Many manufacturers that have applied lean concepts to their operations find that although they do achieve significant savings, their production costs remain high. This is, in most cases, attributable to material costs, which, depending on industry can range from 60 to 80 percent of total production costs. The challenge for these manufacturers is to discover how to extend lean concepts and practices beyond the walls of their own factories.
Economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in May for the first time since November 2012, and the overall economy grew for the 48th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.
Retailers in the non-food sector, are set to invest some £5bn ($7.7bn) in making the transition to omni-channel over the next five years. A study by LCP Consulting, Retail Supply Chain Management: The Omni-channel Revolution, suggests that the "omni" revolution is accelerating with retailers, now spending on average the equivalent of three percent of annual turnover on the change.
The major direction of most of the big ERP companies these days is modernizing and upgrading their ERP portfolio. Epicor, Aptean, Infor, QAD, UNIT4, SAP and others all have major platform upgrades to which they are trying to migrate their customers. This presents a huge dilemma for both the customer and the ERP providers.
The latest supply-chain news, analysis, trends and tools for executives in the food and beverage industries. Learn how food and beverage 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.
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