Supply Chain
The Lead
Apple Pledges To Limit Hours At China Factories
March 30, 2012 9:42 am | by Joe McDonald, AP Business Writer | News | Comments
However, it could force other global corporations to hike pay for Chinese workers who produce the world's consumer electronics, toys and other goods.
Business Agility In The Evolving Workforce
May 17, 2013 11:03 am | by Bob Dean, Executive Director, Business Transformation, Cisco | Articles | CommentsEighty five percent of companies with global supply chains experienced at least one supply chain disruption in the previous 12 months. Risk is inherently unpredictable. Fortunately, the current workforce is undergoing its own transformation to be able to identify and manage risk on a global basis.
Building Apple's iPhone Doesn't Pay Like It Used To
May 15, 2013 10:55 am | by ReutersTV | Videos | CommentsApple's legendary profit margins may be challenged if the firm releases its long-rumored low-end iPhone later this year. But the ones really feeling the pinch will be its suppliers. Apple does none of its own production and relies on Asia's contract makers - the biggest of the bunch being Foxconn. Foxconn draws an estimated 60 to 70 percent of its business from work commissioned by Apple.
Prices Paid By U.S. Importers Fell 0.5 Percent
May 14, 2013 9:49 am | by Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsPrices paid by U.S. importers fell in April for the second straight month, pushed lower by another decline in imported petroleum. Falling import prices help keep inflation in check. The Labor Department says import prices fell 0.5 percent last month compared with March, when prices had fallen 0.2 percent.
Cloud Readiness For Logistics Providers
May 13, 2013 10:39 am | by Joe Pampel, Consulting Director, SunGard Availability Services | Articles | CommentsCall it the Logistics Cloud. It’s cloud-computing technology for logistics service providers, or LSPs, and it’s a huge universe that encompasses every industry. It’s computing that involves delivering hosted services over the Internet and employs a network of remote servers to store, manage and process data rather than a local server.
Ferrari To Sell Fewer Cars To Boost Exclusivity
May 8, 2013 10:25 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsFerrari says it will limit sales of its high-performance street cars this year to below 7,000 units to protect the brand's aura of exclusivity. Chairman Luca Montezemolo says that means sales will decline overall by "more than 1 or 2 percent" from last year's sales of 7,318 cars. Sales in the first four months have risen 4 percent over last year.
Ford To Enter Myanmar With Showroom By August
April 30, 2013 10:28 am | by Erika Kinetz, Associated Press | News | CommentsFord Motor Co. announced its entry into Myanmar on Tuesday, saying it plans to open the nation's first sales and service showroom for new vehicles by August. Myanmar's vehicle market has been stunted by decades of international sanctions and strict import controls put in place by the military junta that ruled for nearly 50 years, handing out import licenses to a few favored tycoons.
Labor Productivity And Global Competiveness
April 28, 2013 1:43 pm | by Simon Macpherson, Senior Director Operations, Kronos EMEA | Articles | CommentsIt’s been my long-held belief that no matter what we automate in manufacturing, or how flexible and effective a supply chain we develop, it’s how we manage the people in the business that will make the difference between good and world class.
The Amazon Cure To The Plague Of Short-Term Thinking In Business
April 18, 2013 10:19 am | by Tompkins International | Videos | CommentsAre you weary of hearing companies blame an uncertain economy, Wall Street or the government for their short-term business thinking? In this new video, Jim Tompkins -- noted supply chain strategy expert and CEO of Tompkins International -- injects some new truths into this current plague of short-term thinking.
At The Core: Mobility Drives Supply Chain Growth
April 17, 2013 10:26 am | by Mark Bollinger, Vice President, Marketing, Smith & Associates | Articles | CommentsThis year's focus is noticeably rooted in the significant improvements to chip architectures that are developing as mobile users increasingly demand richer functionality with greater processing power and anywhere, anytime connectivity with longer battery life. The answer to these demands is coming in increasingly complex and compact architectures.
Unlocking Potential For Greater Productivity And Accuracy
April 8, 2013 10:45 am | by Bruce Stubbs, Director of Industry Marketing for Distribution Center Operations, Intermec | Articles | CommentsFacing rising operational costs and growing awareness of consumer food safety, growers and companies are under increased pressure to improve efficiency and increase customer satisfaction and safety. To meet these needs while containing costs, food traceability solutions are particularly imperative for achieving rapid responses to potential product recalls.
Countdown To REACH — Complying With Document Delivery Challenges
March 29, 2013 9:40 am | by Malcolm Carroll, Director, Reach Delivery | Articles | CommentsThe aim of REACH is to improve and ensure the safe use of chemicals, and the one of the things that REACH does is make all parties in the supply chain — from manufacturers, distributors through to downstream users — directly responsible for the safety of the chemical substances they handle.
Launching A Counterattack On Rising Commodity Costs
March 27, 2013 9:38 am | by Thomas Bornemann, Global Consumer Products Practice Leader, Procurian | Articles | CommentsIn the current commodity bull market, consumer products companies face increasing margin pressure. Consumers are demanding value — increasing competition from private label and restricting manufacturers’ ability to pass along rising raw materials costs.
U.S. Manufacturing Jobs On The Rise
March 25, 2013 9:18 am | by CBS News | Videos | CommentsMany U.S. companies have moved production to China to take advantage of cheaper labor, but as Chinese labor costs increased, companies have laid off many employees. Add the increasing fuel costs to ship things halfway around the world and suddenly the advantage of doing business in China has disappeared.
Judge Approves Twinkies Sale
March 19, 2013 4:03 pm | by Candice Choi, AP Food Industry Writer | News | CommentsA bankruptcy judge has approved the sale of Twinkies to a pair of investment firms, one of which has said it hopes to have the cakes back on shelves by summer. Hostess Brands Inc. is selling Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Ho Hos and other brands to Apollo Global Management and Metropoulos & Co. for $410 million.
Why The Manufacturing Supply Chain Is Putting Revenue At Risk
March 15, 2013 8:57 am | by Michael Kerman,Director of Industry Development, Revitas | Articles | CommentsCreative sales incentives are the bread and butter of manufacturing and technology companies. Typically, the more attractive the incentives, the more shipments will be driven through the channel, and the more revenue the company will collect. But while such incentives have helped many companies grow, they also pose serious risks to revenue when managed improperly.
Understanding Your Liability: Shipping Lithium Battery Powered Devices
March 12, 2013 9:24 am | by Jim Powell, President, Transportation Development Group LLC | Articles | CommentsThe current plight of Boeing highlights not only the safety risks, but also the commercial risks of lithium battery-powered products and devices. These days, rechargeable lithium ion batteries, and primary non-rechargeable lithium batteries are everywhere. And unfortunately, they are also considered “Dangerous Goods.”
Connecting All Aspects Of Your Supply Chain
March 12, 2013 9:10 am | by Misty Farmer Koopman, Marketing Manager, CTSI-Global | Articles | CommentsIt is necessary for companies to employ the latest technology that optimizes all inbound, outbound and third-party shipping transactions with on-demand supply chain applications. Having an end-to-end supply chain cycle is critical.
Supply Chain Management Concerns And Solutions Part 2
March 8, 2013 8:34 am | by Jon Minnick, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsManufacturers can take a segmented approach to supply chain implementations that is best suited to their business needs, budgets and time constraints. For many manufacturers, depending on the solution implemented, they can see results immediately; and begin to generate ROI and enterprise-wide value as quickly as three to four months.
Supply Chain Management Concerns And Solutions Part 1
March 5, 2013 11:26 am | by Jon Minnick, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsManufacturing Business Technology talks with companies about supply chain management issues manufacturers are dealing with and implementing new platform solutions to address those concerns in this 2-part Q&A round table discussion.
Integrating LEAN Process Improvement
February 15, 2013 8:54 am | by Stephen J. Benefield, enVista | Articles | CommentsStrong executive commitment is of upmost importance when implementing any continuous improvement process such as LEAN or Six Sigma. It is important to ensure executive commitment by aligning and reporting results using current corporate measures and strategic initiatives.
Sustainability And The Supply Chain: How To Reduce Cost And Save The Environment
February 14, 2013 3:54 pm | by Yves Leclerc, West Monroe Partners | Articles | CommentsFor years now, the “green” and “sustainable” trends have transitioned to a standard. From corporate offices to high-rise apartments and clothing manufacturers, most industries have begun to seriously invest in sustainability. The modern consumer is more sustainability-savvy, and brands are beginning to realize that purchasing power is often directed towards businesses that are up to par on remaining socially responsible.
IBM Smarter Planet: Supply Chain Management
February 13, 2013 3:14 pm | by IBM | Videos | CommentsIBM's supply chain study sheds light on new capabilities and approaches for operating a sucessful supply chain in the current economic climate. In today's interconnected world, supply chains have become truly global, requiring new capabilities and approaches to address challenges in this environment.
Working In Supply Chain Management At Beiersdorf
February 13, 2013 2:52 pm | by Beiersdorf | Videos | CommentsFind out what Mary Margaret York, Procurement Manager at Beiersdorf has to say about working in the Supply Chain Management of one of the world's leading skin care companies. Beiersdorf likes to put supply chain management into four different categories. Here's a look into what they are and what each category does.
Solve Business Challenges With An Enterprise Labeling Solution
February 13, 2013 9:13 am | by TEKLYNK | Articles | CommentsAs one of North America’s largest independent manufacturers of plastic tubing, Freelin-Wade has more than 4,000 stock items and infinite custom products that require proper labeling. In order to keep production and shipping running smoothly as the company grew, a new labeling system was necessary.
Is A Cloud-Based WMS Pie In The Sky?
February 12, 2013 4:09 pm | by Chuck Fuerst, director of product strategy, HighJump Software | Articles | CommentsYou have probably already heard about the benefits of a warehouse management system (WMS) a million times: Increased productivity, real-time access to information, up to 99+ percent inventory accuracy, faster shipping, and on and on. But perhaps it’s time to upgrade your current system and you’re not sure you have the IT resources to install and support the transition, or you’re worried about the infrastructure costs.
