Supply chain news

S&OP – What is it and how important is it for my business? Practitioners often question how implementing a new process such as S&OP can provide benefits that far outweigh any cost of change.  Statements or comments we hear when discussing the logic of engaging in this approach can include; S&OP sounds like a lot […]

Operations Research: a supply chain perspective Background Operations Research (OR) deals with the efficient allocation of scarce resources and is regarded as the discipline that applies advanced analytical methods to help improve decision making.  It originated the 1930s by military scientists who developed many analyses that were crucial to the war effort.  Following the war, […]

Circular Economy and supply chain – a practical approach Circular Economy and Sustainabillity.  Is it simple to achieve?  What steps do I need to take? Just as most parts of the world are starting to emerge from a global pandemic, the recent IPCC report and COP26 remind all of us of the urgency related to […]

Customs and Trade – Current Requirements The current challenges in transportation and logistics are tangible.  Impacts of container shortages are being felt throughout the world’s supply chains.  The sights of backlogged cargo ships waiting to enter the port of Los Angeles and the congestion in Chinese ports, provide unavoidably arduous vistas.  Driver shortage challenges cannot […]

2021 Health System Supply Chain Insights Published The fifth edition of our Health System Supply Chain Insights was published earlier this month.  The series takes direct inputs from health system supply chain leaders on the developments, priorities, and plans for their health system supply chains.  In particular it focuses on health systems that operate a […]

Seasonality and Inventory Management Demand seasonality is generally associated with a boost in sales that occur at specific times of the year, e.g. Black Friday and Back-to-School (BTS).  These cyclic patterns play an important role in supply chain management, and can make it challenging for businesses to accurately plan inventory levels.  The degree of seasonality […]

Jamie C. Kowalski, LLC and PerformanSC announce the publication of the fifth edition of the health system supply chain insights research Publication builds on comprehensive insights into Consolidated Service Center supply model in healthcare Jamie C. Kowalski Consulting, LLC and PerformanSC Supply Chain Ltd – published the findings of the 2021 edition of their groundbreaking […]

Suppliers – Getting the most from each other Increases in steel prices, shipping delays, logistics costs and labour shortages are just some of the factors that are creating upwards pressure on input prices.  In a constrained environment, simple tender processes are unlikely to offset market pressures.  A structured approach, however, to the management of spend […]

Introduction Although we are continuing through a difficult period with the pandemic, logistics within the pharma industry, although suffering disruption, (not to mention the effects of Brexit) continue to function well. HPRA has been active, as usual, with issuing reports and information on their observations on the Irish market. Three recent briefs are worth reading: […]

As a reformed accountant, I am one of the many people that found my way accidentally into to supply chain over the course of my career, and have found it to be a rewarding and enjoyable path. As part of the Supply Chain and Logistics Skills group in Ireland we are looking at ways of […]