Having undergone a raft of acquisitions and name changes over the years, the pharmaceutical giant formerly known as Actavis scraps its legacy manual processes and embraces formal demand-planning and advanced-scheduling technology.
Pervinder Johar, chief executive officer of Steelwedge Software Inc., defines the characteristics of the "next-generation" supply chain, and offers a perspective on how companies are adapting to globalization, "consumerization," and the growing power of social networks.
Small to mid-sized companies are better positioned than large corporations to take advantage of cloud-based solutions because they have not made big investments in enterprise systems, says Yogesh Pathak of Technoforte. The supply chain is one of many areas where cloud solutions promise to change the game, Pathak says.
The big merchandiser looked to Genco to provide a system for the rapid and efficient processing of merchandise that's designated for redeployment, return to vendor and liquidation.
The big maker of flatscreen TVs cuts logistics costs and boost sales, by offering product discounts in exchange for bulk buys by retailers. A partnership with C.H. Robinson makes the program work.
Tradeshift, provider of a supplier-collaboration platform, has partnered with EcoVadis, creator of a collaborative platform for assigning supplier sustainability ratings in global supply chains.
Today's supply chains are so complex and change so rapidly that optimization efforts often are overtaken by events, says Mike Comstock of Grand Canal Solutions. Planning needs to become much more dynamic, with analytics adapted to make optimization a continuous process, he says.
The goal for 3PLs always is to negotiate a win/win contract with existing and new customers, says Mike Bautch of Universal. He offers insights and examples on how to create win/win relationships that keep improving over the years.
Supply Chain operations increasingly are impacted by corporations' quality assurance and quality control programs, says Laurel Nelson-Rowe, managing director of the American Society for Quality. She discusses the importance of these programs in protecting brand reputations and ensuring customer satisfaction.
John Reichert, director of supply chain execution solutions at Tecsys, discusses factors driving increased demand for 3PL services and describes the type of provider best positioned to leverage this growth environment.