Near-shoring gains prominence. This month’s McKinsey Quarterly article by Katy George is titled Near-shoring: A CEO’s Guide and provides some good thinking about trends in manufacturing, many of which will have an influence on the future structure of supply chains and operations of logistics and logistics services. Near-shoring is another term for considering your business as a set of regional (rather … Read More
Change could happen to your supply chains
Horse meat challenges supply chains structures. The point to emphasis about the recent scandal in Europe is not that products contain horse meat – many people eat it. It is that consumers were not told on the packaging; the product descriptions were therefore misleading and that is an offence. The scandal has begun to elicit comments from leading retailers. Most … Read More
Disruption to your supply chains
Analysing risks in operations. The disruption caused in the north east states of America by the super storm once again illustrates how vulnerable are long supply chains. An integral part of senior roles in supply chains and logistics is to have answers for the ‘what-if’ questions concerning business risks. The areas of vulnerability for your business can be identified under … Read More
How weak are your supply chain links?
What are your risks from a disruption? A recent report by Zurich Insurance in England indicates the potential supply chain challenges for businesses in many countries, including yours. The study, of 500 businesses across multiple industries with sales to 300m UK pounds (U$471m), showed that supply chain challenges remain high. Concerning supply chain performance; 80 per cent of respondents said it was very important … Read More
Know your supply chains
Where are the weak links. Do you know of cyclododecatriene or CDT? I have not heard of it either. But if you are associated with automotive supply chains, you will know of it by now. CDT is a precursor ingredient for a resin called PA12 or Nylon12, which is a constituent of plastics used in the automotive industry. The manufacturers … Read More