We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • SUBMISSIONS
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
  • STRATEGY
  • GLOBAL
  • LOGISTICS
  • MANUFACTURING
  • PROCUREMENT
  • VIDEO
    • News & Exclusives
    • Viewer Contributed
    • CSCMP EDGE 2022 Startup Alley
    • Upload your video
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • White Papers
    • Webcasts
    • Events
    • Blogs
      • Reflections
      • SCQ Forum
    • Mobile Apps
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
  • STRATEGY
  • GLOBAL
  • LOGISTICS
  • MANUFACTURING
  • PROCUREMENT
  • VIDEO
    • News & Exclusives
    • Viewer Contributed
    • CSCMP EDGE 2022 Startup Alley
    • Upload your video
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • White Papers
    • Webcasts
    • Events
    • Blogs
      • Reflections
      • SCQ Forum
    • Mobile Apps
Home » Get ready to go mobile
Forward Thinking

Get ready to go mobile

June 25, 2010
Supply Chain Quarterly Staff
No Comments

Distribution operations in the future will need to support mobile commerce, such as consumers ordering and paying for products with their smart phones. In fact, companies that want to succeed in the long term may have no choice but to go mobile, said Deborah Lentz in her speech on tomorrow's supply chains at the CSCMP Europe 2010 Conference, held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in March. "We must be fully prepared to go when and where our customers and consumers are," said Lentz, who is vice president of customer service and logistics for Kraft Foods Europe.

In addition to smart phones, consumers are increasingly using the Internet and even television to place orders, Lentz noted. To meet the demand for frequent, small orders that these technologies promote and enable, companies will have to engage in rapid replenishment to ensure availability of their products, she said.

Supply chains in the future will also have to serve consumers in a sustainable manner, Lentz contended. For example, product will have to flow smoothly through the supply chain with minimal inventory. To reach that objective in Europe, where they often have stocking locations in multiple countries, companies are likely to collaborate on warehousing and transportation. In addition, they may share third-party logistics service providers (3PLs) that will handle direct-to- store delivery for multiple companies or coordinate shared warehousing among different parties. Lentz added that companies might also collaborate on city and suburban or rural deliveries.

The rapid exchange of point-of-sale data will be necessary to signal changes in consumer demand so that manufacturers can produce the products that retailers require. In this regard, Lentz said, she expects to see more companies share and synchronize master data, a base of common information about product types and inventory.

As trading partners work more closely together to meet consumer needs, Lentz noted, Kraft plans to take advantage of its suppliers' ideas for product improvements and ways to speed replenishment. Collaboration between trading partners to integrate the supply chain will help improve real-time visibility, reduce waste and lead times, support sustainability, and enhance service levels, she said.

  • Related Articles

    Get ready for mobile commerce

    Get ready for logistics mergers in China

    Procurement: Get ready for an analytics explosion

Recent Articles by Supply Chain Quarterly Staff

Kearney launches “supply chain institute” as more companies seek resilience plans

Trucking industry lobbies for leverage in transition to zero emissions

Safety will be top of mind on National Forklift Safety Day 2023

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Survey: most Americans unaware that truckers face shortage of parking spaces

  • Best practices in logistics sustainability

  • Supply chain executives not yet seeing expected results from technology investments

  • Postal Service plans to seize items mailed with fake stamps

  • Inflation drops again as interest rate hikes hit home, NRF says

Featured Video

20221107korber large vs

Enhancing Customer Experience with Your Supply Chain Strategy

Viewer Contributed
With the rise of e-commerce, many businesses have had to transform their warehouses to handle online orders in addition to regularly scheduled inventory shipments. This means warehouses need more information than ever before to ensure they can meet customers' needs. As a result, companies need to select warehouse...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Guide to Pallet Rack Safety

  • 3PLs: Complete Orders Faster with Flexible Automation

  • A shipper's guide to navigating post-pandemic holiday freight

  • THE NEW WAY TO WAREHOUSE: 4 Innovations in Automation & Robotics to Boost Warehouse Productivity

View More

Subscribe to Supply Chain Quarterly

Get Your Subscription
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • E-NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2023. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing