Global Supply Chain Management

Revamping Inbound Transportation at Sysco

May 25, 2012

Sysco Corp. has operated very successfully for many years as a decentralized company, distributing $40bn annually in food and associated products to restaurants, schools and other meal-serving organizations. The company felt that it could do better in terms of logistics, however, and decided to centralize inbound transportation operations that previously were distributed among its 70 business units.

Is Enterprise Social Networking Part of ERP? Perhaps It's Even Replaced ERP?

May 24, 2012

ChainLink Research

Since today's global business structures are bigger than the enterprise, we are bombarded by the power of social networking for the enterprise. But with several mega-enterprise software firms clearly committed to incorporating social networking into their solutions, the question is - isn't it time to abandon ERP in favor of a new solution? A new platform? A new software category for business? Or is enterprise social networking an element of the enterprise-ERP-package?

Importance of Managing Indirect Procurement Costs Can't Be Overstated, Former CFO Says

May 24, 2012

Industry Week

As the former CFO of such companies as Sprint, Eastman Kodak Co. and Unisys Corp., as well as vice president of finance of General Electric Co.'s plastics division, Robert Brust's management philosophy was to bring procurement into the finance department, at times meeting daily with the purchasing team to go over expenditures line by line.

Where Are the Standards and Metrics to Help Supply Managers Monitor Sustainability Efforts?

May 24, 2012

Inside Supply Management

Supply management professionals are uniquely positioned to influence a company's environmental sustainability efforts as well as the performance of supply base partners in this area. But where are the standards and metrics?

Enabling Real-Time Decision Making

May 24, 2012

SupplyChainBrain

Freeing data from functional silos and making it available to decision-makers throughout the supply chain in real time is the elusive key to true, end-to-end supply chain optimization, says Kristi Montgomery of Kenco Management Services, a third-party logistics provider.

Cloud-Based Contracts Deliver Cost-Efficiency, Ease to Supply Chain Pros

May 24, 2012

Mangesh Bhandarkar, Senior Product Manager, Adobe Systems Incorporated

The term "logistics" can sometimes take on a negative connotation. When people want to imply complexity and hassle, they often say, "There are a lot of logistics to work out." However, for the logistics industry itself, better business processes can transform the experience of managing goods and services as they move from supplier to recipient domestically and internationally. Technology and the advent of the cloud facilitate easier, less costly operations for logistics companies.

TSA: Dec. 3 Is the Day That All Air Cargo Is to Begin Receiving Some Degree of Security Screening

May 23, 2012

Air Cargo World

Two months after the U.S. Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection revealed that they're moving forward with their joint Air Cargo Advance Screening pilot program, the TSA announced that it set a December 3 deadline for screening all cargo on U.S.-bound passenger flights.

Were China, Japan, South Korea to Establish a Free-Trade Agreement, It Would Pose a Challenge to U.S.

May 23, 2012

The Economist

A first reaction to the announcement on May 13th that China, Japan and South Korea are to open talks on establishing a trilateral free-trade area is to shrug. The idea has been around for a decade. There are many obstacles to its realisation. And not so much as a date has been announced for the talks to begin.

Apple Polishes Its Sustainability Credentials with Commitment to Renewable Energy

May 23, 2012

News Factor

Some Apples will be green. Apple data centers, that is. The technology giant has announced that its new half-million-square-foot data center in Maiden, N.C., will only use electricity that has been generated by renewable energy. The company said that the Maiden facility will be "the most environmentally sound data center ever built."

Mastering Traceability in Milk Supply Chain

May 23, 2012

SupplyChainBrain

Traceability always has been important to dairy cooperative Agri-Mark, but it has become even more of a focus since passage in 2010 of The Food Safety Modernization Act, which gives the Food and Drug Administration the right to make product recalls mandatory, rather than voluntary.