Supply chain news

In May this year, Shopify announced its intention to acquire the logistics provider Deliverr for $2.1B.   Founded in 2017, Deliverr created a network of eCommerce fulfilment operations, connected through a single platform that managed inventory and the delivery promise to customers.  The month before, CEVA Logistics completed the acquisition of Ingram Micro Commerce and Lifecycle Services, […]

Close the loop with suppliers to improve inbound visibility Building an efficient warehouse operation starts with taking control of what is coming in the back door.   We are amazed at how frequently warehouse teams are asked to manage inbound receipts without adequate visibility of what is expected.  Without this information, it is impossible to plan […]

Collaboration is key in critical outsourcing relationships In the early part of my supply chain career, I spent several years managing key accounts on behalf of a third-party logistics and supply chain service provider.  Working with large multinational clients, we had an opportunity to learn and observe different supplier management styles.     From the demanding […]

Earth Day 2022 is upon us, and our thoughts can’t help but turn to the impact of supply chains on the environment, and on climate change.  Sustainability and circular economy have rightly become a strategic focus for organisations, but the tactical approaches can differ.  The by now historic ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ mantra comes to mind […]

There was a time when you could go to the darkest corner of most warehouses and find a bone pile of wrapped pallets of returns.    Returns were the inconvenient afterthought of supply chains and the chore that was left until the pile could no longer be ignored.  Along with the task of sorting through […]

  For most, the benefits of outsourcing are far-reaching, from leveraging specialised knowledge, to expanding your markets, channels, and service offerings.  For some the reality is challenging, and it can take more time than expected initially, to become accustomed to working together as outsource partners.   For others, challenges being experienced have begun to frustrate, and […]

The imposition of new sanctions, following the invasion of Ukraine, will need to be enforced and managed by organisations in Ireland and around the world.  These sanctions have been imposed by the EU, as well as the UK, US, Canada, Japan, and others. We have talked about trade compliance and managing sanctions previously, but with […]

Healthcare Supply Chains are adapting to a different World Every two years, in conjunction with Jamie Kowalski Consulting LLC, PerformanSC seeks inputs from supply chain leaders within health systems, on the evolution of their healthcare supply chain practices.  The research has charted the evolution of health system supply chains since 2012, and in particular the […]

Using supplier scorecards to align performance As we noted in our recent post on KPIs and metrics, a strong metrics framework is needed to manage supply chain processes on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.  Here we look at best practices in outsource supply chain governance, with some thoughts around supplier scorecards. Supplier scorecards are […]

Tackling inflation in our supply chains For the first time in over 30 years, inflation is a concern faced by many western economies.  Academics will debate how we got here – concerns over fuel supply, expansionary economic policies, recovery post-pandemic, geo-political instability, logistics congestion, additional non-trade barriers – but supply chain professionals have been feeling […]