Lise Bourjot, senior implementations manager of Celestica, explains why smaller companies can benefit from the use of an outsourced logistics provider -- all the while ensuring continued operational effectiveness.
In a manner similar to product or customer segmentation, supply chains can be segmented based on service capabilities, says Lalit Wadhwa of Avnet. Identifying different supply chains within an organization through segmentation can help companies improve service levels and lower costs, he says.
An integrated setting for managing demand, supply and inventory involves working with people as much as with technology and information, says Todd Gallant of VF Corp. He explains how the Timberland division of VF is improving collaboration and communication among its associates up and down the supply chain.
IBM continues its journey toward creation of a truly global supply chain, through the use of embedded analytics to gain cross-process visibility. A finalist in the 2013 Supply Chain Innovation Award competition of CSCMP and SupplyChainBrain.
Tupperware's unique house-party business model presents interesting demand management challenges. Omar Campbell, director of marketing operations, talks about the importance of demand planning vs. forecasting and how Tupperware is working to improve its demand planning processes.
The way most companies evaluate forecasting performance tells them the magnitude of their error, but does little to identify causes of the error or potential for improvement, says Michael Gilliland of SAS. Gilliland explains how the addition of a few simple analytic tools can provide fuller and more useful evaluations.
