Supply chain news

Following last month’s post, I’ll discuss the merits of selecting the best planning policies and review the concept and value of economic metrics. Clearly, all inventory systems contain many uncertainties, and these require a probability distribution of demand for items that can be replenished at either a certain level or point in time.  Actually, it […]

For most companies supplying technical products to their market (i.e., non-perishable, and non-consumable), becoming circular can means that, someday, close to 100% of their products may need to come back.  Now, any supply chain leader would almost instantly come to realise that their operations are just not set up for that.  While most companies would […]

Update 14/09/2022: The date for required labelling changes has been amended to 31st December 2023. As part of the Brexit transition, food producers were given an extended transition period to adapt food labelling to new UK standards.  Companies will need to make any required labelling changes for goods sold in Great Britain by 30 September […]

Having embarked on their Circular Economy journey, organisations often reach a point where the ups and downs of their activity, and the shifting priorities that might go along with them, eventually take over the initial positive momentum. It becomes difficult to keep plans on track for a prolonged period and the lack of progress may […]

Traditionally, it was believed that a high level of stock guaranteed a successful service performance for a company. Nowadays, we have seen consumer demand influenced by many factors (environmental conditions, economic, social, etc.), consequently making supply chains more dynamic than ever. Furthermore, supply chain practitioners are now acutely aware that either over or under-stocking is […]

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 […]