Blog Archives
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Automation in the Warehouse and DC Is a Matter of If, Not When
By Natalia Kosk - Wednesday November 14, 2012Most people don’t like change. And when it comes to business, implementing new strategies or technology solutions to mitigate company functions can often be met with questions and sometimes even fall on deaf ears. But for those in the warehousing and distribution center (DC) space, effective workflow efficiency is a must. Operators in such industrial spaces don’t have the time to hesitate at adopting methods that will make their jobs easier; enable them to cut down on time and operating costs; improve equipment utilization rates; and prepare goods for on-time shipping and delivery. This especially holds true even more so for operators in this space, confirmed IRLY IT Project Manager Steve Cain, as old issues in the warehouse and DC... -
A History Lesson in the Economics of Outsourcing
By Kate Vitasek - Thursday October 18, 2012
It may seem odd to talk about outsourcing and Adam Smith, the father of modern economics, in the same breath but—stay with me on this—it’s not far-fetched at all. In our research and work on the Vested approach to collaborative, outcome-based outsourcing and business relationships, we’ve traced a clear line from the giants of academic and economic theory to the emergence and evolution of modern outsourcing. And it started with Adam Smith. Obviously, the term outsourcing did not exist when Smith was alive but it existed in one way or another as mercantilism, markets and transactions developed and became more sophisticated. For example, when an entrepreneur formed a relationship with a guild of weavers to manufacture and sell... -
My Hat Goes Off to ASU Sustainability Dean Sander van der Leeuw
- Tuesday October 9, 2012When the alumni magazine from Arizona State University (ASU) arrives, I usually flip through the pages quickly, looking for something that might catch my eye. In the most recent issue I made it all the way to page four when I saw the words, “UN names ASU sustainability dean a ‘Champion of the Earth.’” Since sustainability and green play an important role in supply chain (our December issue focuses on the topic, including our annual Green Supply Chain Awards) I read on. Prof. Sander van der Leeuw, an archaeologist and historian by training, was one of six Champions of the Earth honored in June at a ceremony in Rio de Janeiro. His work began with a series of regional archaeological research projects in Syria, Holland and France to... -
How to Reduce Costs from Procurement
- Monday September 24, 2012What challenges are some of your customers facing in the area of procurement? Chances are your suppliers and your customers are facing similar problems and similar problems to you. What are your challenges in getting what you need? How could you get what you need at lower costs and faster and pass on that savings to your customer? Before any improvement can happen, the first step always entails awareness, analysis, acceptance and acknowledgement of the desire to change. Try to put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Is there something they would like to acquire but can’t? Is there something you could give them faster but don’t? What’s their work life like? What would their frustrations be? After you’ve tried to imagine your... -
There’s a New ERP User in Town
By Natalia Kosk - Monday September 24, 2012Call it what you will—whether a transformation, a technological shift or the end-result of business platform fusion—if enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms don’t respond proactively to consumer and market pressures to become more intelligent, user-friendly, cost-efficient, intuitive and even mobile, they will become extinct. Yes, extinct. But don’t take my word for it—just take a look at some of the other ERP coverage that’s out there. Sure, ERP implementations will continue and rightly so as they do offer their fair share of benefits in handling numerous business processes together—including transactions, sales orders, inventory shipments, invoicing, financial transaction and other processes for procurement and... -
Introduction to “Academics of Outsourcing”
By Kate Vitasek - Wednesday June 27, 2012There is a better way to outsource. I know this as a result of research and fieldwork conducted over many years in partnership with the University of Tennessee and the United States Air Force. Along the way I have joined forces with the International Association for Contract and Commercial Management (IACCM) and the Corporate Executive Board. I have also had the opportunity to work with progressive practitioners that are applying the best thinking in terms of outsourcing. This research led to my books, “Vested Outsourcing: Five Rules that Will Transform Outsourcing” and its follow-up, “The Vested Outsourcing Manual.” Another book that examines the collaborative, outcome-based Vested business model in practice, “Vested: How... -
Are You Ready for the Game Change?
By Natalia Kosk - Monday June 25, 2012The Panama Canal expansion project, set for completion in 2014, is all about the economies of scale—operational efficiency, fuel efficiency, “Super Post-Panamax” vessels as a means to cost savings and larger TEUs. It’s evident that the project will drive economical growth not only for the U.S.—as 68 percent of traffic moving through the Canal has origins in the U.S. making it a major customer for Panama—but for other Latin American countries and Africa as well. Additionally, it will have a major impact on the future of maritime and warehouse and distribution centers around the world. Yet, a bigger question remains: is the industry ready for its opening? The question, presented at a recent Panama Canal expansion meeting... -
A Time for Change
By Barry Hochfelder - Monday June 25, 2012There have been lots of songs about change: coming quickly to mind (and perhaps giving away my age) are Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” and completely different songs called “Changes” by David Bowie, Phil Ochs and Tupac. Attending the 10 th Annual North American 3PL Summit and Chief Supply Chain Officer Forum in Chicago, it was impossible to miss one of the summit’s key themes: the need for change. In fact, Kate Vitasek stressed in her opening presentation that in these difficult and rapidly changing times, business and supply chains must also change to survive. In a PowerPoint presentation called “Right Here and Right Now”—accompanied by Van Halen’s “Right Now”—she showed how business changes. Here are... -
The Impact of Global Sporting Events on Your Business
By Guy Courtin - Monday June 25, 2012Every two years there is a major footy tournament—or should I say soccer for my North American friends. The FIFA World Cup (next set for 2014 in Brazil) and UEFA European Cup are staggered so that they fall two years apart. Recognized as the world’s most popular sport, soccer draws massive audiences, drives economic investment for countries who win the bid to host the next games and have even caused past battles—such as the Ivorian Civil War—to reach a temporary truce because of the tournaments (e.g., when the Ivory Coast National Football Team qualified for the 2006 World Cup). And some sports commentators have even discussed nations grinding to a halt during such pressing matches as the most recent quarterfinals game between...
