Chemicals & Energy

New Rules for a New Decade: A Vision for Smarter Supply Chain Management

September 5, 2012

Today's new economic environment is increasingly more volatile, complex and structurally different than in years past, and in few places is this more apparent than in the movement of goods and services.

The Wait's Over: SEC Finally Acts on Rule to Track Conflict Minerals

September 4, 2012

Robert J. Bowman, SupplyChainBrain

Moving at the blinding speed of bureaucracy, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has finally adopted a rule that requires manufacturers to report on their use of conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Wait's Over: SEC Finally Acts on Rule to Track Conflict Minerals

September 4, 2012

Robert J. Bowman, SupplyChainBrain

Specialty Chemical Manufacturer Optimizes Supply Chain Operations across Four Continents

September 4, 2012

Challenge: A specialty chemical manufacturer with seasonal market demand was struggling with limited visibility to its global operations. The company needed to integrate many different ERP systems and add advanced planning tools to improve planning, forecasting and scheduling capabilities and increase visibility to complex demand patterns.

Specialty Chemical Manufacturer Gets Enterprise-Wide Visibility and Collaboration

September 4, 2012

Challenge: Our customer was struggling with unstable demand and lack of visibility across its five manufacturing plants in a mixed MTS/MTO environment. The firm needed to improve planning processes and get everyone collaborating on one set of numbers.

Because of Drought, Critics of Ethanol Policy Say, Stop Feeding Your Car Corn

August 28, 2012

The Los Angeles Times

The worst U.S. drought in more than half a century has rallied critics of the federal renewable fuel standard, which will reserve about 40 percent of the nation's corn crop for ethanol production this year.

U.S. Efforts to Fight Conflict Minerals Causes Fight with Businesses

August 27, 2012

The Los Angeles Times

U.S. officials deployed new financial weapons to try to end the bloodshed in Central Africa and the exploitation of natural resources worldwide, raising the ire of corporations that said the rules could cost them billions of dollars.

Use of Robotics Grows in Manufacturing and Distribution

August 22, 2012

The New York Times

A new wave of robots, far more adept than those now commonly used by automakers and other heavy manufacturers, are replacing workers around the world in both manufacturing and distribution. Such factories are a striking counterpoint to those used by Apple and other consumer electronics giants, which employ hundreds of thousands of low-skilled workers.

Mining Industry Grapples With Going Green

August 20, 2012

SupplyChainBrain

Ian Darley, an inventory specialist in the mining industry, tells how he helped to pioneer a new method for storing materials on site - and eliminating a substantial amount of unnecessary packaging.

Advanced Sourcing - Achieving the Next Level of Savings and Efficiency in Your Supply Chain

August 17, 2012

CombineNet

In the supply chain and sourcing domains, companies are changing the way they source, produce and distribute goods or services to their customers, in search of reduced costs and greater efficiency.

Chemicals & Energy

The latest supply-chain news, analysis, trends and tools for executives in the chemicals and energy industries. Learn how chemical and energy companies and their suppliers around the world are managing the flow of products across all channels of the enterprise. Experts sound off on forecasting and demand planning, supply-chain visibility, logistics outsourcing, inventory optimization, transportation management, warehouse management, supply-chain security, corporate social responsibility and more.