In 2008 U.S. logistics costs reached $1.3 trillion, or 9.4 percent of the country's $13.8 trillion GDP.
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Open Enrollment
Upcoming professional education programs around the world
Dialogue: A Conversation With a CSCMP Member
All in the family
The son of a son of a warehouseman, Tim Richards is helping to guide CSCMP's Young Professionals Committee into the future.
