Supply Chain Finance & Revenue Management

Supply Chain Experts View of ERP vs Best-of-Breed

February 20, 2009

John Hill, TranSystems, Dan Gilmore, Supply Chain Digest, Ken Mullin, EnVista

A Real World Look at Recall Technology in Action

February 20, 2009

RedPrairie

What Does Obama Mean to the Supply Chain World?

February 19, 2009

Simon Ellis, practice director, Manufacturing Insights, an IDC company

Certainly we expect the new president to favor legislation protecting consumers as well as incentives to reduce job losses to low-cost manufacturing countries. But it is not clear how much of an effect he will be able to have, at least in the short term. We do expect to see significant investments in infrastructure/public works projects and a continuation, for now, of recent defense spending levels.

Risk Management Emerges from the Shadow of Compliance

February 19, 2009

John Hagerty, vice president and research fellow, AMR Research

With new crises seemingly emerging weekly, risk management has taken on a new urgency. Leading companies recognize the importance of a solid supply chain risk discipline, but grapple with scope, ownership, metrics, and ties to other types of strategic and operational risks facing the business.

Aligning Your Enterprise's Practices With Today's Cash Reality

February 19, 2009

Beth Enslow, senior vice president, supply chain risk management, Marsh Inc.

Using a global inventory approach to "fire your inventory" may be much less disruptive than other cost-savings options your company may be considering.

Tight Credit Markets? It's Time to Liberate Your Cash

February 19, 2009

Henri van der Eerden, global practice director, REL, a div. of The Hackett Group

Working capital optimization has always been the least expensive and most readily available form of cash. With tightening credit markets the option of liberating cash from a company's operational processes has moved to the forefront. Inventory optimization presents the second-largest opportunity among the working capital components after trade receivables and ahead of trade payables.

Supply Chains Evolve into Multi-Enterprise Business Networks

February 19, 2009

Nari Viswanathan, vice president and principal analyst, Aberdeen Group

There is nearly unanimous recognition of the need for supply chain transformation driven by factors such as the globalization of supply, increasing competitive pressures, and dwindling product life cycles from companies. This transformation's initial state is the linear supply chains of the past and the final state is a dynamic multi-enterprise business network.

Rebalance Supply & Demand to Prepare for Recovery

February 19, 2009

Simon Ellis, practice director, Manufacturing Insights, an IDC company

2009 is certainly shaping up to be a difficult year for manufacturers. Tight credit markets, poor consumer confidence and retail sales, along with low manufacturing activity, suggests that overall supply chain investment activity will be reduced and cost-savings activities will be prioritized.

Mastering Significant Global Uncertainty

February 19, 2009

Dr. Edgar E. Blanco, MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics

As the financial crisis ripples through the global economy, supply chains will need to re-invent themselves and deal with uncertainty at all levels: economic, financial and regulatory. The need to balance short-term needs with long-term investments in global supply chains will add significant uncertainty to global supply chain operations.

The Green and Smart Supply Chains of the Future

February 19, 2009

Stephen Stokes, v.p., sustainability & green technologies, AMR Research

The green imperative is expanding into virtually all walks of life and all facets of the economy. Demonstrating green credentials is increasingly a minimal stakeholder expectation and business risk management factor, and is shifting from an order-winning to an order-qualifying attribute. Swallow that carbon pill! A whole swath of additional environmental expectations may well be just around the corner, as well as a whole new way of looking at "green" and the environment.