The shift of manufacturing to China and elsewhere is lengthening supply lines and complicating the job of logistics managers. Here are some of the major problems that result-and some proposed cures.
Afraid to let safety stocks get too low, companies often get overwhelmed by their inventory. New ideas, processes and technologies in inventory management can solve that.
Castrol's European operation faced a common supply-chain conundrum: excess inventory and poor customer service. A new planning department separate from execution, coupled with technology from ToolsGroup, got the company's supply chain back on track.