Discover the intricate web of supply chain problems faced by the solar panel industry. From political tensions to regulatory hurdles, explore the obstacles hindering the smooth flow of solar panels in our comprehensive analysis.
Over the last few decades supply chain has morphed into something much more sophisticated and robust – Business Networks.
The History of Sustainable Packaging Industry. It packs a lot in a small space, efficiently uses the minimum amount of resources, it’s not a product
Benefits Of Global Supply Chain- CEO of Global Supply Chain Consider this, if you are a typical company your imports and exports have grown at
Five fundamental questions that every environmentally pro-active CEO needs to ask about their Supply Chains?
Vivek Sood and Tony Fedorowicz
Here’s What People Are Saying About Implementing New Software By Doug Hudgeon The Cost Reduction Tip The success rate of software implementations is woefully low. Dough Hudgeon There
Write More About Corporate in Supply Chain By Stuart Emmett Much has been said about how suppliers should be managed by procurement. Indeed one view (Supply Management
By Stuart Emmett Understand Leadership Principles of Supply Chain Before You Regret. This article puts over what I see as essential leadership principles. They are taken
About Individual of Supply Chain Business By Doug Hudgeon The Cost Management Tip by hudgeon- As I’ve planned my upcoming tips, I’ve been pondering which
By Doug Hudgeon The Weekend Cost Management Tips In Supply Chain On the weekends, I’ll give a short cost management tips without web or book
Logistics And Supply Chains -Wrong Definitions A closer look at the confusion between logistics and supply chains by Stuart Emmett Stuart Emmett co-operated with our very
Five fundamental questions that every environmentally pro-active CEO needs to ask about their Supply Chains?
Supply Chain Business A serious look at Tendering by Stuart Emmett . Stuart Emmett co-operated with our very own Vivek Sood to co-write the book
The Cost Reduction Tip
Cost analysis is a vital part of an efficient supply chain. With cost analysis, businesses are able to assess their current spending and plan for future investments. Monte Carlo simulation is an advanced method of cost analysis that uses random sampling to help organizations identify potential risks and opportunities. Google Spreadsheets provides businesses with a convenient platform for conducting Monte Carlo simulations.
Doug Hudgeon is one of the leading experts on cost reduction and supply chain management. With years of experience in the field, he has a wealth of knowledge that can help companies reign in their costs and become more efficient.
The Cost Reduction Tip In the Eric Carle children’s story, The Mixed Up Chameleon, a chameleon attempts to become the perfect animal by adopting the best parts of different animals, e.g. an elephant’s trunk, a giraffe’s long neck etc. At the end of the book, he’s so mixed up that he cannot catch flies.
By Doug Hudgeon The Cost Reduction Tip When looking at cost reduction opportunities in an area, you should start by assuming that you can remove
By Doug Hudgeon The Cost Reduction Tip Certain problems when you first look at them seem intractable. But once you understand their natural fracture lines,
Supply Chain Business By Doug Hudgeon The Cost Reduction Tip In the 1970s and 80′s, skateboarding went through a renaissance. Difficult tricks became commonplace and
By Doug Hudgeon The Cost Reduction Tip EFFECTIVE COST MANAGEMENT REPORTS PREPARATION. Effective management accounts are critical to a cost reduction initiative. Without it, your
Innovative Supply Chain Modern SC management is a complex and ever-evolving field. In order to keep up with the changing global economy, businesses need to
Corporate Social Responsibility In INDIA (Part I Overview) Corporate social responsibility must not be defined by tax planning strategies alone. Rather, it should be defined
Green Supply Chain Carbon Management With emerging regulations on coal emissions, all organizations will be probably affected by Green Supply Chain Carbon Management. Therefore organizations
Life Cycle Engineering On Supply Chain Advancement in technology and the abundance of raw material has resulted in the increased consumption of products and services
By – Stuart Emmett Note: Stuart Emmett co-operated with our very own Vivek Sood to co-write the book GREEN SUPPLY CHAINS – AN ACTION MANIFESTO.
The History of the Newest Supply Chain Model In the traditional business world, relations between organizations were different from what they are today. Collaboration between
About More Software Development Estimates Reblogged from Startup Answers: (written by Michael Wolfe) Map Let’s take a hike on the coast from San Francisco to
About More Global Strategy Implementation When you make decisions for your business, many things have to be taken into account. Besides, nowadays, strategies have to
The key to realizing value in business is to use your business network. The marketplace has moved on from a time when the competition was
About Retail Supply Chain strategy Digitization of Retail Supply Chain Strategy is creating strange consequences. Here is one example: Analysts are openly questioning the survivability
The world has changed drastically in the last few months, and businesses have been forced to adjust their strategies in order to remain successful. As a result, new business models have emerged as a way for companies to stay competitive and profitable in our new global context.
In the business world, supply chain confusion can be a major problem. It is important to understand how it can affect the operations of a company and how it can even lead to business failure.
Collaboration Is The NEW Advantage in Supply Chain For decades, if not centuries, economists have been extolling virtues of competition. No doubt, competition unleashes forces
Who Hijacked Your Supply Chain? I do not publish too many posts on LinkedIn any more because of ‘Gresham’s Law‘. However, once in a while
About Human Courtship on Supply Chain I vaguely recall reading a research paper on human courtship by a US professor, where he hypothesised a 13 stage courtship process starting with eye-lock to for-ever-after. He had studied several human societies – ranging from primitive isolated tribes to modern urban tribes and concluded that the process was
Complex organisations have always existed, but we have to admit that the level of complexity has tremendously increased over the past centuries, especially over the past decades. Complexity now touches everyone, and every organisation. This is something unavoidable, and that is the reason why companies have to learn how to manage it, how to live
The Natural Gas Supply Chains Coming Re-Alignment Of The Natural Gas Supply Chains On A Global Scale, And Its Impact On Downstream Petro-Chemical Manufacturing Traditionally, the natural gas market in Europe was served by Russia, while Asia got most of its natural gas from the Middle East. That is why prices of natural gas in
Strategies of Supply Chain Company For every business or economic activity, there is a time when it falls behind its competitors. No matter whether the situation comes to you at the initial stages or you are facing a sudden challenge right after touching the tip of popularity, you surely have to find out the way
A Business Network To Save Plunging Stocks Award-winning author Vivek Sood’s eagerly anticipated new book, The 5 Star Business Network, is due for release later this month. With further distressing economic news from Europe – Greek bank shares are plummeting and Portuguese shares have fallen too this week – the book could not have come
About Confronting Business Business networks have changed through the ages and they have become greater and greater, reaching a worldwide scale. Nowadays, companies have to learn how to manage the business networks’ changes and its expansion over the world. However, somehow, our current business networks are not new at all and have already existed in
Trends For Management Implied We have no choice but to accept that complexity is omnipresent in every organisation today. Complexity took a very important place in organisation because it is bigger than it used to be one century ago. For this reason, managers and executives have to learn how to run their business while managing
Supply Chain Networks Business The story started in the 19th century with the beginning of free markets. The world of free markets is the world where business exchanges started to expand to global organizations and relationships. Many exchanges were now possible thanks to the free markets. The allocation of resources is determined by supply and
Learn All About Business Networks Or Social Networks LinkedIn is a business network that allows you to socialise. Facebook is a social network that is trying to commercialise. Both are digital networks that allow you to do certain things and not do other things. Besides these, there are real world business networks made up of
About Business Relationships Although you may be good at building and maintaining relationships in your life, it can be very different when it comes to business. In effect, relationships between business partners are very specific relationships. As most relationships, they are based on a contract. The contract is the cornerstone of any relationship (personal or
Social Media Successfully Although social medias are crucial for your communication strategy, they can also be deadly for your business if you do not use them intelligently. There are some important rules and conditions for success by using social medias, and you have to understand them before starting to interfere with social medias. Your customers
Although Information Technology systems have evolved over the past decades, failures are still frequent. Most IT systems fail because their implementation does not follow the process and the conditions that it should. The people in charge often realize it too late, when the process is already in place. In fact, they only realize it when
Global Business Networks China, the giant economy has dominated the news agenda recently just like their dominance in the manufacturing arena. Several proposed reforms have caught more attention than others, such as the relaxation of the one-child policy, now that China’s population is aging. However, business reforms carry tremendous implications that are likely to affect
Demand In Supply Chain Business Taipei-based Foxconn Technology Group, whose biggest client is Apple, is to invest $US40 million in the United States to boost its high-end production chain. The move, welcomed by the US government, is part of the growing trend to seek a non-China outsourcing location. The world’s biggest contract electronics manufacturer will
The Power Of Preparation In Supply Chain When implementing a new Information Technology system, companies often neglect the preparation step and the story always ends with failures. Indeed, the lack of preparation is the first mistake to avoid. Preparation is the basis of the entire implementation process. Your results will depend on how you prepare
Supply Chain Business Network China’s three-year-old technology company Xiaomi has recently announced the sale of its flagship Mi-3 smartphone will be on the Chinese top messaging app Wechat. This is another in a series of tactics deployed by Xiaomi to get to the heart of consumers and spur their demand. Already with 7.2 million handsets
News Release Contact: Angela Crown, [email protected] Due: November 26, 2013 Forwarding: Permitted Intel gearing up to take over the chip making industry. The World’s Biggest Semiconductor Manufacturer Has Announced Plans To Expand The Use Of Its State-Of-The-Art Factories For Other Chipmakers. As Competition Escalates, Intel Hopes The Move Will Push Its Revenue By Taking Advantage
Ford to recall Escape SUVs due to fuel leaks.Car owners are generally not pleased on hearing about manufacturer recall of their vehicles, yet once again, those owning the 2013 Ford Escape SUVs will be affected. U.S. automobile giant Ford is to recall two more types of the popular model worldwide to fix oil and fuel
SUPPLY CHAIN BUSINESS AND SOCIAL MEDIA. Social media are amazing because they allow you to interact directly with visitors, which could be a great help for your business. This term covers a large range of websites, and it can refer to social bookmarking (Del.icio.us, Blinklist, Simpy), social news, social networking (Facebook, twitter, etc.), social photo
The Story Of Supply Chain Models In his book The 5-STAR Business Network (http://bit.ly/5-STARBN), Vivek Sood exposes the results of his researches on the organizational structure of companies. Companies used to follow the model of a traditional organization structure as in the following figure: However, the global business world has changed and this structure is no longer
Although this title can seem a little absurd, this article aims at understanding better the principles of complexity management. In effect, complexity is a large concept, which usually seems unmanageable for most managers. Let us start with the pillars of complexity management for businesses. Strategy Alignment with Complexity Management Most projects fail because this condition
Amazon And The 5 STARS We already defined the importance and features of a successful business network, through the necessity of 5 key cornerstones – Fire-Aim-Ready Innovation, $eed-to-$tore Efficiency, Transaction Optimisation Profitability, Advanced Product Phasing, and Results-focused Outsourcing and Modularisation – in the previous article. Now let us prove it by taking an example, which
(Sydney, Australia based Vivek Sood is the world’s foremost authority on Global Supply Chains which are the commercial engines sitting deep within modern economies and driving them. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), and has done courses from Harvard, MIT, and University of London. As the Managing Director of Global Supply Chain Group, he
Supply Chain Business Amazon is known for its bold moves, innovation and customer centric thinking. Just yesterday it released a video of drone delivery of customer purchases from its warehouse and fulfilment centre which became the talk of the town. Regulatory and technological issues apart, I will only take a supply chain perspective in this
About Business Network Developing a “five star” business network is not as hard as it seems. People say that to develop a powerful network requires years of hard work. However, all it requires is three things: knowledge of who you would like to develop a connection with, your purpose for connecting and knowledge of the
Different Products on Supply Chain Business Every company wants to improve its results, and to do so, they can use very different ways. The most common ways they use to achieve this goal are whether improvement of the quality or the reduction of their costs. How do they do? What methods do they use?
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING. Although social medias are obviously helpful tools of communication for your business, there are some things you should know before initiating any strategy. In fact, you cannot implement an appropriate social media strategy if you do not know the bases and the common traps. Then, this article aims at underlining a few
Complexity While Expanding Your Business We have to admit that the world has become more and more complex over the past centuries, and it is even truer for the past decades! We are interested in business and it is not less obvious about it. Interaction and interconnectivity between people are a proof of this increasing
Learn More Effectiveness Outsourcing Business In his book The 5-STAR Business Network (http://bit.ly/5-STARBN), Vivek Sood talks about prophecies coming from an article written in the Harvard Business Review in 1999. Efficiency And Effectiveness Outsourcing Business Although this article was written almost 15 years ago, the authors, John Hagel III and Marc Singer, were very forward thinking about companies.
The Corporate World Look In Supply Chain 2013 has been a breakthrough year for the top echelon of professionals around the world. One of the reasons, in my view, is the focus on mindfulness. For the first time, I have seen the corporate world embrace a practice adopted in the personal lives of many masters
CXOs will never make it Business CEO Kevin was a brilliant finance executive. After doing a few years in an accountancy practice he had joined a company in its finance department and steadily risen in rank over the years to become its Chief Finance Officer. The board trusted his numbers as well as his prudent
About Globalization Is Inevitable When we renamed our company Global Supply Chain Group in 2006, the key thought running in my mind was that despite clear and evident trend of globalisation – most companies still ran their supply chain on a regional basis. Many of our clients see value in global integration of their entire supply chains – while
About 5-STAR Business Network Owners of cars made by a range of manufacturers such as Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo will be able to voice-command their vehicles using iOS devices this year. Apple will unveil CarPlay, the integrated infotainment system, at the 83rd Geneva Motor Show, which takes place from Mar 6 to 16, 2014. The
We have compiled a list of 20 criteria you should consider before adding a 5-Star Business Network to your business strategy as well as how to evaluate your business network. 20 Questions for Business Strategy
About Australia Leads The Way To Globalisation Australia is talking with ministers from Japan, Korea and China to finalise Free Trade Agreements with the trio ahead of Tony Abbott‘s visit to Asia in April. On Wednesday, Japan’s Farm Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Australia’s Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb failed to reach a consensus on tariff elimination. However, they confirmed negotiations would still be underway to
About Supply Chain 3.0 In this series, I will address the second question raised at the start of the previous blog series – “What are the benefits of supply chain 3.0?” Before answering that question, let me go over the three type of responses I generally get when I explain to people that supply chain 3.0 is real.
Business books, blogs and literature are full of secrets of success. A recent experience taught me that it need not be too complex. Why Do I Call It The Only One Key To Success in Supply Chain? Hopefully, that will be clear in the next 5-10 minutes it takes to read about this incident.
I have set the scene in the first entry of this blog series. Things are changing, moving, and old business models are not working anymore. That is why I proposed even a new organisational model in my book The 5-STAR Business Network from which some of the following excerpts are taken with modifications. SUPPLY CHAIN
As you can see, supply chain 3.0 is for everyone, small and big companies. Now let me demonstrate the concrete benefits of having supply chain 3.0 and I promise these are not dull or irrelevant stories. Supply Chain 3.0 Helps Leverage Your Business Infrastructure Over the past several decades, both the global economy as well
Business Executives of Brazil’s Soccer In the early 90s, more than two decades since its last World Cup championship title, Brazil hungered for the trophy more than any other country on earth. Yet the scars from its 1950 campaign were still not totally erased. Dubbed as the saddest day in Brazilian soccer history, July 16
Business Model Transformation In the previous blog in this series I wrote about the Brazilian soccer teams transformation from an individualistic style of play to a network style game. In early 90s, more than two decades since the last World Cup championship title and Brazil faced an interesting juxtaposition – continue with what led to
This is the concluding entry in this series of blogs – where I reminisced about my experiences from learning to play hockey in India, and watching Brazilian soccer transformation over the past several decades. In the first blog in this series I wrote about the Brazilian soccer teams’ transformation from an individualistic style of play to a network
Business Industry Network As predicted in my book 5-STAR Business Networks when a product category, its current form, reaches the end of its life-cycle, the supply chain interaction between the supply chain partners becomes rather unpleasant and coercive. The reason is clear enough. Long standing supply chain relationships are tested as a result of falling
SUPPLY CHAIN 3.0 I hope by now you have grasped the business model in which Supply Chain 3.0 resides. Before we examine all the concrete benefits of Supply Chain 3.0, let us briefly differentiate it from its predecessors. Table 1 sets out to do that: Table 1 – Supply Chain Metaphors Supply Chain 0.0 Supply
Not too long ago I wrote a blog series on the transformation of Brazil’s soccer playing model from an individualistic style to a Business networks-oriented style. In the early 90s, more than two decades since the last World Cup championship title and Brazil faced an interesting juxtaposition – continue with what led to past triumphs
Why is the new Amazon Smartphone Is A Dud ? As a strategy – it is doing what Apple did with iTunes more than a decade ago – build a walled garden for your customers to play within. The strategy rests on two assumptions – first, that the customers will not find a jailbreak, and
Importance of KPI In Supply Chain Network I came across the following picture on the blog of Thaku Huni and the thought struck me about a situation I encounter quite frequently: Importance of KPI In Supply Chain If you asked any objective person about the KPIs of the group of six men above – most
The Corporate World In 2015 Changing Business Models – Push television/video to YouTube: Videos ad revenues from YouTube in the US would hit $1.13 billion by the end of 2014. In 2015, Google is making a huge change in the way it has been promoting YouTube: they are going to put significantly higher focus on
Business Networks of supply chain There I was – stranded at the Heathrow Airport again – and cursing myself for trusting British Airways and Heathrow once more. However, when it comes to its alliance partners, Qantas leaves a lot to be desired. Every time I fly out of Australia to Europe, I face a choice – whether
HAPPY NEW YEAR – 2015 As the clock strikes midnight it’s time to bid farewell to 2014 and welcome the current era! This is an
Most effective business leaders relish the challenge of answering questions such as the following: Which Business Models are Now Obsolete? Business Models Has The Answer To Everything. 1. Why did Apple sue Samsung while it continues to buy critical parts for its winning products from Samsung?
Has Apple learnt the lesson that Dell never learnt? Apple has grappled with this conundrum for a while now – when, if at all, to dump Samsung? There comes a point in every business network when the erstwhile suppliers become more powerful than the ‘customer’.
APPLE AMAZON & GOOGLE – The Battle Of Titans As everybody knows, three giants in the tech and software world have amassed an incomparable power in recent years from their networks and their strategies. With a vast range of products, they have stitched up the market amongst themselves. But what are the strengths and weaknesses
Topic: The 5-STAR Business Network Interview Interviewer: Ric Bratton of This Week In America Interviewee: Vivek Sood of Global Supply Chain Group (author of The 5-STAR Business Networks) Here is the entire transcript of the interview: 5 STAR Business Ric Bratton: Welcome back everybody!
Topic: The 5-STAR Business Networks Interviewer: Michael Dresser of The Michael Dresser Show Interviewee: Vivek Sood of Global Supply Chain Group (author of The 5-STAR Business Networks) HERE IS An Audio Of The Interview 5-Star Business Network Get It Now Here is the entire transcript of the interview From the radio interview of vivek sood
Supply Chain Management (SCM) Supply Chain Management (SCM) is an essential element of operational efficiency. SCM is critical to business operations, therefore it is clearly important for a company to know, understand and master the supply chain. Supply chain’s evolution can be break down into three generations.
THE ASIAN BANKERS SUMMIT OF SUPPLY CHAIN Despite a high level of participation, and over 1,000 attendees, the mood was rather sombre. I enjoyed the frank and realistic discussions and tried to attend as many sessions as my limited schedule permitted. I am a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) for the last 14 years, and attend
PDF – Impact of Supply Chain Management in Businesses of Today
Many professionals in the business world wonder how to increase income, at least every few weeks.How To Increase Your Professional Income. Want To Legitimately Increase Income in Supply Chain? No doubt, in the long run, you get paid for your results. Results are derived from two critical factors – skills and dedication.
The results are in, and for PC sales they are neither good nor bad – but ugly! The pundits are out to find a scapegoat – and the most convenient scapegoat at the moment is Microsoft. The PC sales Debacle. For example see this report in today’s Wall Street Journal – which hails Microsoft’s mea culpa.
What is Supply Chain Optimisation? System demos are tedious things at best. The developers are trying to showcase the best aspects of their baby in best possible light. They have spent months, sometimes years, thinking about and developing functionality. It is really a big ask to show off the usefulness of it all, in half
There Are Lies, Damned Lies And Statistics. Benjamin Disraeli Benchmarks In Supply Chain Management. Benchmarks are a peculiarly virulent form of statistics which can be used to make a positive change, or misused to make a dodgy sale. On one hand a benchmark, such as a world record in 100m race, can motivate an athlete
Extract from the book “The 5-Star Business Network”, written by Vivek Sood Why Successful Business Networking Are Important? 5 Star Business Networks There was a time, not more than a few decades ago, if you were General Motors you would attempt to own every part of your business. The assembly lines, the parts manufacturing plants,
About Your Business Network Thought leaders have a five star business network. They leverage of the value created by their business and supplier contacts to outcompete rivals and stay relevant. Your business can outcompete rivals too using its network. There are a number of ways your business can achieve this goal.
How Will Green Supply Chain Be In The Future. Green Supply Chain revolutionizes the company; indeed, throughout supply chain, Green Supply Chain planning enables to minimize the environmental impact of the overall endeavour while still achieving the same results. Everything is the Life Cycle Management:
Green Supply Chain: Procurement Procurement also known as purchasing is “Securing supplies, materials, and services of the right quality in the right quantity at the right time from the right place (source) at the right cost price”. So the procurement in traditional supply chain could procure you the best possible cost to meet the needs
Traditional Green Supply Chain In a traditional supply chain, the flow of materials and information is linear and from one end to other. There is a limited collaboration and visibility. Each supply chain partner has limited information regarding, for example the carbon footprint and Green House Gas emission of the other partners.
Following are some of the key benefits of Green supply chains: Positive Impact On Financial Performance Despite ample evidence to the contrary, there persists a myth that going green costs additional expense. Some of the factors responsible for persistence of this myth are inertia, the lack of a systematic approach and an unwillingness to engage
Why Corporate Social Responsibility Matters ? One of the best definitions of Corporate Social Responsibility is perhaps provided by Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s The Benchmark Foundation. It states: “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the decision-making and implementation process that guides all company activities in the protection and promotion of international human rights, labor and environmental standards
Seasons Greetings to all our Clients and Supporters
Supply Chain Company Businesses are gradually being chained by a number of forces so ubiquitous and accepted by all of us, that we fail to notice their impact on businesses, economies, and people. Today, most organizations become veritable bureaucracies as they grow bigger.
Learn All About Revamped Business Model New challenges need new responses. The common organizational model looks like the generic drainpipe structure, meeting the mammalian need for an ordered hierarchy and flow of power within a business. Most companies have evolved in the last 2 decades and their functioning has become almost entirely customer centric.
Good As The Data They Have . One of the reasons I invest so much time and resources of our company in keeping current with the information technology is that good supply chain depends almost entirely on good information. And, your information is only as good as the
Supply Chain Management In Digital Economy In the rapidly changing world – role of supply chain is constantly evolving. There are now at least three generations of supply chains and the confusion about the roles and expectations is leading to massive losses inside the corporations.
My last post “Supply Chain Confusion could kill your business“ generated several great comments from highly qualified professionals around the world, and in this post I want to explore the reasons for the confusion. Obviously, the confusion is debilitating, and unprofitable. I am sure readers will have their own experiences with the confusion in supply chain world,
Ally In Supply Chain The digital revolution (aka tech revolution) has changed the way we live, work and play. The boom of software and IT solutions have caused disruption and realignment for businesses. When business intelligence is implemented and used effectively there is a real pay-off.
Supply Chain Optimisation / transformation. Optimisation has always been a hot topic for strategists and business transformations executives. Now, as the mantle for leading corporations is moving from strategists to the integrationists and supply chain leaders – optimisation is hotter than ever before.
Nobody sets out thinking, I have no purpose for bringing this technology into our company, but I will do this anyway (well a few rare
Industrial Age Tools Vs Information Age Weapons This is the part 2 of my earlier post What I Learnt Fighting Pirates (Not in the Caribbean)! (that post was getting too long, so I had to break it into two parts). I asked bosun to send a repelling party to cut the ladder and the scrambling rope, While
Ideas In Action A switched on team of senior management makes all the difference. No matter which part of the world, and how unfamiliar the concepts are – an interactive team will always find how to use ideas for their business. I recently had the pleasure of interacting with the chairman and top management team
5-STAR Business Network I am always amused to see the starry eyed stories of success of the companies in the business press. Many of the stories do not go deep into the real reasons for that success or to trace how transitory it can be, if those reasons disappear.
About Industry in Supply Chain Dellify (verb) – the process of changing an industry model from high cost, low flexibility, make-to-stock model to a low cost, high flexibility make-to-order model. Before Michael Dell started his business from the college dorm, computer industry followed a very different model.
Old Business Models Are Getting Redundant When General Motors filed for Chapter XI protection in 2008, it also marked the closing of a type of business models in modern commerce. General Motors was seen as the paragon of modern American management theory as popularized by Peter Drucker in the middle of the twentieth century.
Facebook and NewsCorp On the face of it, the two companies could not be more widely apart. One is the paragon the new paradigm, while other is an old dying breed! I am, of course, talking about Facebook and NewsCorp. That is what all the pundits will tell you. They will also explain the logic of why News Corp bought MySpace in
You Will Never Believe This Bizarre Truth Of A Management Consultant. I was in a hard bind. I just came out of a meeting with a highly polished marketing professional, who was pitching to our company for outsourced marketing work. She had correctly diagnosed that similar to many small companies, ours did not have any
How Will Globalisation Be In The Future. No matter which country you look at today – you see big problems. Emerging problems are currently grappling with massive monetary expansionism triggered by a need to keep currency stability in face of periodic bouts of Quantitative Easings. For example see the article “Rajan Warns of Policy Breakdown as
CEO For Microsoft CEO FOR MICROSOFT. CEO Wires are abuzz with the talk about Satya Nadella – who seems to be the front runner for the job of Microsoft CEO. Many profiles have emerged online – e.g. see the article Satya Nadella: CEO For M The man who may soon become Microsoft CEO. Google’s Sunder
Troubles in big data are starting to emerge. Big Data in Supply Chain I have written about these earlier and warned the clients to first make sure their small data is working as intended before jumping into big data. If you cannot control your small data, your ERP system, your EIS or your cloud then
How Amazon Shipping Can Ease Your Pain After delivery drones, Amazon has created yet another news sensation! This time with predictive shipping and patenting it. In this article, Cathy Morrow Robertson describes Amazon’s latest leap: “Based on previous orders, product searches, wish lists, shopping cart contents and other online customer experiences,
Supply Chain Business 911 Although you keep looking for better ideas and new processes, your business keeps struggling to achieve the expected results? Here is some advice you could readily use when you need new ideas to improve your business. In this article, we will try to give you some guidance to help you with
Supply Chain Transparency. The global fast food franchise has recently released a video showing how McNuggets are made to curb rumours about nasty ingredients. In the clip, supply chain manager Nicoletta Stefou from McDonald’s Canada headquarters walks the audience through the process, with particular emphasis on how “pink goop” is never part of the production
A Valuable Lesson in Supply Chain There I was sitting across the desk from the legendary fleet commodore of my company. As a junior officer I could sense the power of the man who had led some of the most daring, and most successful sea voyages of his time.
SUPPLY CHAIN 3.0 In the last entry, I have talked about the first two pillars underpinning Supply Chain 3.0. So, what are the other three key cornerstones? Transaction Optimisation Profitability (TOP) measures the ability to simultaneously minimize the costs, and maximize the revenues on each transaction that a company enters into. Consider this – there are companies today that
Learn More Supply Chain 3.0 In the previous blog entry of this series, I have outlined a customer centric business model, which is also captured in my book The 5-Star Business Network. Now let us delve into the evolution of supply chain models, or how Supply Chain 3.0 came about. In the old model of supply chains, businesses used to relate to each other in
Miles Of Amazon Complexity Network Rivers become amazingly complex in their last few miles. If you have not yet done that try and navigate the Amazon delta from the sea up to the river – it is an enlightening experience. As a former ship’s master, I have had the privilege of navigating up a number
Following two benefits outlined in the previous entry, in this last entry of the blog series, let us go over the remaining benefits of Supply Chain 3.0. By Definition, Supply Chain 3.0 Improves Your Cash Position Recall from the previous blog series that “The second measure of interest to us is in Supply Chain 3.0
Trust & Care – Two Hallmarks Of Supply Chain Segmentation Supply Chain Segmentation Drives Today’s Digital Marketing – This is how I explained the situation to a group of a senior executives of the company I was consulting to recently. The profitability was falling, and customers were abandoning the company (I cannot go into too
The Miracle Of Supply Chain Is The New Electricity. Recently I did a small but quite interesting thought experiment with one of my sons. We
Ten Various Ways To Do The Rat Race. After a while, the rat race tires you out. Even if you are winning the race, you
About Supply Chain Job This blog post is relatively small and simple. Yet, as you will see, it is of immense use to anyone in
When I explain to people that supply chain 3.0 is real, in general, I get three type of responses. 3 Things You Need To Know
About Limitations on Supply Chain This picture prompted me to write the blog post. Like many other people, I am a great admirer of Steve
It appears a bit extreme now – but it was very common at time when I was a navigating cadet. Learn More Strategy Is An
Supply Chain Problem Maturity Differs At Each Stage There is a common assumption that every company’s supply chain should be similar, if not the same.
There Are Five Key Cornerstones Of Success In Building And Harnessing Effective Global Business Networks The 5-STAR Business Network So what are these 5 key
About 5-Star Business Network Extract from the book “The 5-Star Business Network”, written by Vivek Sood “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” Alphonse
“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need
About Supply Chain Business Imagine if you were a small sized furniture seller, and suddenly your suppliers refused to supply furniture to you because they
About Supply Chain Company I was shocked when I heard of the bankruptcy of Hostess Brands Inc. The $2.5 billion maker of Twinkies and Wonder
How Will Asian Banker Summit 2015 Be In The Future On 14 – 16 April 2015 in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong,
Organizational Silos in Supply Chain Organizational silos are based on the division of labor, on organizing the labor in such a way that each individual
Strategic Thinking On Centralization The chief mate was on the forecastle with the bosun and 3 sailors preparing to anchor the ship. Master was on
About Business Transformations Industry I was reminded of this story because I was talking about it in a workshop on business transformation last week. I
Business Transformations Of Supply Chain Global shipping is a very cut-throat business where you can make a lot of money just by buying and selling
About Globalization In Action Boasting exponential growth since its inception in 2012, Jumia became the first e-commerce site to bring the coveted Play Station 4
The Mysteries Of Supply Chains I have been asked this question a lot on Quora, as well in my board and other speeches. A lot
The Biggest Mistake in Business Transformations In this article I want to focus on the second biggest mistake companies make during business transformations. In case
Business Transformations Process If I have seen it once, I have seen it a hundred times. A new person is brought in with a clear
Integrated supply chain management – ISN’T IT TIME TO LOOK AT YOUR COMPANY’S NETWORK AND SUPPLY CHAIN WITH A NEW EYE TO TAKE IT FROM
Evolution Of Supply Chain Management Supply chain network Management Strategy and Capabilities evolved from primitive to esoteric in the four decades since the mid-1970. In
The 5-STAR Business Network – Make Your Business Network Great In his book The 5-STAR Business Network (http://bit.ly/5-STARBN), Vivek Sood mentions the concept of synchronicity,
Amazon’s Threat to Australian Retailer – Some points missing Yesterday (on 2nd November 2017) I happened to briefly glance at the Australian Financial Review –
Leading Executives Are Continually On A Lookout To Improve Supply Chain In Their Company Most CEOs and CXOs think about how to improve supply chain.
Why Trust In Supply Chain Is Important? Recently, the value of trust in supply chain was brought home to me in a graphic manner. An
Ways to Improve your supply chain The meeting room was as sparsely appointed as most meeting rooms used for supplier meetings these days. There were
The Global Economy Mr Trump I have nothing against you President Trump. I have nothing for you either. But, when I heard of the directive
Supply Chain And Logistics Recently, obstetrician Dr Liu Hongmei hit global headlines when she disclosed the story of a young couple who came to her
The new Apple watch (series 4) was just released yesterday, and I was reminded of my previous blog I wrote a few years ago when
If you are in Australia, it is more than likely that you already know this saga. If you are not in Australia, or do not
The Leadership Of Digital Supply Chains Boards always ask the hardest questions. That is why these gentlemen (and ladies) get to be on the boards.
Common Between Enron And Bitcoin I was at a Melbourne Cup luncheon yesterday, and someone asked me why I do not write about Bitcoin. On
Supply Chain Success “What is success? How do you define it in your current role?” It was a simple question. I asked this question of
Bad Management Consultants Although I am writing this blog post to note down my precise thoughts just for a handful of people, it might be
Biggest Bang On Supply Chain There were only 24 hours left. Tomorrow the board would pull the plug on the project which had continued for
BIG Breakthrough Supply Chain Results Start of the year is always a memorable occasion – full of joy and hope. It is also the time
How To Get The Most Out Of Your Management Consultants Without Spending A Bundle On Them? Yes, everybody – from Steve Jobs (when he was
About Supply Chain Security I know that Supply Chain Security is not the top of mind of anyone. Least of all for people who are
About Supply Chain Strategy This is a million dollar question for most companies – start-ups or conglomerates. A lot of time and money is wasted
How Will Learn About Supply Chain Security Be In The Future. Here is a story of the fire than tipped the balance within an industry.
The Reason Why Everyone Loves Supply Chain Security. People often wonder where the best opportunities for start-ups are. Supply Chain Security space is getting a
Spent More Deposit with Supply Chain Company Someone asked me this question on a popular social platform. The subtext was this: What kind of discount
Unique Supply Chain Challenges One of the common problems cited by the boards and senior management is that the consultants they hire do not understand
Startup Struggles with Supply Chain Business TL/DR Abstract Many startups make it to the end, and meet the dreams of their founders. Many other founder
Freight Costs in Supply Chain Freight costs reduction is almost always the last frontier in the cost reduction landscape. At the board level, most companies
Startling Statistics Consultants Supply Chain I came across startling statistics which prompted a new line of thinking that I wanted to share – hence this
The Trouble for companies in Securing the supply chain Let me tell a story. This is a very entertaining story, but that is not the
It is a legitimate question on supply chain security – How important is continuity of supply to you? How far would you go? Would you
Rein In Logistics Suppliers No other industry, barring IT, treats its buyers with as much disdain and contempt at the logistics industry. To make it
I was recently asked this question on the popular Q & A forum QUORA. Sometimes, when the question is really good, I take my time
I was asked another very interesting question on Quora by a reader Benjamin Myer. I think the question merited some discussion and attention. Below Is
A Tale Of Two Companies Supply Chain Governance Both Nokia and Ericsson had experienced business disruption to an equal extent. The two stalwarts in the
Why is Supply Chain Governance Difficult & Missteps Most boards first hear of any of their company’s supply chain missteps only just before they are
HIGH DEMAND FOR SUPPLY CHAIN EXPERTS Abstract of Supply Chain Experts Almost every supply chain needs to be restructured in the wake of COVID-19 and
How Effective Supply Chain Leaders Can Ease Your Pain. This blogpost is likely to be controversial because it will likely make almost every reader unhappy
If you have been a senior executive in the corporate circles for just a few years, you already know the truth about this great fight
There are two reasons why this is not going to be a BIG headline in the mainstream press for at least three months yet (but,
Business Transformation Is Different Than Change Management Almost everybody who has anything to do with creating any change inside a company calls himself or herself
What Is Sales And Operations Planning (S & OP), And What Is Its Significance In Supply Chain Operation Management? In any company sales department or
Learn More About Supply Chain Management We get many emails from younger generation asking what kind of certificates in SCM are widely accepted. The intention
Confusing State Of Supply Chain (SCM) If you are confused about the SCM, you are not alone. Thousands of people around this world express frustration.
Supply Chain Training Level We often get this question for two reasons: 1. People are trying to peg where our company’s training offering is focused
SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT. Training has become the norm for a variety of reasons. But before we go into those, let me first state that on-the-job
Considerations In Route Optimisation Since times immemorable route optimisation has been taught as one of the starting tricks in operations research and associated subjects in
SUPPLY CHAIN SPIRALING. There may be savings opportunities by consolidation of multiple shipments with same origin and destination into a single shipment. On a broader
Multimodal Shipments A Big Deal Rarely does an international shipment use a single mode of transportation. It is common to combine multiple modes – such
Supply Chain Control The most difficult part of supply chain management is checking up on adherence to the supply chain plans. It does not matter
All You Need To Know About Transportation Management System. Many companies make do with Excel spreadsheets, paper invoices and back of the envelop calculations for
Do Not Waste Your Money On Transportation Management System (TMS) Unless You Do This First Online Resources Facebook Twitter Linkedin Youtube Do Not Waste Your
The purpose of this blog post is simple. I Will Explain Some Of The Most Popular Algorithms, Methods And Heuristics Of Transportation Optimization Here are
TRANSPORT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. If you already have experience with TMS and other assorted SCM systems this blogpost is not for you. But a lot of
Unique Competitive Advantage In Supply Chain Supply chain software companies are not the only ones who encourage the thinking that somehow getting a bunch of
Supply Chain Group Without Corresponding Skills As the concept of supply chain management became increasingly popular in the mid 2000’s or so, many companies renamed
Supply Chain Management The most fundamental requirement is that the decision makers have a good understanding of supply chain management itself. The key reason that
About More Supply Chain Results. Like everyone else supply chain professionals also want to do a great job. They also want to be recognised for
Digital Supply Chain Twins There is a lot of talk about digital supply chain twin. A digital twin is meant to be a digital representation
About Artificial Intelligence (AI) In Supply Chain The COVID-19 epidemic has resulted in the breakdown of supply chains globally, the economic impact of which will
The World Of Supply Chain Is Experiencing Its Own Digital Divide On one hand we have several large global corporations shipping hundreds of thousands of
Information Technology Tools We are asked this question in a number of workshops and public forums. That is not surprising – after all the question
About Fundamental Foundation In a quotation famously and perhaps apocryphally attributed to Intel Corporation founder Andy Grove, he said: “For one brief moment the demand
Supply Chain Management Planning And Execution Needs Decision Making For a human to be switched on 24/7 and make real time decisions as soon as
S&OP brings together two disparate but essential mechanisms to look at an even bigger picture. On One Hand, Demand Management Is The Art Of Maximising
Almost all the current applications of AI in SCM are in the following three areas: Supply Chain Management Automation: after automation of the factories now
Digital supply chain twin and Augmented reality (AR) are the current experimental models that are under development for aiding the supply chain management using artificial
