| Supply Chain Directions
Fall 2009 |
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| Welcome |
We hope you enjoy the Fall issue of Supply Chain Directions, our quarterly e-newsletter linking you to a short list of leading, timely, and relevant white papers and articles in the areas of Supply Chain Design, Transportation Planning, Inventory Planning, Global Supply Chain Management, Performance Analytics and Sustainability. |
| Spotlight |
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Chainalytics LLC, a supply chain consulting
firm focused on enabling fact-based supply chain decisions, announced today
that the Metro Atlanta Chamber has awarded them the Supply Chain Company
of the Year for 2009. The award was announced during a luncheon at the
2009 Supply Chain Forum on November 17.
Recent Blog Topics
By Michael Eaton, Principal, Transportation Practice, Chainalytics LLC
Few of my clients are without some degree of private or dedicated fleet operations. Despite this fact, I'm often asked, "When should fleets be utilized?" .
By Bill Loftis, Principal, Transportation Practice, Chainalytics LLC.
A client once said to me, "We have no way to know if we are getting better or worse in transportation. All we know is if costs are going up or down."
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| Supply Chain Design find out more |
Logistics Management, September 1, 2009
By Maida Napolitano, Contributing Editor
Site selection experts from both real estate and supply chain think tanks have identified a handful of trends that are affecting how and where DCs are now being located. By proactively responding to these trends, companies can better position themselves for the next wave of economic recovery.
Area Development, Aug/Sept 2009
By Tim Feemster, Senior Vice President & Director of Global Logistics, Grubb & Ellis Company
Congestion at established hubs, volatile energy costs, the need for sustainability, and cost-cutting initiatives are among the trends affecting where companies are locating their warehouse and distribution operations..
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| Transportation find out more |
Supply Chain Brain, September 29, 2009
By Robert J. Bowman
Transportation providers who long for a surge in business had better be careful about what they wish for. According to one group of investment bankers, carriers might not be prepared for renewed customer demand.
By SC Digest Editorial Staff
43% of Lanes in Bid Optimization Programs Exceed Expected Costs, Research Says; Post-Bid Audits Shrink that Number Dramatically. "Carried bid optimization" programs and technology can deliver significant savings to companies in procuring transportation versus current rates, but too often those potential savings are lost in both the negotiation and execution phases.
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| Inventory find out more |
Computer World, August 24, 2009
By William Brandel
Inventory optimization -- more important than ever -- can preserve working capital in tough times.
Whether it's a truck, a tsunami or an economic downturn, the same general rule applies: You're better off if you can see it coming from a safe distance.
MultiChannel Merchant , September 1, 2009
By Curt Barry
Inventory is the largest balance sheet asset in your business: If your margin is 50%, that means your cost of goods is 50%. In other words, 50% of your net sales are spent on inventory and inbound freight.
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| Global Supply Chains find out more |
Is It Mexico's Turn?
Logistics Today, September 17, 2009
By Editorial Team
China may be the headliner when it comes to US trade, but NAFTA trade still dominates despite a sixth consecutive month of trade declines of over 27%.
By Benjamin Gordon, Special Contributor
The move toward "near-sourcing" is underway. Car manufacturer Tesla Motors just canceled plans to manufacture its 1,000 pound batteries in Thailand as previously planned. By manufacturing them closer to Tesla's home base in California, it will decrease the shipping distance of each battery approximately 5,000 miles. Other major manufacturers are following suit.
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| Performance Analytics |
By Julie Fraser, President & Principal Analyst, Cambashi
As conditions change, are your supply chain metrics actually boosting business performance? What you measure matters. So it behooves companies to review performance metrics to ensure continued strategic alignment with business objectives.
By James A. Cooke, Editor at Large
Looking for another way to control your distribution and supply chain costs in tough economic times? The answer might be business intelligence (BI) software. Business intelligence systems, which extract information from different database applications and then analyze the data, can help companies manage their supply chains by determining which areas of an operation offer the greatest opportunities for improvement.
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| Sustainability |
By Patrick Burnson, Executive Editor
Shippers are tired of hearing a lot of noise about going green. So, to help clear the air on what "green" really means to logistics operations, LM gathered four straight-shooting supply chain experts to give you the scoop.
By Dan Gilmore - Editor-in-Chief
"Sustainability" is already having a major impact on supply chain strategies and practice - but we may only be at the tip of the iceberg (is that iceberg melting or not, as an aside?).
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| About Chainalytics |
Chainalytics is a professional services firm that enhances competitive advantage and shareholder value through optimized supply chain strategies. Chainalytics' fact-based decision making approach improves and innovates our clients' strategies and tactics with particular emphasis on supply chain design, transportation strategies, inventory strategies, and product and customer portfolio planning. Offered as both project-based and managed services, this approach is achieved via a unique combination of domain expertise, resilient methodologies, and exclusive research and content - all supported by the world's most advanced decision sciences tools and techniques. Chainalytics targets enterprises with a high degree of complexity created by their unique combinations of scale, change and geography. With offices in North America and Asia, Chainalytics serves companies globally in a borderless fashion. Learn more at www.chainalytics.com
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