U.S. manufacturing executives have an opportunity to make their factories even more competitive through parts and components de-costing programs. De-costing is simply a term that refers to removing cost from operations period-over-period. Parts and components usage is a great place to focus because improvements can provide such clear returns.
The present business models being employed by e-retailers and their shipping partners are becoming increasingly unsustainable, according to a report from Transport Intelligence, a research and analysis firm focusing on the global logistics industry.
Brian Holland, the CFO and president of Fleet Advantage, a truck leasing and big data firm, was trying to put his finger on what it means to be a finance chief at the kind of fast-growing, sales-driven companies that have employed him over his more than 20-year career. And then he thought of something a former boss had said to him: “You’re one of the few bean counters that I can even stand to be around.”
Organisation-wide purchasing is often the responsibility of the procurement team with the business reliant on them to source the right goods and services at the best price. But different departments within an organisation will often have very specific and specialist requirements and there are significant merits in empowering selected personnel to source exactly what they need, when they need it.
Price optimization is the next frontier on the retail battle lines, with Walmart and Amazon waging a fierce battle to best each other on price. It's a fight that Amazon is winning thanks to its pricing strategy, according to the Price Perception Index (PPI) for digital retail.
With consumer markets more volatile and unpredictable than ever before, companies need to make up for a lack of forecast accuracy with supply chains that can rapidly respond to changing demand, says Chris Vosse, business systems analyst with Teradyne.
Avaya, a major player in the telecommunications manufacturing sector, is reaping the results of an extensive transformation initiative. Benji Green, director of global sales operations, outlines the successes that the company has achieved – and the direction it intends to take next.
