Filed in MayJune 2011
Monday, May 02, 2011
Moving much-needed athletic footwear to some of the most remote corners of the globe can be a daunting supply chain challenge. But the humanitarian aid organization Samaritan’s Feet has persevered and is working steadily toward its goal of delivering 10 million pairs of shoes to 10 million people in 10 years. The lessons SF has learned along are instructive for any supply chain professional.
Procurement and supply management personnel are becoming involved in more and more areas of company spend. But one category that to date has largely eluded
them is capital expenditure projects. That’s unfortunate because when procurement gets involved early in these capital projects, the advantages—operational, technical,
financial, and more—can be profound.
The management team at Biogen Idec knew they had to transform the supply chain to cope with increasing volume and complexity at this biotech company. Beginning with a detailed gap analysis, they launched a comprehensive transformation program that addressed factors as varied as vendor continuity and purchase order processing times,
drawing from sourcing best practices. The overhaul to date has proved to be a resounding success.
The ability to see customer demand and align it with your supply chain—what’s called demand management—has become a truly crucial capability. But many supply chain managers still struggle with building this capability in their organizations. A new survey uncovers the challenges they typically face and points to opportunities for successfully overcoming them.
Cloud computing—an emerging technology that gives users wide access to computing capabilities without the costs of ownership—has huge potential for the supply chain. In fact, the cloud is poised to usher in a new era of high-performance SCM. But before making the transition to cloud computing, companies need to address six key questions to make sure that they capitalize on its full potential.
Posted on 05/02 at 07:35 AM
Technology •
MayJune 2011 •
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