Improving your Supply Chains. Although articles tell us of new challenges and exciting technologies for supply chains, I find that actual challenges and steps to solutions have yet to dramatically change. I was recently cleaning a computer disc of past PowerPoint presentations. One slide from 2000 listed the discussion points concerning Supply Chain challenges for a Logistics Masters student workshop. The … Read More
Gaining executive support for Supply Chain initiatives
Challenges remain the same. If you do not understand the principles of an activity, you will more likely not support a proposal for change and improvement. That is the situation in many organisations where initiatives concerning supply chains are considered and approved by a cross section of executives. A continuing constraint to gaining support for initiatives in Supply Chains is … Read More
A new supply chain technique can be old with a new name
A new buzzword. The 24 hour news cycle lends itself to ‘new buzzwords’ and unsubstantiated claims and this can happen in articles about Supply Chains. A recent article used the term ‘elastic logistics’ – flexible solutions that allows logistics infrastructure to meet market fluctuations. I have not read articles about ‘elastic engineering’ or ‘elastic medicine’ – maybe because there is … Read More
Waste in your supply chains is a big number and growing
The challenge of waste. Some national governments are starting to recognise the total cost of waste in their economy. Following this recognition comes a desire to ‘do something’. It is likely to include a requirement to reduce the total volume of all wastes produced per citizen and reduce the costs of handling, transport and storage for all forms of waste. … Read More
Inventory management is a core part of your Logistics
Inventory as a core requirement. Projects and campaigns have occurred in some businesses concerning reduction of inventory, notably those concerned with Just in Time (JIT) and its later incarnation, ‘Lean’. But overall, the investment in inventories within a supply chain does not disappear. So, to manage inventories in your organisation is a key responsibility of Logisticians; in association with other … Read More