Welcome
We hope you enjoy the Summer 2011 issue of Supply Chain Directions, our quarterly e-newsletter linking you to a short list of leading, timely, and relevant articles and white papers in the areas of Supply Chain Design, SIOP, Transportation, Service Supply Chains, Packaging, Global Supply Chain Management, and Sustainability.
Spotlight
Video: Pushing From Strategic to Tactical Planning
Supply Chain Brain, June 13, 2011
Featuring Steve Ellet, Principal, Supply Chain Strategy
If recent natural disasters and political unrest have shown anything to the business world it’s that strategic planning has to be a continuous effort, not just a one-time effort. Moreover, companies have to react quicker than ever, and that calls for better tactical planning.
Blog: Maps Help Communication Supply Chain Analyses to Broader Audience
June 27, 2011
By: John Richardson
One of the biggest challenges for today’s supply chain analyst is how to communicate the drivers and impact of change both clearly and succinctly. I am often reminded of a review I had with a senior executive on a proposed multi-million dollar capital investment. Read More
Blog: Adapting Your Supply Chain Network as Fuel Costs Change
July 6, 2011
By: Dan Sobbott
Diesel fuel prices have been steadily rising since January 2009, and companies have used various supply chain management tactics to mitigate the associated costs . Just recently, the national average price for diesel fuel topped $4 per gallon. Read More
Supply Chain Design
Here’s How and Why Panama Canal Expansion Will Affect U.S. Industrial Real Estate
Supply Chain Brain, June 2, 2011
By: Jones Lang LaSalle
With the $5.25bn Panama Canal expansion project under way, U.S. corporations are studying their options on how they can best capitalize on larger ships soon to be heading towards the U.S.
Sharing Supply Chains for Mutual Gain
CSCMP Supply Chain Quarterly, Q2 Issue
By: James A. Cooke
Kimberly-Clark helped to pioneer the concept of collaborative supply chains. The benefits have been so great that the practice is now sweeping through Europe.
Sales, Inventory, and Operations Planning
In Which Direction is Your S&OP Process Biased?
SC Digest, May 4, 2011
By: SCDigest Editorial Staff
One question that is infrequently asked and even less frequently answered is whether the S&OP process is consistently biased in one direction or another.
Seven Sins of Demand Planning
SupplyChainShaman.com, May 18, 2011
By: Lora Cecere
A recap of “demand planning sins” discussed at IBF’s recent annual conference. “In my opinion, the greatest sin of all is that we have spent thirty years developing forecasting processes that are largely not used or trusted by the organizations they serve.”
Is Your Supply Chain Ready For Stagflation?
Inside Supply Management, June 2011
By: Beate Klingenberg, Ph.D., Tom G. Geurts, Ph.D., and Scott Robinson
Despite signs of an inflationary or stagflationary business environment, now is the time for organizations to improve operations and supply chain efficiencies.
Transportation
Latest State of the Freight Report Sees Big Increase in Transport Budgets, Highest Level of Tight Truckload Capacity in 10 Year History of the Survey
SCDigest, June 8, 2011
By: SCDigest Editorial Staff
High Fuel Costs Accelerating Shift to Rail, even as Relative Service Declines, Wolfe Trahan Research Finds
Tips to Beat the Truckload Capacity Crunch
DC Velocity, June 6, 2011
By: Mark B. Solomon
Experts say there are ways to ease the squeeze, but it will require a change in mindset.
The 17,000-Pound Solution
DC Velocity, May 12, 2011
By: Clifford F. Lynch
Years of underinvestment have taken their toll on the nation’s roads and bridges, and the load will continue to grow. Raising the weight limit on trucks could ease the pressure.
Service Supply Chains
Managing Warranties Proves to be Problematic
Supply Chain Management Review, May 13, 2011
By: Patrick Burnson
A new study reveals that while most product companies recognize the criticality of effective warranty management practices, very few companies are addressing the problem effectively.
Profit From Managing Returns. Yes, Returns.
DC Velocity, June 24, 2011
By: Jonathan Byrnes
What do a typical hospital and a typical retailer have in common? They both have a problem managing returns. Let me explain.
Packaging
Sustainability Is the Biggest Challenge for CPG Companies
Material Handling & Logistics, May 13, 2011
The need to package food, consumer and industrial products in a more sustainable and affordable way dominates the worldwide packaging industry, according to a recent survey of consumer packaged goods companies and packaging converters.
Raw Material Woes
Packaging World, June 30, 2011
By: Anne Sasso
Packaging professionals have had a lot to worry about in recent months. Rising raw materials costs have been high on the list of concerns.
Global Supply Chain Management
Mexico Draws More Production Away from Asia, India
CSCMP Supply Chain Quarterly, Q2 2011 Issue
By: Staff
Manufacturers that want to move production closer to end users named Mexico as the top location for serving U.S. markets.
Supply Chain Grapic of the Week: Rising Labor Costs in China
SC Digest, May 20, 2011
By: SC Digest Editorial Staff
Provinces Raising Minimum Wage by up to 30%; Is China’s Advantage going to Erode?
So Near and Yet So Far
DC Velocity, May 20, 2011
By: James A. Cooke
Shifting production to Latin America sounds like a can’t-miss for companies looking to boost speed to market. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as it sounds.
Sustainability
Food For Thought: US Squanders Energy on Food Chain
CNBC.com, April 26, 2011
By: Shelly K. Schwartz
For a nation fixated on the responsible use of resources, we’re surprisingly wasteful with energy when it comes to putting food on the table.
Annual BP Review of World Energy Shows Sharp Rise in Energy Use in 2010, Worrisome Trends
The Green Supply Chain, June 21, 2011
By: The Green Supply Chain Editorial Staff
Energy Consumption Rose 5.6% in 2010, Well above Economic Growth; Oil Reserves Growing Very Slowly
Supply Chain, Not Sustainability, Should Manage Your Carbon Footprinting
HBR Blog, July 1, 2011
By: Ellie Moss
“The main benefits of carbon labeling are likely to be incurred not via communication of emissions values to consumers, but upstream via manufacturers looking for additional ways to reduce emissions.” There are three reasons why CEOs should be tapping their Head of Supply Chain to unlock these benefits, not their Head of Sustainability.
About Chainalytics
Chainalytics is a professional services firm that enhances competitive advantage and shareholder value through optimized supply chain strategies. Using a fact-based decision making approach, Chainalytics accelerates and improves supply chain performance. Chainalytics offers both project-based and managed services using 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 combination of scale, variability, and geography. With locations in North America and Asia, Chainalytics serves companies globally in a borderless fashion.
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