Category Archive

‘Bullwhip’ effect The ‘Bullwhip’ effect is Demand Amplification, where a change in demand at a Node in a supply chain has a more substantial change in demands further upstream in the chain. Orders placed on suppliers tend to have a higher variability than sales made to buyers. Retail stores place orders on warehouses (owned or at wholesalers) can reflect ‘just in … Read More

AI deliverables By mid-2023, there were at least 50 start-up companies in the US, rated by Forbes magazine as the most promising in development of AI technologies. There are also several promising AI start-ups in other countries. If there are promising start-ups, there must also be those that are less promising, so watch out for dubious ‘blue sky’ promises about … Read More

Corporate and Supply Chain Scenarios The previous blogpost discussed Scenario Planning at the corporate level, with four scenarios having the most potential over the next five years. The referenced article provides possible actions at the strategic level, with a focus on economic, business and finance. Depending on the culture and structure of the organisation, there are two options for the … Read More

Economic situation is changing The future is unknown, although some commentators attempt to guess ‘megatrends’. So, looking into the future could be considered as a ‘time wasting exercise’; but that is not so. A better proposition for supply chain professionals is to obtain a clearer understanding of the most likely future trends in global supply chains and be flexible in … Read More

Is the Climate Crisis a high priority? Despite claims that responding to the Climate Crisis is a high priority in boardrooms and for senior executives, some surveys are indicating this opinion may not be correct. If so, it is the Supply Chains group that will feel the effects, because they are expected to ‘fix’ any future climate induced disruption in … Read More