SupplyChainGuru

I follow author and consultant Giles Johnston. He wrote a recent blog post that I would like to share.  If we ignore the sales pitch for the author's book, this article hits the nail on the head. The analogy might be a sprint - you need to get out of the starting blocks well in order to perform well. Focus on customer delivery in the last phases of production/shipping is too late. I once managed an improvement event focused on the process from order entry to the delivery of engineering data to support the planning process in an ETO environment. We found ways to cut weeks out of the upfront process that could then be used for supply lead times and production. Saving time up front gives you time to get aligned for performance down the line. Read the post

 Check out our latest article on Plant.ca With the trend to near-shoring and friend-shoring, companies are going to have to onboard a lot of new suppliers. Here's a short overview of the process and some key considerations. CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE  

  The key takeaway in this article from Supply Chain Brain is part standardization. Follow the link to read the whole article. I wholeheartedly agree that there is a lot of opportunity for improvement in many organizations. I don't necessarily agree that you need a 3D model to do that, however, the model might more easily support the export of the raw data needed to do the analysis. I remember that as an energetic youngster in supply chain 40 years ago that I asked our Configuration Management team to provide a data dump of the key dimensions for washers. From a review of ID, OD, thickness, and tolerances (for all three), it turned out we had lots of opportunity for standardization !! Depending on the designer, they used 2-digit decimals, 3-digit decimals, fractions, and drill sizes for ID and OD. Just this alone caused essentially the same item to have a different part number and different cost because each dimensioning method invoked different tolerances which then changed the p

Watch our latest video which gives an overview of FarStar's global reach to provide interim resources through our international alliance with IXPA. We can provide senior management with domain expertise combined with knowledge of local requirements. CHECK IT OUT! Follow this link to learn more about how we can help. http://www.farstarconsulting.com/

This chart is a selling point for IoT-based supply chain visibility solutions like  Arviem AG . Since these ships are lingering near the port they should mostly be inside GSM cell tower range and able to transmit real time information about the condition of the cargo inside a container without the need for more expensive satellite phone solutions. Even outside of cell coverage, the container "knows" what ship it is on and regular ship ID#/GPS data is available to you as the interested party in knowing where your goods are. Wouldn't you like to know  where your goods are? It's easy to find out. There are multiple solutions available and they are generally affordable. For high-risk, high-value or time-sensitive goods these solutions are, or should be viewed as, a necessity. Unfortunately, too many companies won't take the step thinking the cost of knowing isn't worthwhile.   I thinking the cost of not knowing is what is unaffordable!   Read the original article

 Supply chain management is a hot topic. Check out this excellent article from Daniel Stanton, also known as Mr. Supply Chain. Follow the link in the article to the video page. You can watch the first 3 videos for free. This is a great introduction for people trying to figure out their career path. Follow the link or click on the image - Read the Article  or jump to the videos  Watch the first video