Global Supply Chain Management

New Material-Handling Research Effort Seeks Thought Leader

March 14, 2013

A group of trade associations and publications are working to craft a "road map" for the material-handling and logistics industry.

Indonesia Offers Sizable Opportunity Because of Rising Middle-Class and Affluent Consumers

March 14, 2013

Boston Consulting Group

Indonesia is at the early stages of a period of strong economic growth, creating a wave of new middle-class and affluent consumers (MACs) that will grow in size and purchasing power through 2020, according to a report by The Boston Consulting Group.

Manufacturers Said to Be Upbeat This Year About Making IT Investments, Expanding Supplier Bases

March 14, 2013

MFG.com

This year is expected to be one of growth, with many product development companies looking to make new technology investments and expand their supplier base, according to a survey of 8,840 sourcing professionals by MFG.com, an online manufacturing marketplace.

50 Percent of UK Businesses Vet Suppliers for Bribery Act Compliance

March 13, 2013

Supply Chain Digital

A study that polled procurement managers and directors from a range of firms across the UK found that while mid-market firms are often less likely to have robust processes and systems in place to counter bribery risk, companies at both ends of the spectrum appeared complacent when it came to vetting their suppliers for compliance with the Bribery Act.

Companies Falling Short on Supply Chain Risk Management

March 13, 2013

Logistics Viewpoint

According to a survey of 600 manufacturing and retail executives conducted by Deloitte, 71 percent of the executives surveyed view supply chain risk as "an important factor in their companies' strategic decision making, including 20 percent who view it as extremely important." Yet, 42 percent of the executives from large companies said their supply chain risk management programs are only somewhat or not effective.

India Initiates Movement for Direct Sea, Air Connections to Latin America

March 13, 2013

Trans Reporter

India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is moving to set up a direct sea and air link between India and Latin America, as Indian corporations line up significant investments in the oil, mining, IT and pharmaceutical sectors there.

New Shipping Lane Through North Pole Possible

March 13, 2013

Supply Chain Digital

Melting polar ice could create a new shipping lane through the North Pole by 2050, according to research by the University Of California at Los Angeles. In the future, melting sea ice could mean that ordinary shipping vessels will be able to navigate parts of the Arctic Ocean which were previously inaccessible, without the use of icebreakers to clear their route.

Turning a Good Job Into a Great Career

March 13, 2013

SupplyChainBrain

How do you go from good to great when pursuing a career in supply-chain management? James Masotti, continuous replenishment analyst with Campbell Soup, has some answers.

Big Data Is Becoming a Big Deal for Agile S&OP

March 13, 2013

SupplyChainBrain

Analyst Insight: Based on a survey of 160 supply chain leaders in a recent webinar conducted by Steelwedge, we found that companies captured a whopping 70 percent more data (product, supply, demand and finance) to manage their organizations in 2012. Yet, 77 percent of these businesses are not actually leveraging this data in their S&OP processes, thereby leaving "blind spots" in their decision making processes around critical supply/demand trade-offs. - Nari Viswanathan, Vice President of Product Management, Steelwedge

The Demand for On Demand Is Growing

March 13, 2013

SupplyChainBrain

Analyst Insight: Neither a lack of cogent definitions re: what these services and technologies are nor confusion in pricing models is slowing down interest in cloud, SaaS and on-demand solutions. Our research shows a consistent increase in buyer adoption of enterprise and consumer applications - cloud-accessible - from desk top, smartphones and tablets of all size companies in all industries. - Ann Grackin, CEO, ChainLink Research